April 4 - 6, 2003

Race Notes

There were mixed results for Lucky Strike B*A*R Honda in São Paulo today as the notoriously fickle weather led to a chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix. Jacques Villeneuve was pleased to secure the team's second points-finish of the season after ending the race in sixth place, while Jenson Button fell foul of the ill-fated third corner where the race came to an abrupt end for no less than six drivers.

Jacques Villeneuve:
"It was a very difficult race; the track was tough to drive but if you took care of yourself then it wasn't too bad. There wasn't that much water really; it's down to the drivers to be less crazy in those conditions and there was some crazy driving out there. Some drivers were overtaking under the yellow flags; halfway through the race I saw Alonso overtake under the flags. I think it's that kind of driving that leads to big accidents."

"We saw the same thing in the pit stops with drivers chopping across the field on the exit then having to lift halfway down the straight to stop them going off onto the grass. It's that sort of thing that creates the danger, not just the conditions themselves. I'm pleased with sixth place today. It's very difficult for the guys in these conditions but they did a great job. I'm happy that we were able to bring the team three more points today."

Jenson Button:
"Everyone can say "what if"? I was running fifth ahead of Raikkonen when I went off and we were fuelled to the finish, so if I hadn't made that mistake, who knows? But then I guess there are a lot of other people who can say the same thing. The car was working well, the tyres were good and we had the right strategy. On that corner, the water runs off the banking on to the circuit, so we were bound to get caught out there. I just caught the standing water a little too much. I tried to save it but that just sent me into the tyre wall. I went in quite heavily and my back is aching a little bit but, as we saw, it could have been much worse. It's disappointing but that's the way it goes."

David Richards, Team Principal:
"It's difficult to know where to start after a race like that. My first thoughts are how pleasing it was to see that nobody was seriously hurt after so many extraordinary accidents. For our part, like so many others, we missed out on a great opportunity. However, at the end of the day, our reliability was excellent, Jacques scored three points and Jenson emerged unscathed from his accident. No one can say that Formula One is boring after a day like today."

Geoffrey Willis, Technical Director:
"A fair result for the team I think. We gained another three points from an incident-filled race but we we're lucky that nobody was hurt today. It is always easy to dwell on what might have been had the race been run to full distance. Nevertheless, the team reacted well to the safety cars and we were in a good position. Jacques was certainly very quick at the end of the race, which showed us that the cars and tyres were working well in these conditions."

Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development:
"First of all I'm pleased that Jacques has scored his first points this season. He did well to keep going in such difficult conditions. Jenson also did an extremely good job before his unfortunate spin. However, I think our strategy was looking good today. The three flyway races have been tough and we're looking forward to starting the European season in two weeks time."

BAR

Race Results

Saturday Qualifying Notes

Jacques Villeneuve:
"I'm disappointed to be starting the race from 13th position. The most annoying thing is that as soon as I accelerated out of turn one, the engine noise changed rapidly. I lost a lot of power and that stayed for the whole lap so it's very frustrating. Our speed was down as well so I hope we can identify the problem and deal with it for the race because, if not, it will be a big problem."

Jenson Button:
"My time was a little slower than this morning and the last sector was a couple of tenths down from where it should have been. It's so difficult to go out first because you've got to get rid of the hot air out on the circuit. The race set-up isn't too bad and I think we have gone in the right direction in terms of the strategy, but I think we can make a few adjustments that will help us tomorrow."

David Richards, Team Principal:
"We marginally underperformed with both cars today, Jenson because he was first on the track and Jacques with a technical problem, possibly an exhaust. It's all too easy to look back on qualifying and wish you'd pumped out a little more fuel and run lighter, but I'm confident that our strategy is very sound for the race tomorrow."

Geoffrey Willis, Technical Director:
"It is always difficult to comment on Saturday qualifying since fuel loads have such a significant effect on grid position. It is quite possible that some high qualifiers have compromised their race strategies. I think both our drivers could have been faster; Jenson was disadvantaged by running first and Jacques had a mechanical or engine problem which we have yet to confirm but will investigate when we get the car back from parc ferme. We look forward to the race tomorrow when I hope we will continue to run reliably. Our aim is to finish in the points again, this time with both drivers."

Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development:
"Although I was hoping for slightly higher grid positions today I'm still confident that our strategy is correct for the race tomorrow."

Warm-Up Times

Saturday Practice Times

Friday Qualifying Notes

Jacques Villeneuve:
"I'm very happy with the lap. This morning we didn't run when the track was at its best because we had a problem and spent a lot of time in the garage. The same thing happened in Melbourne but it seems to work out for me in qualy so maybe I should just skip Friday mornings! The conditions were good so there was no problem there. A few of the drivers felt it was too dangerous to run this afternoon but we're here to put on a show and I think it was the right thing to do. After today though I'm sure everyone will see the logic in having more than one wet tyre option."

Jenson Button:
"It was a very eventful session for me! Quite scary really! I had a lot more oversteer than this morning and the car was quite snappy coming onto the main straight at the start of the lap. Then I had a big moment coming out of turn five when I put a wheel on the white line. I tried to catch it but with such a damp track it was impossible and I took out some trackside markers in the process. That obviously damaged the rear wing and with that hanging off I had no option but to abandon the lap. Despite the conditions today you still have to continue to push. The problem is that you don't really know where the limit is. The track was drier than this morning but there was still a lot of standing water. We definitely need more than one set of wet tyres for these conditions."

David Richards, Team Principal
"The most significant issue today was not about the cars or the drivers but rather the track conditions and the tyres. It does bring into question whether it is sensible to only have one wet tyre available to us, as determined by the new regulations. I'm sure this is something that will have to be looked at. Nonetheless, Jacques did a great job today and made it all look relatively easy, while Jenson escaped from what was a very spectacular moment."

Geoffrey Willis, Technical Director
"Today was our first wet qualifying session and while conditions were quite variable, both our drivers went out during the wetter part of the session. Unfortunately Jenson put a wheel on the white line, lost the car in the wet and took out a couple of the braking markers. In doing so he damaged the rear wing and had to come in without completing a timed lap. We will be able to repair the car quite easily for tomorrow though. Jacques should be pleased with his lap, which put him fifth at the time. Unfortunately it failed to rain again and we were pushed down as the track dried! We don't have any issues with the car and both drivers are reasonably happy with the balance in the wet, so we'll have to see what tomorrow brings - the weather in particular!"

Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development:
"Jacques put in a good lap this afternoon and did well to set a competitive time, despite the difficult track conditions. Jenson had a tough time which is a shame because he's done a good job today as he showed this morning by setting the third fastest time. Tomorrow should be very interesting for us because we've got one driver going out at the start of the session and one towards the end, and with the unpredictable weather that's maybe not such a bad position to be in. Only time will tell."

Friday Practice Times

BAR Race Preview

Lucky Strike B*A*R Honda arrive in Brazil this week for the final long-haul race before the start of the European season. B*A*R experienced a weekend of mixed emotions at the Malaysian Grand Prix two weeks ago but are encouraged to have opened their 2003 points account eight races ahead of the team's first points haul of 2002.

Jenson Button drove a hard-fought and committed race in one of the most physically demanding Grands Prix of the season. He was running as high as 3rd early on then struggled with progressive oversteer. He did well to hold on to 5th until the final lap, when the pace of Jarno Trulli and Michael Schumacher finally got the better of him. The problem that caused Jacques to miss the race was identified as an electrical fault with the MCU, which damaged the gearbox at the start of the parade lap.

The Interlagos circuit in São Paulo is renowned for being one of the most challenging in the calendar. Its low-grip, bumpy surface, steep gradients and anti-clockwise direction make it a tough test of both car and driver.

