Spanish GP: Honda race notes

The Honda Racing F1 Team secured a two car points finish in today's Spanish Grand Prix after Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello finished the race in 6th and 7th positions.

After making up a place off the grid, Jenson posed a strong challenge to Raikkonen, edging closer and closer through the 66-lap race. Rubens lost a place off the start and unfortunately lost time in the first and final stints of the race.

The team's combined result today sees them take another step closer to McLaren in the Constructors standings but the Monaco Grand Prix in two weeks time is the main focus now and the team will be testing a number of new ideas in Vallelunga next week in preparation.

Jenson Button: 6th

"The car worked well and it was pretty much a faultless race, although I was behind Rubens in the first stint and Raikkonen was able to pull away. As soon as I had clear air the car worked very well and the balance was good - probably the best it has been since Malaysia."

"I was quite happy, reeling in Raikkonen every lap by a tenth or two tenths but it would have been a closer fight had I not been hampered by problems that stemmed from yesterday's qualifying. I'm looking forward to Monaco and testing at Vallelunga next week in preparation for that race."

Rubens Barrichello: 7th

"It was a tough race but two cars in the points is not a bad result considering the strength of the competition. I lost a place off the start and then lost a bit of time because of some fuel pressure problems on my in-lap."

"After that, things ran pretty much according to plan, apart from a vibration in the last stint which again lost me some time. Now we have to focus on improving for Monaco because it's a track where we can be strong."

Gil de Ferran, Sporting Director:

"We scored some more points, this time with both cars, which is very positive. While we are not as fast as we would like to be, we had a good battle with Raikkonen right through to the end and made the most of what we had."

"The day went relatively smoothly without any major dramas and both drivers pushed extremely hard. As well as the next race in Monaco potentially suiting our cars better, we go to Vallelunga next week to evaluate some improvements. Our focus is on closing the gap."

Shuhei Nakamoto: Management Board Member - Honda Racing F1 Team, Engineering Director - Honda Racing Development:

"Both drivers gave it everything they had today and the result is an accurate reflection of our level at the moment. Every member of the team knows we need to keep pushing hard to close the gap to the front runners."

-honda-