Formula 1
Brazilian GP: BAR race notes
There were mixed results for Lucky Strike B*A*R Honda in São Paulo today as the notoriously fickle weather led to a chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix. Jacques Villeneuve was pleased to secure the team's second points-finish of the season after ending ...
Published: Apr 7, 2003, 4:08 PM
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There were mixed results for Lucky Strike B*A*R Honda in São Paulo today as the notoriously fickle weather led to a chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix. Jacques Villeneuve was pleased to secure the team's second points-finish of the season after ending the race in sixth place, while Jenson Button fell foul of the ill-fated third corner where the race came to an abrupt end for no less than six drivers.
Jacques Villeneuve:
"It was a very difficult race; the track was tough to drive but if you took care of yourself then it wasn't too bad. There wasn't that much water really; it's down to the drivers to be less crazy in those conditions and there was some crazy driving out there. Some drivers were overtaking under the yellow flags; halfway through the race I saw Alonso overtake under the flags. I think it's that kind of driving that leads to big accidents."
"We saw the same thing in the pit stops with drivers chopping across the field on the exit then having to lift halfway down the straight to stop them going off onto the grass. It's that sort of thing that creates the danger, not just the conditions themselves. I'm pleased with sixth place today. It's very difficult for the guys in these conditions but they did a great job. I'm happy that we were able to bring the team three more points today."
Jenson Button:
"Everyone can say "what if"? I was running fifth ahead of Raikkonen when I went off and we were fuelled to the finish, so if I hadn't made that mistake, who knows? But then I guess there are a lot of other people who can say the same thing. The car was working well, the tyres were good and we had the right strategy. On that corner, the water runs off the banking on to the circuit, so we were bound to get caught out there. I just caught the standing water a little too much. I tried to save it but that just sent me into the tyre wall. I went in quite heavily and my back is aching a little bit but, as we saw, it could have been much worse. It's disappointing but that's the way it goes."
David Richards, Team Principal:
"It's difficult to know where to start after a race like that. My first thoughts are how pleasing it was to see that nobody was seriously hurt after so many extraordinary accidents. For our part, like so many others, we missed out on a great opportunity. However, at the end of the day, our reliability was excellent, Jacques scored three points and Jenson emerged unscathed from his accident. No one can say that Formula One is boring after a day like today."
Geoffrey Willis, Technical Director:
"A fair result for the team I think. We gained another three points from an incident-filled race but we we're lucky that nobody was hurt today. It is always easy to dwell on what might have been had the race been run to full distance. Nevertheless, the team reacted well to the safety cars and we were in a good position. Jacques was certainly very quick at the end of the race, which showed us that the cars and tyres were working well in these conditions."
Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development:
"First of all I'm pleased that Jacques has scored his first points this season. He did well to keep going in such difficult conditions. Jenson also did an extremely good job before his unfortunate spin. However, I think our strategy was looking good today. The three flyway races have been tough and we're looking forward to starting the European season in two weeks time. On a final note I would like to pass all our best wishes to MotoGP rider Daijiro Kato in the hope that he can fully recover from his crash in the race at Suzuka today."
Jacques Villeneuve
Chassis: BAR Honda 005-2
Position: 6th
Best lap time: 1:24.463
Jenson Button
Chassis: BAR Honda 005-4
Position: DNF (32 laps)
Best lap time: 1:26.042
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