Honda

Honda

Monday 20th February 2006

With Ross Brawn at the helm in 2008, Honda are confident of bouncing back from last season's dismal decline. But it may take Brawn some time to reverse the damage done last year.

British American Racing, to give the team its (now former) full title, arrived on the F1 scene at the beginning of 1999 in an explosion of media frenzy.

Much of it, however, was generated by the Brackley outfit's own penchant for bombast and self publicity.

They were 'assets' which the team would later live to regret.

Indeed, claims that the team would win its first GP, together with a slogan that proclaimed "a tradition of excellence", were to become a thorn in their side during the early, turbulent existence.

Their decision to run their cars in two different liveries not only incurred the wrath of the FIA, but also gave a clear indication of where the team was coming from.

Despite the hype, despite the promise and despite the money, BAR's debut season must rank as one of the worst in F1 history.

A victory in their first race? The team was still awaiting their first point at the finale of their first season.

Things changed for the better in 2000 as the team had a new power unit courtesy of Honda, and a seemingly reliable chassis.

Right from the off it was clear that the BAR 002 was competitive, with Jacques Villeneuve and Ricardo Zonta both scoring points in the season opener.

Following the nightmare of 1999, the 2000 season saw BAR regularly beating their more established rivals such as Benetton and most notably Jordan, who were also powered by Honda.

A string of good results at the end of the season saw the team finish joint fourth in the constructors' championship with Benetton - although the Anglo-Italian outfit actually claimed fourth on a 'count-back'.

But in 2001 - now with Frenchman Olivier Panis as number two to Villeneuve - BAR couldn't reproduce the previous season's form.

And even though Villeneuve clinched the team's first ever podium visits, they fell in the constructors' championship, finishing sixth - behind Jordan and Sauber - on 17 points.

The team's high hopes for 2002 soon evaporated as incoming technical director Geoffrey Willis rubbished the car put together by his predecessor

Malcolm Oastler.

Craig Pollock was finally elbowed out of the team less than 24 hours before the launch of the disappointing BAR 004, to be replaced by former World Rally Championship supremo Dave Richards.

Richards spent most of 2002 trying to get Villeneuve to take a sabbatical, to ease the financial burden on the team, saying he could return in 2004.

It didn't work and so Panis moved on to Toyota, while Jenson Button joined on a two year-contract.

BAR began the 2003 season with a renewed sense of optimism after Honda announced that they were to concentrate all their efforts on BAR that year,

also pledging that they would bring back some of the engineers that were responsible for their phenomenal 1980s successes to help the team.

But Honda also gave BAR far too many engine failures and an overall lack of reliability, which seemed to mainly target Villeneuve.

Yet while Honda stayed put for 2004, Villeneuve did not. The former Champ was replaced by test driver Takuma Sato - partially, it was widely believed, to appease the Japanese company.

Sadly for Jacques, his departure coincided with BAR finally achieving their long-awaited breakthrough.

Boosted by a switch to Michelin tyres and the introduction of the BAR 006, the team was Ferrari's principal rivals throughout the year.

Although they were unable to secure their first victory, they were regular visitors to the podium, racking up a total of 119 points in the process to finish second in the constructors' championship.

And even though McLaren and Williams scored notable own goals to facilitate BAR's 'breakthrough', it was still a heady achievement.

Yet it was also far from plain sailing. Behind the scenes, BAR were enhancing their reputation for being one of the most political teams in the paddock (some accolade that) and their drivers didn't exactly help matters.

When they confirmed that Sato was to be retained for 2005 despite his erratic form, it only reinforced the belief it was only because of the team's link to Honda while Jenson Button's announcement midway through the

season that he'd signed a contract with Williams for 2005 entertained the

media for months.

BAR responded to the announcement by stating that they held a valid deal with the Englishman. Three months later that the saga was finally concluded in BAR's favour as F1's Contract Recognition Board ordered Button to stay put or not drive at all.

But more was to come. First, team boss Richards was replaced by Nick Fry - possibly due to claims that his relationship with Button was unsalvageable - and then it was confirmed that Honda had increased their stake in the team

to 45 percent.

Those changes, though, didn't pay off at first as the team, now called BAR-Honda, failed to score a single point in the first nine races. However, they did manage to create more political dramas and issues when they were accused of cheating in the San Marino GP.

Although Button finished the race in third place and Sato in sixth, they were later disqualified from the results after it was discovered that Button's car was not only underweight but also had a hidden 'illegal' fuel system.

A two-race ban was the consequence, leading to a public spat and threats of legal action. They were eventually silenced by the FIA's own threat to up the punishment to a possible exclusion from the championship if they didn't graciously accept the verdict.

Halfway through the year though, the team's fortunes finally took a turn for the better with Button bagging their first points at Magny-Cours.

It sparked the start of a 10-race points-scoring run for the Brit which together with Sato's one point saw BAR-Honda finish a disappointing sixth in the constructors' championship.

Away from the track the team continued to make the make the news - for the right reasons for once.

Honda bought BAR's share in the team to become sole owner while Button yet again broke a contract, this time his Williams deal, to remain with Honda for 2006.

The 2006 championship saw the Brit, who was still seeking his maiden win, partnering former Ferrari man Rubens Barrichello. It was Button, though, who had the upper hand.

The Brit started the season with a bang, finishing fourth in Bahrain and third in Malaysia, while Barrichello failed to score a single point. He fought back in Australia to claim seventh place, however, it was Button was Honda's star of the weekend as he started the race from pole position.

The team continued its points-scoring run over the next two races although at no time did both drivers finish in the points. That changed at the sixth race of the season, the Spanish GP, which Button finished in sixth place and Barrichello, seventh. Barrichello followed it up with a fourth place in Monaco.

Honda, though, hit a low point in the mid-season. The British and Canadian GPs saw Honda fail to score a single point and even though Barrichello finished sixth in the US GP, the team went on to suffer their first - and only - double DNF in France a fortnight later. The pair both suffered the same recurrent engine problems at Magny-Cours.

Honda fought back to get Button to the finish line in fourth place Germany, while the following race, the Hungarian GP, saw all the team's hard work, time and effort culminate in their - and his - maiden grand prix victory.

In wet-dry conditions the Button drove a superb race to claim the victory, with Barrichello bringing his car home in fourth place.

And although no other victories were forthcoming, Honda did manage to score 34 points in the final five races, which included a P3 for Button at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix.

With a total of 86 points, Honda finished the year in fourth place and in 2007 hoped to be on track to challenge for the World title. That, though, didn't happen. In fact the team went down, not up.

A concept design coupled with an earthy livery saw Honda enter the season with high expectations but they were soon put in check when the team failed to break into the top ten in qualifying or finish in the points. It became a theme for the first seven races of the season, during which Honda struggled with a ill-handling car and poor aerodynamics.

Button finally scored their first point of the season at the French GP sparking hopes of a rival. But it wasn't to be. Disappointment after disappointment followed as the team battled for any sign of improvement. Another point for Button came at the Italian GP while he again scored in China. But it was little consolation as the driver admitted the car was "a dog" to drive.

However, it was in the post-season that Honda finally saw a glimmer of hope when the team pulled off the coupe of the season, signing Ross Brawn as their new team boss.

The Englishman, though, faces a tough task in 2008 rebuilding Honda's confidence, which may have suffered too much last season. But if anyone can do it, Ross can.