May 16 - 18, 2003

Race Notes

Lucky Strike B*A*R Honda boosted their 2003 Championship account by five points today after Jenson Button took the chequered flag in fourth place at the end of a quite enthralling Austrian Grand Prix. Jenson drove a perfect race in which he never put a foot wrong and some excellent work in the pits even had him sandwiching the two Ferraris at one stage. His result is the team's best points-finish of the season and he was especially pleased to have matched his best career result.

A problematic race for Jacques Villeneuve made it a bittersweet result for the team however. The electronics on his steering wheel failed on the first lap and he drove the first two stints of his race with no control over the electronic systems.

Jacques Villeneuve:
"We had a problem all the way through the race because the electronics on the steering stopped working on the first lap. I had no limiter button, no idea of which gear I was in, no neutral -- no nothing. I had to do it all manually. My race engineer was even counting my speed down for me coming into the pits! Then the electronics problem caused a stall at the second pitstop."

"We had decided not to change the steering wheel at the first stop because it can mess up the electronics, but after the car stalled we changed it then had to wait for the system to reset. It was a fairly disastrous stop and I lost a lot of time. When you lose a lap because of mechanical problems there isn't much you can do."

"I've had problems in four races out of six now and it's obviously very frustrating. It's a great shame because it will be difficult for us to get a car that's better than this in race trim. It felt really great. We keep getting a very good set-up for the race but I haven't been able to make the most of it. I'll just have to continue working hard and hopefully things will come good for me soon."

Jenson Button:
"I had a great race; I really enjoyed it. I matched my best race finish today so it's great to be back up there getting the points again. The team did a superb job in the pitstops to get me out ahead of the Ferrari and everything just went well for me. I had a bit of oversteer because we ran new tyres on the rear, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. This is just what the team needed - and deserved. We earned our result today; it wasn't just a fluke."

"I've had a great weekend all round really. I think we've shown how quick we are all the way through practice and qualifying, and today's was a genuine race performance. It was nice to be able to challenge the front-runners, which is what we are capable of doing. We have to maintain the momentum now and I'll be doing three days' testing in Valencia next week in preparation for Monaco to make sure that happens."

David Richards, Team Principal:
"A great race from Jenson and a result gained through performance rather than attrition, as both drivers challenged the leading group throughout the race. I'm sure that this will act as a strong morale- booster at a point where the season really starts to get underway. The problem that Jacques experienced was very frustrating and one has to wonder when his luck will turn. Given the overall performance of the team this weekend, I am very confident that this is just around the corner."

Geoffrey Willis, Technical Director:
"This was an excellent drive from both drivers. Jenson achieved a well-deserved fourth place but Jacques was denied an equally strong or stronger finish by technical problems. We had qualified both cars on the same fuel and, despite Jacques' mistakes in qualifying, we felt we were going to be very competitive today."

"Unfortunately, Jacques' steering wheel electronics failed very early on, leaving him with no information display or pitlane speed limiter. At the second stop, the car stalled as it shifted into second gear. Honda and ourselves must now work to improve engine mapping and drivability in this area, and review our anti-stall strategy."

"This result reflects our genuine level of performance, however we finish the weekend happy but frustrated. We deserved more points here. We are testing new parts and engine developments next week and we continue to work hard on our reliability."

Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development:
"Today's race was half pleasure, half pain for us. A great result for Jenson who fought so hard this afternoon and I'm really happy to score some more points. Jacques was also having a good race until the problem in his second pit stop so it was a tough day for him as he had a points finish in sight. Our engines ran well all weekend and we will continue to upgrade the performance to keep this momentum going."

BAR

Race Results

Saturday Qualifying Notes

Jacques Villeneuve:
"The car felt amazing on old tyres this morning but we couldn't get the best out of new tyres this afternoon. I tried to compensate but I drove too aggressively and made a big mistake in turn one, which basically cost me the lap. 12th isn't too bad because a mistake like that could have cost more. We should be OK for the race because the car is very quick in race trim."

"A lot of people were trying too hard today and I was one of them. If you do a slow out-lap to look after the tyres you can end up going too slow and you don't get enough heat in them. It's a difficult balance and the one's who got it wrong are the one's who made mistakes.

"This is a good track for overtaking and our grid position doesn't reflect our actual speed, so it should be a fun race. It's always a very interesting first lap here and the people who survive that end up having a fun race. I hope I'm one of them."

Jenson Button:
"I'm quite satisfied with my lap because I had too much oversteer practically all the way round. It wasn't a very tidy lap because I was on the verge of being out of control. There wasn't enough grip out there but I was giving it maximum attack and pushing as hard as I could - a little bit too much in the last corner because I ran wide.

"We've been struggling to find the right balance all weekend and qualifying showed we're not quite on top of that. Having said that, we've been very competitive so far, so I'm optimistic. Seventh on the grid gives us a lot of chances, and because there have been so many surprises today, a podium is not beyond the realms of possibility. Before I make any predictions though, I'd better wait and see what happens in the race!"

