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Willis Defends BAR
Reliability
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Atlas
F1
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2003.05.30
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BAR-Honda technical
director Geoff Willis says his BAR 005 machine is not fundamentally
unreliable despite complaints over its constant failures from race
driver Jacques Villeneuve.
Canadian Villeneuve has failed to start
one race this year because of a technical problem and he has posted
two other retirements in five races after suffering most of the
team's unreliability on his car. But Willis remains unconcerned by
the problems and said: "It is not a fundamentally unreliable
car, although we have certainly let ourselves down with reliability.
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"It is always very
difficult. Each individual area we have a problem in turns out to be
unrelated to anything else we have had, we just need to be extra
careful everywhere."
BAR-Honda have
experienced both highs and lows this year, with Briton Jenson Button
claiming his best Grand Prix finish for the team with fourth place
in Austria at the last race. Although Villeneuve has constantly hit
problems, Willis believes the baseline the team have this year, once
the reliability issues are sorted out, will serve them well for the
future.
"Generally it has
worked quite well," Willis said in Monte Carlo. "It has
been a rebuilding year for the team and it is a good solid car to
work from and we are steadily making progress. Honda have been
making very big steps with the engine almost every race. We have a
step in power and the reliability is good.
"The most important
thing to do is to have a progress relative to the field. As long as
you are improving relatively to everyone else through the season and
year on year then eventually you will get to a good competitive
level and hopefully we can do that."
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