BAR targeting fifth

BAR is currently battling with Toyota and Jaguar for fifth place in the Constructors' championship and team boss David Richards is determined to win the fight. BAR and Jaguar are tied on fifteen points while Toyota is just one behind, but Richards admits the top four teams are out of reach this season.

"Fifth place is clearly very closely fought this year and unfortunately the top four are well away from us," he said. "We're testing in Monza next week and there is still a load of things coming on stream for the car as well. Many of them, of course, are carry-over parts for next year -- not necessarily carry-over but experience that we can incorporate in next year's car which was started some little time ago."

"So it's a parallel programme and the pressure really starts to come on as everyone returns from the summer holidays and has to do the two things in parallel."

BAR will also test F3000 drivers Bjorn Wirdheim, who recently won the 2003 title, and Townsend Bell. "I don't know the exact schedule for it," said Richards. "But we're just giving them the opportunity to test one of the cars. We've got to introduce new talent into the sport."

As for BAR's race drivers, Richards is not about to give away any information about who will partner Jenson Button next year. Jacques Villeneuve is still in the picture and other names have been mentioned -- Honda is rumoured to be pushing to have test driver Takuma Sato back in a race seat but Richards won't be led.

"No decisions at the moment," he commented. We're still carrying on racing this year and that's the priority at the moment. We've had sensible discussions about it and we haven't made a decision as yet. I think we have to have it sorted by Melbourne next year!"