BAR-Talk.com Newsletter 011

By Phil Huff (01/12/2004)
December 1 2004

A lot has happened since the last BAR-Talk.com newsletter: Honda bought 45% of BAR, David Richards left, the new 'Concept' hit the track, Davidson didn't get a go in a Williams and we won an award!

Honda's purchase of BAR may not be 100%, but that's surely a matter of time. Not only does it reflect well on BAR, but it shows real commitment from Honda. The worry is for how long?

We've seen manufacturers come and go in F1, with Jaguar being the latest team to pull out, and one day the likes of Renault and Honda will follow. What's the money on Toyota lasting more than another 5 years?

It's not been a great start for the newly refreshed team, either. The new '05 Concept car hit the Barcelona asphalt last week, with drivers Jenson Button, Takuma Sato and Enrique Bernoldi propping up the final lap times table, finishing behind even Red Bull Racing. Sixth place Sauber, now running on Michelin tyres, managed to top the test.

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Notable by his absence was Anthony Davidson. Despite having an agreement to test for Williams, his move was blocked by BAR, a situation Jenson Button is all too familiar with. This time it was a dispute over future claims to the driver, with BAR only agreeing to release Davidson if the Grove outfit were prepared to hand him back later.

A petty squabble ensued, and BAR walked away safe in the knowledge that, once again, they'd beaten Williams. Shame about the fallout, though, as Davidson still sits at home without a drive.

Adding insult to injury, BAR are now running F1 hopefuls Adam Carroll, James Rossiter and the 2003 British F3 champion Alan van der Merwe, in a Young Driver Development programme. Given that Davidson is still only 25, it seems a shame to exclude him.

At least he got to give a passenger ride to Mark Sutton, though. The world class photographer from Sutton Images won a ride in a BAR two sweater F1 car recently. Yes, you did read that correctly. Davidson chauffeured Sutton around Silverstone for a few laps, and we've the story directly from Mark Sutton, along with a number of superb photographs.

Talking of Sutton Images, why not take a look at the BAR-Talk.com Poster Shop, powered by Sutton Images? You can pick up a great Christmas present there. Check the link in the Sutton story, and watch out for some exciting site news next week.

Finally, and staying on the theme of exciting site news, we've won an award. BAR-Talk.com are now the proud bearers of the inaugural Sportnetwork Site of the Month award, beating off another 100 sites hosted at the network. We do it all for you, so please keep letting us know if we're doing it right, and what you'd like to see.

Email me personally with your views at phil.huff@BAR-Talk.com.

Until next time,

Phil Huff
BAR-Talk.com