115 replies to this topic

[admin]

Lucky Strike B.A.R Honda believes it is can provide a credible challenge to the top three teams with its all-new B.A.R Honda 006 car, launched today at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya. The new car represents another major performance step - one which Team Principal David Richards predicts will see B.A.R fighting for regular podium places in 2004.

The success of last year's car was the result of a dramatic improvement in engineering standards, which enabled the team to move up from eighth to fifth place in the Championship, marking them out as the season's most improved team. A significant evolution of the 005, the B.A.R Honda 006 is a further step forward in design and build quality and the product of a more challenging and innovative approach.

The new chassis is stiffer and has a lower centre of gravity. It also features a smaller fuel capacity to reflect the revised qualifying rules and raisedpit lane speeds. The biggest single development is the new gearbox. It features a full carbon-composite maincase, together with narrow, lightweight gear ratios which afford a very substantial weight reduction at the rear of the car. There are further weight-saving features throughout, with greater use of MMC (metal matrix composite), innovative upright design, simplified internal suspension components, and a refined and better integrated hydraulics system.

The new engine and chassis allow a slightly shorter wheelbase, and the aerodynamic package has been optimised. B.A.R has used the results of track testing last year to identify a new strategy for aerodynamic development, and the new car has been developed in the wind tunnel using these new techniques. Although the change of aerodynamic regulations has slowed down the pace of improvement, the new car shows clear performance advantages in the tunnel over its predecessor.

Honda has produced a new engine to meet the challenge of the single-engine rule introduced for the first time this season. Although similar in concept to the 2003 unit, it too is a completely revised design, with much smaller dimensions, reduced weight and a lower centre of gravity.

For 2004, B.A.R has also forged a new partnership with French tyre supplier Michelin. The team has conducted an extensive programme of tyre development during winter testing in readiness for their debut season together, using nearly 1,000 tyres during 10,000 kilometres of testing.

Getting their first taste of the B.A.R Honda 006 today were new team-mates Jenson Button and Takuma Sato - one of the youngest driver pairings on the 2004 grid. Despite having only recently turned 24 years of age, Jenson is entering his fifth season in Formula One in the role of B.A.R's team leader. Following Takuma's excellent, if somewhat impromptu, race debut for the team in Japan at the end of last season, he is looking forward to benefiting from his wealth of testing experience in his second full season of racing in F1.

[TotalF1 Jens]

Quite plain, actually, but I like the look left - look right - don't walk text

[jbbar]

I think its bl***y grreat no fancy bits just plain effient good looks "YES" now I wish we could say (WE HAVE POWER) but I live in hope 5 weeks to D Day, I wish they had stayed with the Black livery.        

[webber]

from frount on the car looks funny  but yea ur right there r no fancy bits


and r they 2 drifent cars in the fotos because 1 has lucky strike on the frount wing and has the 555 sponser on the frount wing and nose and the other has dont walk and no sponsers on the nose

[juany]

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and r they 2 drifent cars in the fotos because 1 has lucky strike on the frount wing and has the 555 sponser on the frount wing and nose and the other has dont walk and no sponsers on the nose

and Bar code on the side pod instead of Lucky Strike.

One is the tobacco livery the other then non tabacco.

[Sato]

i really do wish BAR would go back to their original livery...i loved their 99 car, it was the best livery ever!!

[Bug]

:shock:

    Sorry guys, but it just looks like a bloody 'White' Ferrari to me, just like the Sauber is nothing but a 'Blue' Ferrari. How un-original......So far Williams is the only original (not really!) concept of the year!!!!  

[webber]

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:shock:  

   Sorry guys, but it just looks like a bloody 'White' Ferrari to me, just like the Sauber is nothing but a 'Blue' Ferrari. How un-original......So far Williams is the only original (not really!) concept of the year!!!!  

what it looks nonthing like a ferrari 2 me it looks way 2 smoth and soft 2 be a ferrari and that white makes it look more smother

but what has happend 2 the barrage bord's toyota has no barrage bord's eather

THANKS juany i did not know that it hade me a did stumpted

[TotalF1 Jens]

I don't think Williams is the only original concept of the year - look at Renault and Mclaren!

[Taku]

i think it looks great!  very minimalist, and the lack of barge boards makes it look, naked, pure, and, dare i say it, sexy  :shock:      

go BAR005  :!:

[Senna]

The car looks very quick in testing, although that is not always representative of the rest of the season.  However, I doubt very much that BAR will ever challenge the big three if they persist with Takuma Sato as their second driver.  Did Dave Richards just not see him at Jordan in 2002?  He will probably not crash anywhere near as much this year but I still think that he’ll crash a few times and will always be outperformed by Button.

