Spain: BAR expecting another strong showing

By BAR Honda
May 3 2005

After a welcome return to the podium for Lucky Strike BAR Honda and Jenson Button at the San Marino Grand Prix, the team is eager to build on its success at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona next weekend.

BAR Honda's season really got underway in Imola, when Jenson and team-mate Takuma Sato finished 3rd and 5th respectively and opened the BAR Honda account with a crucial 10-point haul. This return to form was the result of a relentless effort back at the factory and in testing and in Mugello this week, the team has once again put a series of tyre, engine and aerodynamic developments through their paces and achieved the fastest lap times on two consecutive days.

As one of their primary testing venues in 2004, the 2.939 mile Circuit de Catalunya is very familiar to BAR Honda. This experience, combined with this week's positive Mugello programme, means that the team has an equally ambitious objective for round 5 - finishing both cars in strong points positions and hopefully adding another trophy to its collection.

Gil de Ferran, BAR's Sporting Director, said "Besides the issues we are currently dealing with off the race track, we are very optimistic going into the Spanish Grand Prix. It was clear that we had a good race with both cars in Imola and since then we have been able to make further progress during our two-day test in Mugello, where we ran over 2500kms and extensively tested further aerodynamic developments. If you also bear in mind the very successful test we had in Barcelona prior to the San Marino GP, where Jenson broke Taku's lap record, it all seems to be conspiring towards another strong showing, where hopefully we will again be challenging for victory."

Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director at Honda Racing Development, added "We'll be looking to build on our strong performance at Imola, and have good reason to be positive after another pleasing test in Mugello."