April 26 - 28, 2002

Race Notes

Déjà vu for BAR in Spain

It was a carbon copy of Imola two weeks ago for BAR in the Spanish Grand Prix after the team again missed out on points by the narrowest of margins.

Olivier Panis and Jacques Villeneuve both drove strong races to recover from a disappointing qualifying session.

Panis posted a retirement when his exhaust failed following his second pit-stop but earlier in the race he had battled with eventual sixth-placed finisher Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Jacques ended up seventh after being delayed in the early stages by slower cars.

Olivier was disappointed in the result but happy with the team performance. He said: "I'm disappointed that we missed a big opportunity to score one or two points today but I'm very pleased with the team because they did a great job this weekend.

"I made a good start and the pitstop strategy and execution were brilliant. After the first stop I rejoined the race ahead of Frentzen and I was able to keep him behind me without difficulty before an exhaust failure ended my race.

"We seem to have reduced our reliability problems to a minimum but we still need to keep pushing to keep on top of them. When points opportunities come our way we need to be in a position to take advantage of them. I'm looking forward to testing in Estoril next week and to the next race in Austria as I'm hungry for a good result."

Jacques was less than happy with Arrows driver Enrique Bernoldi, who had not played fair in their battle according to the former Barcelona winner.

"The race went well for me today and we were more competitive than in qualifying," said JV. "I was angry because Bernoldi put me on to the grass and then I lost a lot of time running behind him.

"I wasn't happy with the car at first but we made some aerodynamic changes during the pitstop and the car felt much better after that. By the time I started doing quick laps though I was too far behind."

Team boss David Richards is confident that the team is moving in the right direction despite the team missing out on points again. He said: "I feel like saying "déjà vu". A lot of hard work, another 7th place and still no points. Despite all of this, morale is still extremely high and we will go to Austria with the same level of commitment and determination."

BAR

Race Results

Warm-Up Times

Qualifying Notes

Jacques Villeneuve
"This has always been a good track for me and generally we've been quite competitive here, so I'm disappointed to have qualified 16th. We haven't been able to get my car working well all weekend. I seem to be running better on old tyres and Olivier seems to be better off on new. The engine has helped us a little bit but we've been struggling with a lack of grip in general. I'm not surprised to be worse off than Imola because we knew Spain would be tougher. 16th is a little worse than we expected though. I'm sure we'll be better off in the race tomorrow but we'll be relying on opportunities."

Olivier Panis
"I'm obviously disappointed with 13th position because it doesn't reflect all the good work done by the team over the weekend. I lost two of my four runs because of track incidents and the red flag, and losing so much track time didn't help me to find a better set-up. Having said that, I think we're definitely still moving in the right direction and I certainly feel much better with the car here. As ever, warm-up is going to be very important to prepare for the race, but I'm sure that if we can get back to where we were on Friday, we can expect a better race than I've had so far."

David Richards, Team Principal
"Our qualifying positions in Imola reflect our current expectations so 13th and 16th is less than we'd hoped for here. We've been concentrating very much on reliability over the past few races so that we're in the best possible shape to bring performance into the car later on. For now, we are looking to make the most of every opportunity during the race."

* Jacques had initially qualified 16th. Eddie Irvine, who had qualified 15th,
 was found to have a fuel irregularity in the post-qualifying checks and was
 relegated to the back of the grid.

Saturday Practice Times

Friday Practice Notes

Jacques Villeneuve
"We've seen a small difference with the engine here today and small differences always help. This track tends towards a lot of understeer which usually suits us but we're not quite there with my set-up yet. We've done a lot of work exploring the tyre options and we have a reasonably good race set-up so far but Olivier seems to have found a better qualifying set-up. Generally, I'm happy to see some improvement, however small."

Olivier Panis
"I'm very pleased with how practice went for me today; 5th position is a big improvement after the last few races. We had a good test at Silverstone last week and we have taken a small step forward in terms of engine performance for this race. Honda have been working very hard to improve the engine race by race and we can see that beginning to show here. 5th place is a great way to start the weekend and a good boost for the team. I'm happy with the tyre options so far but we still have a lot of work to do because qualifying is another day."

