March 1 - 3, 2002

Race Notes

A missed opportunity in Australia

BAR missed out on scoring points in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix after Jacques Villeneuve and Olivier Panis crashed out in separate incidents.

Jacques looked set for a top-six finish after almost half the field was decimated in a violent first corner accident triggered by a collision between Ralf Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.

However, he was forced out just before half-distance after his rear wing broke and pitched him off the track.

Recalling his race afterwards JV said: "There was smoke everywhere after the crash at the beginning so it was just a question of trying to get through the mess. Then the rear wing broke off on my 27th lap, possibly because it was faulty or maybe it was something that we didn't pick up in testing. We're not sure why yet. It's frustrating to finish the race like that, especially after the hard work that everybody has put in over the weekend."

However, Olivier didn't get that far after being one of the drivers involved in the first corner pile-up. Eight drivers were eliminated in all in an incident which brought out the safety car.

"I made a good start," said Olivier. "Then, in the first corner, the crash with Ralf Schumacher caused a few drivers to spin off, first of all Fisichella I think. I tried to avoid the other cars and was pushed on to the grass. It was wet so I hit somebody then stalled. I'm very disappointed because everyone worked very hard to improve the car after qualifying yesterday and I think we could have finished well today. It was not to be so we have to look forward to the next race now."

Team boss David Richards rued the fact that the team was unable to secure a points finish in the first race of the year. He said: "Today has been a real missed opportunity. After the elimination of half the field we had something to play for. The end result is in itself is very disappointing, and even prior to his retirement we did not do a good enough job on Jacques' car. It clearly crystallises in my mind just how much work there is to do in the team."

Malcolm Oastler, Engineering Director
"Unfortunately for Olivier, he never made it past the first corner. After that, we decided to roll the dice a little with Jacques' strategy but we never got to see how that would have worked out because the rear wing broke off. We won't know why until we get the bits back and have a look at what caused the problem."

The team now begins preparations for the next round of the World Championship in Malaysia in two weeks time.

BAR

Race Results

Warm-Up Times

Qualifying Notes

Jacques Villeneuve:
"It was a very strange qualifying session, first with my incident with David Coulthard and then with the rain. The conditions were bad and we haven't seen what the car is capable of at all. The car is much more competitive than that so we have to look ahead to the race and see how we can improve from 13th on the grid. Things should be more promising tomorrow, for sure."

Olivier Panis:
"I continue to feel very positive today, despite a difficult qualifying session. Again, I could not use the car to its full potential because I had only one quick lap. We were interrupted by the red flag and after that, the wet conditions made it impossible to improve. We were unlucky to finish 12th and 13th because I think we could have improved to at least 8th with the car we had today. I hope we get a good warm-up session so we can maximise the car more but I think we have a promising package for the race tomorrow."

David Richards, Team Principal:
"The true potential of the team was shown in the morning practice session where we were 8th and 9th, but unfortunately qualifying turned into something of a lottery and we came out worse than most. Having said that, I'm happy that the new car is proving to be a significant step forward and will provide the basis for improvement over the coming months. Our objective for tomorrow is to get both cars home well inside the top 10 and gather valuable information for ongoing development."

Malcolm Oastler, Engineering Director:
"The weather meant that our drivers only managed one fast lap each. We could have gone faster but that's no doubt the same hard luck story as the other teams. 12th and 13th is where we have to start. Jacques and Olivier were happy with the balance of the cars so we are feeling more positive about the race tomorrow."

Saturday Practice Times

Friday Practice Notes

Jacques Villeneuve:
"12th position is not too bad for the first day. We've worked mainly with the race in mind and we're certainly looking better than last year. The car is a lot more drivable. We're not quick enough yet but this car is good to drive aggressively so I think we will be better off in qualifying. We should continue to get closer during the weekend. I love this track so I'm looking forward to the race on Sunday."

Olivier Panis:
"Despite the result on the time sheet, I feel good about the car. In damp conditions this morning I was the quickest at one point. When the track was drier I was using the different tyre and the car still felt competitive; my second sector was quick. We spent quite a lot of time making some alterations and I lost the chance to use my new set of tyres, so we didn't see the full potential. Generally, I'm feeling positive and I'm looking forward to qualifying tomorrow."