[Sato]

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The car looks very quick in testing, although that is not always representative of the rest of the season.  However, I doubt very much that BAR will ever challenge the big three if they persist with Takuma Sato as their second driver.  Did Dave Richards just not see him at Jordan in 2002?  He will probably not crash anywhere near as much this year but I still think that he’ll crash a few times and will always be outperformed by Button.

Pay attention....Takuma is going to be a good driver. Towards the end of 2002 he start geting pretty good IMO. Then in japan this year in the BAR he did good aswell. You'll see with his performences this year he is much better then you think.

[webber]

and that jordan was a bit of a dog

[Senna]

Takuma’s performance at Suzuka this year was not very good.  He virtually grew up on this track and knows it incredibly well however, he still managed to crash into Schumacher in the race and be outperformed by Button in qualifying, despite Sato having less fuel as he pitted earlier, and the race where he finished two places and over twenty seconds behind him.  He is a pathetic replacement for the 1997 world champion and will continue to convince me that he is one of the worst drivers F1 has ever had the misfortune of seeing.

[webber]

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Takuma’s performance at Suzuka this year was not very good.  He virtually grew up on this track and knows it incredibly well however, he still managed to crash into Schumacher in the race and be outperformed by Button in qualifying, despite Sato having less fuel as he pitted earlier, and the race where he finished two places and over twenty seconds behind him.  He is a pathetic replacement for the 1997 world champion and will continue to convince me that he is one of the worst drivers F1 has ever had the misfortune of seeing.

WTF that is the bumest thing i have eaver heard. sato grow up in ero F3 and did most of his "groing up" in Erope. that was only the second race he has done there, he might of done a bit of testing there throw. and he did not run itno M$, M$ ran into him (did u watch the race). and just because sato tested 4 BAR did not meane that he new the race people so have u eaver tryed 2 run in a car whith new engineers whith only 1 day noties so ove corse button was going 2 be faster. and i think the worst driver chould only be know as Alez Young

[TotalF1 Jens]

Mazzacane puts up a fair challenge for that title as well, though

[Sato]

im not quite sure but we seem to be talking about the worse f1 driver...and i'd like to sugest tarso marques. althugh he won't win it...he is still quite bad.

[Senna]

In Response to Webber:

Sato got a scholarship at the Honda Suzuka Racing School in 1997, a year after he bought his first Kart.  He was then given a place in the 1998 all-Japanese F3 Championship but passed it down to race in Europe, where he continued to race at Suzuka and other F1 tracks such as Spa.  As you can see he spent a lot of time racing at Suzuka and hence my phrase, “He virtually grew up on this track and knows it incredibly well”, is justified.  

Your second point, “have u eaver tryed 2 run in a car whith new engineers whith only 1 day noties”.  I must confess I have never driven a BAR F1 car round Suzuka, I doubt you have either, and Sato did know the track (very well), the car (having spent time testing it!) and the engineers etc – there are no excuses.  

Alex Yoong was incredibly slow – probably slower than even Sato.  However put them both in a Ferrari, Young might end the race in say fourth, while Sato will have buried it in the wall on the parade lap!

[TotalF1 Jens]

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Alex Yoong was incredibly slow – probably slower than even Sato.  However put them both in a Ferrari, Young might end the race in say fourth, while Sato will have buried it in the wall on the parade lap!

          

[Sato]

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Alex Yoong was incredibly slow – probably slower than even Sato.  However put them both in a Ferrari, Young might end the race in say fourth, while Sato will have buried it in the wall on the parade lap!

          

Your giving yoong way to much credit he'd drive fast enuff to come 10th but stall it in the pits each time...and come 14th instead.

Where as Sato would be fighting for a win.

[webber]

alistair spink:
yea i was told that in 2003 that it was only sato's 2end time in a race around suzuka but i was told rong  :oops: so yea u sound right

and yes he knew the car but the purson who help him setup the car was a driffent person. Because there are 2 teams a race team and a test team so that might of hamped him a bit.


how much do u hate sato r u a JV fan

[nojvnof1]

webber,

Whats with the generalisation that all JV fans hate Sato? You got something against us?? I haven't got a problem with Sato, just David Richards and Honda. Fact is Sato will never be as good as Jacques and is only there because of his nationality. You're wrong on another thing. Jock Clear worked with both Jacques and Takuma during tests so he DID know the person helping him set the car up. Having watched his qualifying lap at Suzuka I don't see what the fuss is about ? He looked like an accident waiting to happen and almost stacked it big time at the Esses. The car was all over the place. I expected nothing but for Sato to finish and finish well at Suzuka. Now we'll see how good he really is when he does a full season.