David Richards, Team Principal:
"Today's qualifying session proved just how tricky this low-grip track can be, with a surprising number of drivers making mistakes. Jenson got away with a minor error on the last corner, whilst Jacques lost most of his time on the very first corner. Nonetheless, we're feeling very positive about our potential race performance tomorrow, albeit concerned about what the weather might bring as the forecast is for rain in the morning."

Geoffrey Willis, Technical Director:
"Today was a rather mixed day for the team compared with Friday. In the morning we had an hydraulic leak on Jenson's car, which lost him the second half of the first session. We had an otherwise productive morning and by warm-up we felt we had a good race set-up on both cars. Qualifying was rather less satisfactory. Jenson got a quick, if rather ragged, lap but Jacques made a mistake on turn one, costing him over half a second.

"We've been competitive all weekend and we feel we have a good strategy for tomorrow's race. Given the very mixed-up nature of the grid there is a high likelihood of a first-corner incident. With one of our cars starting from the middle of the field, it will be important to stay out of trouble on the first lap."

Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development:
"Although we expected higher grid positions we have shown that the car has been competitive all weekend so I'm confident we can score points tomorrow."

Warm-Up Times

Saturday Practice Times

Friday Qualifying Notes

Jacques Villeneuve:
"It was a good lap and I'm happy that the car is working well. I knew we'd be competitive here but that's a little faster than I expected. We had a few problems this morning in free practice but we changed certain things with our set-up for qualifying and that did the trick. The car has been quick all season and we're making small improvements all the time, but it's quite cool here at the moment and the car seems to work better when it's not too hot.

"I feel good. I like this track and I have great memories of racing here. There are some good overtaking opportunities so there is always a lot of action. Our strategy will determine how well we do through the rest of the weekend but we're looking better than we have in other races this season."

Jenson Button:
"We expected to be quite high up in first qualifying here. So far so good. From the off though the car had far too much oversteer. We thought we had made a set-up improvement after free practice but I think we over-compensated and the car was too nervous at the rear. It's not a big problem, we just need to do some more work on the set- up. Over one lap the car is good but we'll have to work on the longer runs now. I'm reasonably confident at this stage and looking forward to a good weekend."

David Richards, Team Principal
"Both drivers can be very satisfied with an excellent start to the weekend. There is obviously a lot of further work to be done to put us in the best position for Sunday, but nonetheless it's always good for team morale when Friday goes this well."

Geoffrey Willis, Technical Director:
"We had a trouble-free session this morning and were able to keep to our programme. The car wasn't very well balanced to start with but we were able to make good progress through the session. Clearly it's good to start the weekend in this position but Friday qualifying times are not always a good indication of relative performance. I think both cars will continue to go well here this weekend and we will now focus on getting the right set-up and strategy for the race."

Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development:
"Fourth and fifth is encouraging and overall we've had a strong day. However, we've got to make sure we get the best out of the package tomorrow and convert our speed into points on Sunday."

Friday Practice Times

JV's Lap of the A-Ring

"The A1-Ring is an easy track to learn."

"When I was a kid, I went to the old Österreichring as a spectator and I can remember sitting in the grandstands. It's a shame they had to replace it. The current track bears no resemblance to what used to be here! The A1-Ring is an easy track to learn. You turn right three times, left twice, then right and right again, and you've finished your lap. After two laps you know exactly where you are. The rhythm of the circuit is good though because you have a corner followed by a straight, then another corner followed by a straight."

"The first two corners feel as if they've just cut the straight and put a bend in it! They're very harsh. Castrol Kurve, the first corner, is taken in second gear under heavy braking. On exit, you accelerate up to sixth gear and then brake hard again for the Remus Kurve. In fact, you have to brake heavily almost everywhere around the A1-Ring. Remus is a very slow hairpin; you take it almost as slow as you can go. However the next turn, Gosser Kurve, is interesting. You brake while descending down the hill and then start your turn-in. It's not a very fast corner but it's hard to get right."

"Then you accelerate away for the two downhill left-handers, Niki Lauda Kurve and Power Horse Kurve. You don't see where the apex of the corner is for the first and because of the downforce we run, you pull quite a lot of Gs through here. They're both pretty straightforward third gear corners though."

"Then it's up to top gear again, accelerating to the very fast turn 7, which is nothing more than a kink. You then drop down the hill for the final two corners which are really strange. As you turn in to Jochen Rindt Kurve, the track falls away. However, on the apex of the corner the track levels out again. The car goes from feeling very light to very heavy in just a second. But this makes these final turns interesting."

"Generally the A1-Ring is good for racing because you have a lot of straights followed by some heavy braking areas. But if I have one criticism it would be that the straights aren't really long enough. From a driver's perspective, this is not a particularly demanding circuit to learn or to drive. Set-up around this circuit is constant too - usually you'll have a compromised set-up that works well in certain areas of the track but not in others. You don't really have that problem here. However, because the track is quite short, traffic can be an issue."

