BAR boss may make changes

BAR boss David Richards has suggested team changes may be in order as he is not getting the results he wants. Richards took over the struggling BAR at the end of last year after the abrupt departure of Craig Pollock. The rallying supremo is adept at organization, having already established his Prodrive motorsport company and after a disappointing race at the Australian Grand Prix he is ready to make changes if necessary - even as early as Imola, the San Marino GP, which is the first European race of the calendar in just over a month's time on 14th April.

"This clearly crystallises in my mind just how much work there is to do in the team," Richards said. "By the time we get to Imola we will explain any changes that are necessary and that we are going to make."

BAR had a bad weekend in Australia: the changeable conditions in practice and qualifying hampered them, then in the race Olivier Panis was taken out in the first corner pile-up. Jacques Villeneuve managed to avoid the shunt but on lap 27 the rear wing parted company with his car, causing him to retire.

Richards is now looking ahead to Malaysia where he hopes the team will be able to show their true potential and produce better results. "Malaysia is always a tough race and once again will serve as an intense pressure test of all aspects of the team's performance," he said. "I certainly hope that the team can get much closer to extracting the real potential from the car, which should by rights be inside the top ten in both qualifying and the race. There is a lot to do. We value results at the end of the day, and our results are just not good enough."