David Richards, Team Principal
"I'm very pleased for Olivier after such a run of bad luck over the last four races. We have made a positive start to the weekend and we now need to keep up the good work and make the most of every opportunity. We are starting to see steady progress being made with the car and, in particular, a gradual improvement in the engine performance."

BAR Race Preview

The San Marino Grand Prix brought mixed fortunes for Lucky Strike BAR Honda drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Olivier Panis. After qualifying in a much-improved 10th position, Jacques' gritty race performance, boosted by a first-class pitstop from the team, delivered an encouraging 7th place finish. Olivier drove an equally committed race but a throttle linkage failure cut the engine on his 44th lap and delivered only disappointment and a fourth successive DNF.

David Richards praised the team for a solid and committed performance throughout the weekend. Practice and qualifying passed with no recurrence of the reliability problems that dogged the team in the first three races and there was a marked improvement in the team's trackside operation. Technical Director Geoffrey Willis has pinpointed Canada as the first real turning point for Lucky Strike BAR Honda so a points finish may continue to prove hard to come by in the next three races.

Encouraged by a small but legitimate step forward in Imola, the team embarked on a three-day, three-man test in Silverstone last week (16-18 April). Jacques, Olivier and test driver Anthony Davidson worked their way through a comprehensive programme of evaluation and development which concluded with Olivier posting the 3rd fastest lap on day 3.

Lucky Strike BAR Honda's realistic objective for the Spanish Grand Prix is to maintain the team's new-found momentum to ensure the car operates at its current full potential.

Jacques Villeneuve on the Spanish Grand Prix
"We've done a lot of work to prepare for the next race and Barcelona is a track we know well through testing, but it won't be easy for us to repeat our Imola performance. We're certainly not expecting a repeat of last year's podium but we have to do as good a job through the weekend as we did in the last race so we can take advantage of any opportunities.

"I've won in Barcelona before and I like the circuit, but it's hard on brakes and understeer is a big problem. We're expecting a tough race."

Olivier Panis on the Spanish Grand Prix
"I was obviously disappointed not to finish again in Imola because it was our best weekend of the season. I was feeling very positive after qualifying, compared with the previous races, and the team did a fantastic job so they deserved to see both cars finish.

"I'm not making any predictions for the next race because I know it will be tough for us. We've tested there a lot so that should help us to get a better set-up than I had in Imola. It's a much more technical track and it isn't easy to get a perfect set-up. The circuit is a little bumpy but I enjoy the high-speed corners. I finished 2nd here in 1997 but at this stage I'll be happy just to finish the race. My motivation remains high and I continue to stay patient because I'm sure that improvements will come through the season."

David Richards, Team Principal
"Our performance in Imola was a step in the right direction. We must now ensure that we consolidate the progress we have made in terms of our reliability and work effectively at the track.

"We are expecting the Spanish Grand Prix to be just as challenging as Imola, if not more so. Our objective must be to maintain the momentum we have now established and maximise every opportunity."

The Circuit

Race Distance - 65 Laps. 190.962 miles (307.323 km)
Circuit Length - 2.939 miles (4.730 km)

Built as part of Barcelona's Olympic development programme, the Circuit de Catalunya is located 20 km north of the Catalan capital on land purchased by the Real Automóvil Club de Catalunya. It was the RACC's wish to bring F1 back to Spain's spiritual home of motorsport on a permanent basis, and indeed the Circuit de Catalunya has hosted every Spanish Grand Prix since it was completed in 1991.

Former Minardi driver Luis Perez Sala advised on the layout of the Circuit de Catalunya which follows the principles of many modern circuits. It possesses a long straight and a number of high-speed corners, making the aerodynamic efficiency of cars particularly important. It also has surface undulations that are capable of unsettling a modern Grand Prix car, so teams will be looking for a chassis set-up that rides bumps effectively. The nature of the track is such that it "loads" the left front corner of a car particularly heavily causing understeer problems.

The Barcelona track hosts many pre-season tests, so it is one of the most familiar venues on the GP calendar. However, its high speed nature makes it a physically tough challenge for drivers, although by this stage of the season they will have reached a good level of race fitness. For spectators, it is a well laid-out circuit with easy access and good viewing positions which give a stadium-style ambience.