As for the worst driver, my vote goes to Taki Inoue and Jean Denis Deletraz.

shaun

[Senna]

The wonderful thing about Sato is that he is a topic that unites all F1 fans, young and old; in hatred and shock of one of our sports worst ever racers.  I have been watching F1 for many years, and each year we are treated to at least one pathetic driver – this year we welcome Zsolt Baumgartner to that elite group – but I am hard pressed to find a worse driver than Takuma Sato Here are some other legends from the past but they are not half as bad as Sato as they did generally finish races – although in Deletraz’s case a few laps down!

1. Takuma Sato
2. Jean Denis Deletraz
3. Alex Yoong
4. Gaston Mazzacane
5. Torra Takagi
6. tarso marques
7. Shinji Nakano
8. Ralf Schumacher

[TotalF1 Jens]

You can't honestly add Ralf Schumacher to the list, you seriously can't. I don't think Sato is among the worst drivers, but he is very erratic.

[Sato]

i don't think Gaston derseves to be in ur list either.

[webber]

NOJVNOF1 (shaun)

i dont think that every 1 that likes JV hates sato i just think that alistair does not like sato manly because he (sato) loves the wall so much that at every race he has 2 run into it. lol nar. i know that u hate DR and think that JV is better that sato.


yea i moust of read rong then because in f1 racing i think it was there was a bit in there were sato said that he worked whith driffent people

[Senna]

Adding Ralf Schumacher was just a joke.  He is not one of the worst ever drivers but it does annoy me that he is in a top class car when there a many other drivers in F1 and other seasons which could do a better job – but that’s Williams for you!  

Williams really annoy me now.  Since 1996 they have made only 1 good driver signing – Montoya.  Frentzen was not great, and did an ok job, but Zanardi found it difficult to adapt to F1 and it amazes me how Williams didn’t see this before the start of the season.  Ralf Schumacher is incapable of overtaking, racing his brother or indeed beating his teammates and what was the point in signing Button?  He is a good driver now but a top team cannot afford to give a seat to a 20-year-old inexperienced driver – its stupid!  What they should have done is loaned him out to a team for two years and then rehired him when he has learned the tracks, build up experience and confidence etc.  

Then when Montoya expresses his concerns at Williams – that Ralf his paid more than he, has the team built around him and that Ralf gets better mechanics etc.  Williams respond by cutting Ralf’s wage and not increasing Montoya’s – I doubt this pleased Montoya too greatly as I think he would have preferred the same wage as Ralf at his level and not Montoya’s.  Then Williams refuse to match McLaren price, the result is that McLaren have a fantastic driver line-up for 2005 and Williams have not.

[TotalF1 Jens]

You must remember that Button was a fill-in signing in 2000. Williams had gotten rid of Zanardi, and knew Montoya would be coming in 2001, so they just needed someone with some speed who they could get fairly cheaply behind the wheel, and it was to be Button or Junquiera. They didn't expect too much of either, and Button surprised positively after he got the contract

Ralf Schumacher wasn't a bad signing either, in the end. Of course better choices are available, maybe, but Ralf does his job well. Let's see what 2004 brings...

[Senna]

I agree that Button was quite good in his debut season – he beat Ralf a few times.  My point was that it is a great risk to hire an inexperienced driver in a top car.

"Ralf Schumacher wasn't a bad signing either, in the end. Of course better choices are available, maybe, but Ralf does his job well. Let's see what 2004 brings..."

Ralf Schumacher IS a bad driver for the aforementioned reasons (See earlier posts) and is only fairly good in qualifying; I’d say that BMW have more to say in terms of Ralf’s contract that his talent could.  Look at past Williams signings prior to Ralf Schumacher.  In 1992 Williams had Mansell.  In 1993 they had Prost and Hill.  In 1994 they added Senna to their list of great drivers.  1995 brought DC (Not great but better than Ralf) and in 1996 they had Jacques Villeneuve (who had the best debut season I’ve seen for quite some time).  Ralf does not match up to these signings and is thus viewed as a failure.

[nichosnz]

Ralf's biggest problem in my eyes is a loss of confidence affecting performance, he was positively beating Montoya in 03 until a few car problems affected his points balance and then his confidence.