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Richards content despite
unreliability
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2003.06.23
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BAR boss David
Richards is confident the team is improving all the time but is not
happy with the unreliability problems that have plagued BAR lately.
Jacques Villeneuve often seems to be on the receiving end of the
gremlins and the Canadian is getting frustrated with so many
non-finishes. Richards is determined to address the problems.
"There's no denying that the
overall performance of the team has improved dramatically. That's
there for everyone to see. Unfortunately we've been hit by a spate
of unreliability which is not acceptable at this level of the sport
and we need to address that issue."
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"However, if I look
at the overall picture and the direction the team has taken -- and
assuming we can continue that momentum -- I have to feel reasonably
content."
BAR has had four points
finishes so far between Villeneuve and Jenson Button, certainly an
improvement on last year. The best in 2003 was Button's fourth at
the A1-Ring and Richards thinks the chassis is good but the tyre
battle is a significant factor.
"The overall
performance of the car," he said of the major positives this
year. "When the chassis is performing well and the tyres are
right, we are right up there challenging the top three or four
teams. Clearly this year has become a tyre battle and that has had a
significant impact on the race results."
"In Canada, for
instance, we were third and fourth fastest when it was wet on the
Saturday. Then, when it dried out, we were back in the latter half
of the grid."
With the tyre situation
it's hard to accurately place the team's performance but BAR is the
best Bridgestone team after Ferrari, according to Richards. "We
are consistently the second best of the Bridgestone runners and
there's no real denying that. But, looking at the wider picture, the
tyre situation does mask a lot."
There is a busy time
ahead, with three races in four weeks starting with this coming
weekend's European Grand Prix. Richards thinks it will be a tough
time: "This is a very critical part of the year," he
explained. "We've also got a lot of testing going on at the
moment, so there's a lot of pressure on everybody."
"This next month is
going to be a very tough time for the entire team; the guys back at
the factory getting all the parts prepared, those involved with the
testing programme, and, of course, the race team itself."
The British Grand Prix
in July will be an important event as the team's home race:
"It's like playing in front of your home crowd in a football
match," Richards concluded. "Aside from Jordan, we are the
nearest team to Silverstone, so it's an important race for the
entire organization at BAR."
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