German GP: BAR race notes

Lucky Strike B*A*R Honda notched up another valuable point in Hockenheim today after Jenson Button finished the German Grand Prix in eighth place. After a disappointing qualifying session relegated him to 17th on the grid, Jenson's optimism for a better race proved well-founded and he delivered a solid performance in what was a very tough race for B*A*R.

His team-mate Jacques Villeneuve lost out in the aftermath of a huge accident in the first-corner. He was hit by Justin Wilson which forced him to pit whilst the team looked for signs of damage to the rear suspension. He switched to what was effectively a one-stop strategy but this failed to pay off.

Jenson Button:

"I'm really pleased to finish eight today, it's just a shame that we couldn't collect two points instead of one. Still, every point counts and we did a great job from where we started. I have to thank the team and Honda because we were quick and reliable in tough race conditions. I had a real problem with my rears locking due to a diff control failure, so it wasn't easy trying to keep everyone behind - particularly Webber. It's a nightmare starting from the back and I have to do better in Hungary because I'm just making life hard for myself. We have to drive our car on the edge at the moment though and sometimes it's very easy to slip over the limit."

Jacques Villeneuve:

"A frustrating end to a very tough race for me. I got hit from behind in the first corner and that just destroyed my race. It's a great shame because the car was good today and we had a good strategy. Because of where we were on the track, we changed to a one-stop strategy. This wasn't the best choice in the end, but we decided to take a gamble and it didn't work out. The engine worked well and the car was quick, so we had a good chance of points today and it's very disappointing."

David Richards, Team Principal:

"It's gratifying to see Jenson picking up another point for the second race in a row, especially as once again he had to come from the back of the grid. Jacques' race was also impressive, given that he was hit by Wilson in the first- corner incident and this upset his planned race strategy. With the extreme heat this afternoon I'm very pleased that both the cars and Honda engines ran strongly to the finish and I think this gives us encouragement for the remaining races and our ability to secure fifth in the championship."

Geoffrey Willis, Technical Director:

"This was a tough, hot race for both the drivers and the engines, so we are pleased to have finished both cars and gained a point. Jacques' race was ruined when he was hit by Wilson at the first turn, so we had to pit him to check his rear suspension. We took this opportunity to change him to effectively a one-stop race and in retrospect this didn't quite pay off, leaving him just outside the points. Jenson did well to finish in eighth, having started so far down the grid. After the first quarter of the race, we had a sensor problem on his car, which meant that he was forced to use the override mode for the differential. This certainly hurt his race pace and made the car less predictable to drive. Given the championship position, we will continue to develop the car and engine for the last four races."

Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development:

"Once again Jenson fought his way through the field to score a point having started towards the back of the grid. It must've been really tough out there today in this heat and I enjoyed seeing our guys push so hard. Pretty frustrating for Jacques to finish just outside the points again but a good performance nonetheless. We need to continue to score points in the final four races."

Jacques Villeneuve
Chassis: BAR Honda 005-3
Position: 9th
Lap time: 1:18.235

Jenson Button
Chassis: BAR Honda 005-4
Position: 8th
Lap time: 1:17.430

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