BAR-Talk.com Newsletter Special Issue

By Phil Huff
June 22 2006

Well, this is it. After months of hard work, with many problems but many more solutions, and over five years of continuous testing, the team is about to make that final move. Myself and my partner are getting married on Friday!

We're off to Rutland Water early tomorrow morning, and then flying off to Florida for our honeymoon. It'll be a great day, and a great three weeks following it, but it does mean that I won't be working on BAR-Talk.com in that time.

The site will be handed over to my good friend Jamie Makin, publisher of SauberSpeak.co.uk. It'll be left in good hands, and she'll be covering the site with as much BAR Honda news as she can manage.

She'll also be covering the first race as, in a masterpiece of bad planning, I'll be on final approach in London just as Michael Schumacher no doubt takes his first win of the season.

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While he's hoping for his first win this season, Jenson Button could be left waiting a little longer. Despite extensive testing, the Honda engines that power the BAR chassis have yet to run two race distances.

Our best estimate is that they've managed about 800km, but the team needs to extend that to at least 1,200km if they're to have any hope of meeting the challenge.

Of course, the FIA has mandated these new rules about engine life, and the teams have responded at huge cost. Every team is struggling to meet the new rules, spending a fortune developing new engines, only to see it wasted for 2006 as more new engine rules come in. Cost savings?

BAR don't seem to worried, although Honda recently sided with the GPWC, supporting their aims for the future of Grand Prix racing, although stopping some way short of actually joining the fighting force.

Hoping to join the F1 circus is Nelson Piquet Jr, the son of, somewhat predictably, Nelson Piquet Sr. He's had his first go in a BAR, setting times just a few tenths off Davidson and Sato. He's won in everything he's raced in, so could we see another future BAR driver here? With Jenson seemingly still intent on moving to Williams, and Davidson being linked with Midland F1, there'll still be a seat available...

One person Honda would like to see in the seat is, er, Jacques Villeneuve. According to reports from our friends at pitpass.com, some senior Honda engineers are apparently missing Jacques' feedback.

Whilst we're pretty confident that Jacques wouldn't consider a return to BAR, his current boss Peter Sauber isn't too confident that his team can make the jump ahead of BAR, declaring recently that the BAR 007 is 'better and faster'.

We could have told you that, Peter ;-)

We won't have the chance though, as there's still packing to do for the wedding. I'll be back in a few weeks, this time a married man with a whole bunch of in-laws, but still every bit as passionate.

About F1. Obviously.

Until then, please do keep it right here at BAR-Talk.com.

Phil Huff
BAR-Talk.com