David Richards, Team Principal:
"I'm very pleased with our first day of competitive running this season, as we have accomplished exactly what we set out to achieve. We were looking for a good race set-up and both drivers are extremely pleased with the drivability and balance of their cars. The complete B.A.R Honda package ran reliably throughout the session and gave our engineers plenty of feedback before qualifying. Tomorrow we'll know for the first time where we really stand, and just how much work we have to do."

Malcolm Oastler, Engineering Director:
"Today was a good session for the drivers. They are both very positive and are happy with the overall balance of the car. We ran both of the tyres that Bridgestone brought here and saw an improvement when the track started to dry, except for a little understeer. We still have some work to do ahead of qualifying but both drivers managed a good long run to prepare for the race and there were no real reliability issues."

BAR Race Preview

The Australian Grand Prix sees the start of the 2002 FIA Formula One World Championship and a new phase in Lucky Strike B.A.R Honda's development. This is the first Grand Prix with new Team Principal David Richards at the helm and he is very clear about the team's new direction.

It was at the Albert Park circuit back in 2000 where the team secured its first World Championship points with Jacques Villeneuve finishing in fourth place. Since that time, the team have enjoyed two podium finishes but have yet to reach their ultimate goal of a race win.

Jacques Villeneuve, who celebrates his 100th Grand Prix start this weekend, is no stranger to success in Melbourne. He drove in his first Grand Prix here in 1996, starting from pole, finishing second - despite leading for 51 of the 58 laps - and setting the fastest lap of the race. Olivier Panis also made his team debut here in 2001 but was disappointed to finish just outside the points in seventh. Jacques, Olivier and the test drivers covered over 7046kms in pre-season testing, so the team are confident they have done as much as they can to prepare for this first race.

Jacques Villeneuve on the Australian Grand Prix:
"It's exciting to get back into the season. After all our testing the car feels a lot better and we have found that we can attack the corners and carry speed into them, whereas last year that wasn't possible.

"I like Melbourne a lot. The circuit is difficult to drive and quite technical with some interesting corners. It's also quite long at over 5kms."

"Although Melbourne has some happy memories for me, I was deeply affected by the tragedy of last year. Throughout the weekend, our thoughts will remain with those involved."

Olivier Panis on the Australian Grand Prix:
"The winter testing and my own training regime have been tough, but fun - I have only had one week off since the end of last season. All the hard work in testing seems to have paid off because the new car has better grip. Mechanically, it is a big improvement for low-speed and high-speed circuits. I feel more confident with the car so I can push harder. We also have a completely new engine from Honda who have made a big effort over the close season.

"I don't think the circuit is the best we visit as it is very slippery, especially on the first day. It is only used for the one race a year so Friday is never an easy day for finding a good set-up."

David Richards, Team Principal:
"It will be a couple of years before we have all the ingredients in place to consistently beat the top teams. It is too early to say exactly how we will perform this year but it is our clear objective to demonstrate that we can compete effectively against the top three teams. As we strengthen our resources, I would hope to begin battling for wins next year, and to be a title contender in 2004.

"The only way that we will achieve these ambitious objectives is with a close co-operation with Honda. They share our vision for the future and we are jointly pushing ourselves to the limit. The fruits of our collaboration will become more apparent as the year progresses.

"In the same way, we have a golden opportunity with Bridgestone to capitalise on their increased focus this year. It is only through partnerships such as this that the team can raise itself to a new level of competition."

The Circuit

Race Distance - 58 Laps. 191.158 miles (307.574km)
Circuit Length - 3.296 miles (5.303km)

This will be the seventh Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, although the race's history goes back to 1985 when the first of eleven races were held round a street circuit in Adelaide, South Australia. Only seven of the current Grand Prix drivers raced in Adelaide and Olivier Panis was one of them. He has good reason to remember the races there in '94 and '95 as he finished fifth and second respectively.

Melbourne is another street circuit and, although the track itself is not amongst the drivers' all time favourites, the venue certainly is. The track is to the south of the city and only a few minutes drive from the sea and white sandy beaches. The Australians always know how to welcome the Grand Prix circus, however, this year, they have special reason to be excited for the first time since 1986 there will be an Australian driving in the Australian Grand Prix as Mark Webber makes his debut.