Panis expecting Honda boost

Olivier Panis believes Honda’s new 2002 engine will help the team make a major step forward next season.

The Frenchman is looking forward to getting his first run in the new BAR 004 in the new year and he’s expecting Honda to provide a big power boost.

"Honda have a completely new engine for next year," Panis told Autosport.com. "I saw it in Tokyo before the Japanese Grand Prix and it's a big, big change. I'm very positive about the engine. Next year is a big step forward and it will be very good."

Olivier will be looking to improve on his impressive first season with the team in 2001, during which he pushed Jacques Villeneuve hard and finished 15th in the world championship.

He added: "I'm really positive about things for next year because we know where we are with the car this year and we know where we need to go next year - everybody is working very hard back at the factory to achieve that."