Honda drivers ready to work together

More often than not when a team launches a new car just one chassis is available to undertake the maiden run, but Honda debuted two new cars at Barcelona this week so both Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello could begin testing it together. The duo are attracting a lot of interest about who will outdo whom and Button is looking forward to working with Barrichello, as well as some on-track rivalry.

Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello head to track.

Photo by xpb.cc.

"Working together shouldn't be difficult, we get on pretty well and we know the importance of working as a team," Button said at the launch of the RA106. "We're not winning races yet and we need to work together as much as possible to keep improving the car. I'm sure we will."

"We will be rivals on the circuit. We're in the same machinery, we'll find each other on the circuit many times I'm sure this year and it's down to us out there not to be too silly about it."

Honda, previously BAR, has never made any secret about how keen it was to secure Button's services and its belief in him as a future champion but the team has stressed that there will be no number one driver. Barrichello is confident that he and his teammate will get equal treatment and believes he and Button will get on well.

"I think it is the way it should be," the Brazilian said about equal status between the drivers. "It's going to be open for us, and this is good. We are going to be talking about the car and solving the problems together. Whoever is there to win, will win but why not have fun outside the track. So we still will be good friends and that's the way it should be."

Both Button and Barrichello will be keen to secure Honda's maiden victory and chief executive Nick Fry is confident that the pairing, along with test driver Anthony Davidson, is very strong. "I'd say this is the best driver line-up in our team's history and I think it's also the best team of drivers on the grid," Fry said. "You can debate the merits of any one individual but I think our three put together is the best team."

"Rubens has been exactly what we expected," he added of the newest member of the line up. "He's technically very strong, he knows exactly what he wants and he has a way of doing things which is polite but firm. He's working very well with both Jenson and Anthony and indeed the rest of the team. I think his maturity and his depth of experience is going to be a huge asset."