BAR-Talk.com Newsletter 007

By Phil Huff (29/09/2004)
September 29 2004

Since the last very brief newsletter (I'm still not well), Formula One has moved into previously uncharted territory, BAR have repainted their third car again (as we revealed in August, but BAR denied) and Jenson got yet another podium.

Sadly, Takuma managed to have yet another Honda engine grenade itself.

That's Takuma's eight failure this year and resulted in him starting 10 places further down the grid than he would otherwise have been. That led to the unusual, if slightly amusing, sight of Takuma having to battle past a certain French Canadian driver.

Not subscribed to the BAR-Talk.com Newsletter? Click here to register now. Once registered, you can also use your details on the BAR-Talk.com Message Board and throughout the rest of SportNetwork.

From 18th at the lights, Takuma managed to race through to 6th, bringing home another vital three points for BAR. Combined with Jenson's 8 point haul for second place, this gave BAR their most successful GP ever, for the second time in a row. The team now have 105 points, more than their combined total over the previous five years.

And it leaves Renault trailing 9 points behind. With the French team seemingly in disarray, with one capable driver being replaced by another who's sat out of F1 for nearly a year, the chances of BAR finishing second overall are pretty good.

So the Chinese Grand Prix obviously went well for BAR, but how did it go for everyone else. Well, Honda were happy after running a nine day event in the Xin Tian Di district, which our man in Shanghai, Graham Thompson, was well impressed with. Well, he was until he got distracted by the PR girls...

Shanghai proved a valuable marketing tool for the manufacturers generally, with each describing the event more dramatically than the previous. Mercedes boss Norbert Haug even managed to upstage David Richards' "China is the Klondike, it's the new frontier" comment by saying that the Chinese GP was "the most important race in the history of motorsport," before moving on to world peace, banning the bomb and solving world hunger. Possibly.

Overstating things? Never.

At least we could rely on Jean Todt to calm things down. "I will be very cautious about it being the most important" said the Frenchman, shortly after opening a new Ferrari dealer in Shanghai (on the same weekend as the GP? What are the chances?) and before sending Ferrari and Fiat chief Luca di Montezemolo up on to the podium to take the winners trophy. When did you last see Luca on the podium? At a 1-2 Ferrari finish in Italy? No...

We're back in familiar territory for the next race, as Honda head home for the Japanese Grand Prix. Another 'Suzuka Special' is planned so, combined with a new front end and rear diffuser, we could either see another 15 bhp powering the team to their first win, or simply having an engine detonate at slightly higher revs.

With Williams surprisingly still being some way off the pace, and Renault's difficulties, it looks like a straight fight between Ferrari and BAR for the win, unless the McLaren works at Suzuka. The new MP4-19B has been a bit hit and miss to date, so the jury is out.

If it is a win, what odds on it being Takuma Sato up front ahead of the potentially departing Jenson Button? We've got £5 on it.

Until then, enjoy the site and let us know what you think on the Message Board.

Phil Huff
BAR-Talk.com