Jacques Villeneuve won this race in 1997 and went on to win the World Championship that year. His best position here in recent years was seventh place in 2001 after qualifying 12th. 2003 will be Jenson Button's fourth Grand Prix at Interlagos. He scored his first ever World Championship point here in 2000, finishing sixth after the disqualification of David Coulthard. Last year's race saw him finish an exceptional fourth for his former team.

B*A*R undertook a four-day test in Barcelona last week, in preparation for Brazil and Imola. Jacques and Jenson also took advantage of this final opportunity to test at the Circuit de Catalunya ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix in May and, together with third driver Takuma Sato, ran through a programme of tyre, aerodynamic and engine development work. The team were delighted to complete more than 1600 kilometres over four days so, Jacques' Malaysian problem aside, reliability continues to improve with each test. The objective now is to carry that through to the race in Brazil and get both cars to the chequered flag in points-scoring positions.

Jacques Villeneuve:
"We worked well during the Malaysian Grand Prix but it was a pity that we couldn't show what we could do during the race. That was very disappointing. I'm looking forward to the next race however. The car is fast and we should be as competitive in Brazil as we were in Malaysia, if not more so. Interlagos isn't one of my favourite tracks, but if we can be quick there, then that's all that matters."

"In Australia I don't think you could really judge how effective the new rules were because of how much the weather conditions affected the outcome of the race. In Malaysia the weather was quite consistent - consistently hot! It made for an interesting race. I still disagree with not being able to refuel before the race, but if it makes the race weekend more exciting and it means the fans will come back to F1, then that's cool."

"After Malaysia I travelled back to Europe. I spent a day at home before heading to Italy the following day for a PR event with one of the team's sponsors. I then travelled to Barcelona for the last two days of the test and will now continue with my intensive training programme with Erwin before heading to Brazil."

Jenson Button:
"Although we secured two valuable points in Malaysia, I was of course disappointed to lose two more on the last lap to Jarno and Michael. Brazil should be better for us though. We've had a really positive test in Barcelona and it was great to be able to put in plenty of laps - 108 on my first day there. All the signs are that our reliability is improving all the time and we have also worked towards improving the way we adapt to race conditions."

"Interlagos is an interesting and very challenging circuit. It's very bumpy, which is the main feature you notice when you first race there, but it's great fun and it has a lot of history. For me the best corner has to be Ferra Dura - a slightly slow right-hander. You take it in third gear and it goes into a fourth-gear corner which drops away, so the exit is completely blind. It really gets the adrenalin pumping. The other good corner is at the end of the back straight. It's a second-gear corner and that's where you see a lot of incidents normally, but it's a good overtaking opportunity."

David Richards, Team Principal:
"Aside from the problem with Jacques' car we were encouraged by an otherwise positive performance in Malaysia and are pleased to have secured our first points so early in the season. The problem which prevented Jacques from starting the race has clearly been a primary focus during our test in Barcelona and Brazil should allow us to demonstrate the great strides we are making in terms of reliability."

"This race is another tough test of our car and drivers but we expect to improve our qualifying performance here with top 10 positions for both drivers. This should then translate into a better performance in the race when we will rely on the steps we have taken to maximise the tyres and the outstanding physical fitness of both drivers."

Geoffrey Willis, Technical Director:
"We are pleased that we continue to demonstrate clear signs of our car's true potential and we go into Brazil feeling optimistic that we can build on our points-scoring performance in Malaysia two weeks ago. We enjoyed a very productive test in Barcelona in preparation for this race, which takes place at one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar and poses its own unique set of challenges."

"Although Interlagos is a medium-downforce track, it demands high aerodynamic efficiency and the right compromise between downforce and straight-line speed out of the last corner up the hill. Mechanical set-up is also critical here to help achieve the optimum level of traction for the infield section and to contend with this track's notoriously bumpy surface. As always, the weather conditions here can be very changeable which could make qualifying and the race very interesting."

Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development:
"I'm looking forward to going to Interlagos, having really got the season off to a start by scoring our first points in Malaysia. We will be using the same specification engine in Brazil as we ran in Malaysia so I'm confident that we'll be competitive next weekend."