BAR Race Preview

The hills won't so much be alive with the sound of music next weekend, more reverberating to the sound of twenty V10 engines! The A1-ring nestles deep in the Austrian Alps, which provide a beautiful backdrop for the hundreds of cameras that follow the F1 cars around the track and, of course, great acoustics.

Lucky Strike B*A*R Honda put in a strong performance in Barcelona but the team was unable to pick up any World Championship points. Jenson Button finished just outside the top eight and Jacques Villeneuve suffered an early retirement after an engine wiring harness fire.

The 25th, and potentially the last, F1 Grand Prix in Austria is the team's opportunity to set the record straight and the target is a points finish for both cars. The Test Team has been running at Paul Ricard in France in preparation for this race, working through intensive tyre, engine and aerodynamics test programmes.

Last year's race will forever be remembered for the controversy surrounding the result after team orders from Ferrari handed the win to Michael Schumacher. Team orders that interfere with the outcome of the race have been banned for 2003 so there will be no repeat this year.

Lucky Strike B*A*R Honda's luck was out at the A1-Ring last year as neither car finished the race. Jacques' race ended on the penultimate lap when an engine problem forced him to stop. His team-mate, Olivier Panis, suffered a similar problem earlier in the race. Previous years' races though have seen B*A*R score points on two occasions: fifth place for Olivier in 2001 and a fourth for Jacques in 2000. Jacques won the Austrian Grand Prix in 1997, his World Championship year.

Jacques Villeneuve:
"I enjoy racing at the A1-Ring. The layout of the track is really good and it has a nice rhythm. It's a good track for overtaking. The Austrian GP is a fun race to watch and a fun race to drive. Last year I really enjoyed the race up until my car broke down just before the end.

"If we continue to have reliability issues like we have been experiencing in past races, then we will have to make a decision on whether we just want to make the most out of qualifying and qualify on low fuel or continue to concentrate on race strategy throughout the weekend and give it our best shot on Sunday. Hopefully we are in a position to not only finish the race, but to get some points! Although it's been difficult to accept all the problems we have been experiencing on the car, I am really looking forward to the race."

Jenson Button:
"Obviously I'm disappointed about the result in Barcelona as everything was looking so promising. We had good pace and the car felt good but we didn't have much luck.

"The A1-Ring is a fun circuit for racing and I always enjoy my time there. The track is usually pretty 'green' when we arrive but, as the rubber goes down, it gets a lot quicker through the weekend. It's a technical track and you need good traction and smooth power delivery to get out of the slow corners and onto the quick straights. The circuit is medium downforce with a low level of grip."

"It's quite hard on brakes too but not to the extent that Imola and Canada are. The start of the race is always tricky as there is usually a bit of pushing and shoving going into the first corner but, once you're through, you can get into a good rhythm and attack as there are quite a few overtaking spots. I just missed out on points in Austria last year so hopefully I can pick some up this time around."

David Richards, Team Principal:
"When your target is a two-car points finish it's obviously disappointing for us to come away from Barcelona with nothing. Having said that, we were encouraged by the pace we showed there. Everything went our way until the race itself and Jenson was frustratingly close to the points. Jacques' retirement is something we are taking very seriously as we cannot afford to have non-finishes so we are working flat out to get on top of reliability issues.

"Qualifying is usually very close at this circuit but this year will be interesting as the track gets quicker just within the hour of qualifying so, with only a lap each, the Saturday running order is going to be critical.

"Strategy is always a tough call at this race. We have to be aware of the potential for first corner accidents and even more so of the unpredictable Alpine weather."

Geoffrey Willis, Technical Director:
"We were encouraged by our qualifying and race-pace at Barcelona since the track is always a good indicator of car performance. However the lack of race results was clearly a big disappointment. Jenson and Jacques had qualified well, although on different strategies, and both were on target for points-finishes when Jacques was stopped by an ignition problem and Jenson was involved in the incident with Coulthard."

"Following further analysis by Honda in Japan we now have a better understanding of the sequence of events that stopped Jacques during the race and we have put countermeasures in place."

"At Austria this weekend we need to finally get on top of these race reliability issues in order to finish both cars. The combination of slow corners and fast straights at the A1-Ring requires a compromise downforce level, to optimise set-up for the different challenges the circuit offers. There are three big stops from over 300km/h right down to second or even first gear, placing a real premium on braking stability and traction out of the slow corners."

"It has a low grip, smooth surface that gets significantly faster during the weekend. The track is quite easy on tyres, which will see us moving back towards the softer range of compounds. The Austrian Grand Prix is also one of the toughest for the engine with over 70% percent of full throttle per lap."

Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development:
"Results so far this year have not yet reflected the potential of our package as a whole. We've had a productive test at Paul Ricard since Barcelona, and we'll be doing our best to ensure we have a more satisfying result at the A1-Ring."