BAR F1 History
By Phil Huff (20/05/2003) November 25 2004
British American Racing was formed in November 1997 by Craig Pollock, Reynard Racing Cars and British American Tobacco, a team promising much.
By Phil Huff (20/05/2003) November 25 2004
British American Racing was formed in November 1997 by Craig Pollock, Reynard Racing Cars and British American Tobacco, a team promising much.
British American Racing purchased Tyrrell Racing shortly afterwards and moved to brand new 86,000 square foot headquarters in Brackley near Northampton in the UK. The facility houses manufacturing, research & development and a purpose-built wind tunnel.
British American Racing was launched to the world's media on 2 December 1997. Jacques Villeneuve, the reigning Formula One World Champion, signed to drive for the fledgling team in July 1998 and with the addition of Ricardo Zonta the inaugural driver line-up was complete. The team staged its first launch at Brackley in January 1999 - only 14 months after it was founded - and competed in its first-ever Formula One race in Melbourne, Australia on 7 March 1999.
A difficult first season yielded just seven finishes from 32 starts, and not one single point. Finishing last in the constructors championship was not the start the team had been hoping for.
Lessons learnt from a tough first season were put to good effect. The new BAR Honda 002 came 4th and 6th on its first competitive outing in 2000 and went on to finish the season equal on points with fourth-placed Benetton. British American Racing had finally arrived.
However, after such a successful second year, the team was unable to continue the momentum into 2001 and the year petered out into mediocrity. Jacques Villeneuve had been joined by the highly experienced and versatile Olivier Panis to form one of the best driver line-ups in Formula One. However, despite grabbing the team's first podiums in Spain and Germany, not even the mercurial French-Canadian was able to really conquer a hard-to-handle car.
2002 needed to be a completely fresh start for the team and the car was only the tip of the iceberg. The first step towards this aim was made with the announcement that David Richards, founder of Prodrive, would take over the reins as Team Principal.
Honda announced at the start of the year that it had reached agreement for a new three-year partnership with the team. In practical terms that meant Honda was stepping up its involvement in the chassis development programme and clearly focusing its resources on Formula One to underline its determination to win the World Championship. Japanese tyre giant Bridgestone announced at the same time that it too had laid the foundations for a long-term partnership with British American Racing.
David Richards' first task was to make a detailed and extensive review of the team. As a result of this study a new structure was implemented to give clearer lines of reporting, more focused accountability and an overall leaner organisation. Geoffrey Willis joined the team from Williams, and took the lead on technical development in an attempt to improve the incumbent BAR Honda 004. He undertook his own engineering review, which culminated in a revised car and engine package for the Canadian Grand Prix, but the management team were under no illusions that it would take time before all of the ingredients were in place to challenge the top teams.
Gradually the team started to turn the corner, securing its first points finish of 2002 at the British Grand Prix. A faultless strategy and two perfectly-timed pitstops enabled both Jacques and Olivier to take the chequered flag on home asphalt, finishing the race 4th and 5th respectively.
Back in Brackley, the team had started to make significant technical strides behind-the-scenes. While most of the major developments would have to wait for the 2003 car, the team's efforts with the BAR Honda 004 continued unabated, accompanied by one step upgrade after another from Honda. Two more points finishes followed in Monza and Indianapolis but 8th place in the Championship proved that there was still a lot of hard work to be done.
There were many positives to take away from a very challenging season however. A colossal effort from the race team, test team and factory-based staff had finally started to pay dividends. After a year of consolidation, the team has made excellent progress towards establishing the right resources, experience, systems and structures with which to pursue its long-term objectives. Most importantly, despite another difficult season, the team’s enthusiasm and determination was undiminished.
Now officially known as BAR, the team embarks on 2003 with a critical awareness of what it takes to score points and win races. It also begins a new chapter in its relationship with Honda, which will see the team benefit from an exclusive engine supply by the Japanese manufacturer. Honda will also be an official sponsor of the BAR team for the first time, and the company's logos will have greater prominence on the BAR Honda 005 than in previous years.
BAR's objective for this season was to deliver a solid, well-engineered Formula One car and the all-new BAR Honda 005 is precisely that. The differences between the 004 and 005 could not be more immediate. The new car is lighter, smaller and more aerodynamically efficient and with its all-new Honda RA003E V10 powerplant it promises to be considerably more powerful too.
British young gun Jenson Button joins the team in place of Olivier Panis, creating what is certain to be one of the most potent driver line-ups in Formula One at present.
BAR is also presenting itself in a very different way in 2003 with a new corporate identity. The team's image is cleaner, more simple and much stronger and the name has been rationalised to 'B·A·R' rather than BAR or British American Racing. A new culture has been borne out of the need to instil the right attitudes and values into the team and a common belief in 'Pure Racing' sums up why BAR is here and what it is trying to achieve.
With the restructuring of the business, the appointment of new personnel, the commitment of Honda and the arrival of Jenson Button, 2003 promises to be a very exciting year for Lucky Strike BAR Honda.
British American Racing was launched to the world's media on 2 December 1997. Jacques Villeneuve, the reigning Formula One World Champion, signed to drive for the fledgling team in July 1998 and with the addition of Ricardo Zonta the inaugural driver line-up was complete. The team staged its first launch at Brackley in January 1999 - only 14 months after it was founded - and competed in its first-ever Formula One race in Melbourne, Australia on 7 March 1999.
A difficult first season yielded just seven finishes from 32 starts, and not one single point. Finishing last in the constructors championship was not the start the team had been hoping for.
Lessons learnt from a tough first season were put to good effect. The new BAR Honda 002 came 4th and 6th on its first competitive outing in 2000 and went on to finish the season equal on points with fourth-placed Benetton. British American Racing had finally arrived.
However, after such a successful second year, the team was unable to continue the momentum into 2001 and the year petered out into mediocrity. Jacques Villeneuve had been joined by the highly experienced and versatile Olivier Panis to form one of the best driver line-ups in Formula One. However, despite grabbing the team's first podiums in Spain and Germany, not even the mercurial French-Canadian was able to really conquer a hard-to-handle car.
2002 needed to be a completely fresh start for the team and the car was only the tip of the iceberg. The first step towards this aim was made with the announcement that David Richards, founder of Prodrive, would take over the reins as Team Principal.
Honda announced at the start of the year that it had reached agreement for a new three-year partnership with the team. In practical terms that meant Honda was stepping up its involvement in the chassis development programme and clearly focusing its resources on Formula One to underline its determination to win the World Championship. Japanese tyre giant Bridgestone announced at the same time that it too had laid the foundations for a long-term partnership with British American Racing.
David Richards' first task was to make a detailed and extensive review of the team. As a result of this study a new structure was implemented to give clearer lines of reporting, more focused accountability and an overall leaner organisation. Geoffrey Willis joined the team from Williams, and took the lead on technical development in an attempt to improve the incumbent BAR Honda 004. He undertook his own engineering review, which culminated in a revised car and engine package for the Canadian Grand Prix, but the management team were under no illusions that it would take time before all of the ingredients were in place to challenge the top teams.
Gradually the team started to turn the corner, securing its first points finish of 2002 at the British Grand Prix. A faultless strategy and two perfectly-timed pitstops enabled both Jacques and Olivier to take the chequered flag on home asphalt, finishing the race 4th and 5th respectively.
Back in Brackley, the team had started to make significant technical strides behind-the-scenes. While most of the major developments would have to wait for the 2003 car, the team's efforts with the BAR Honda 004 continued unabated, accompanied by one step upgrade after another from Honda. Two more points finishes followed in Monza and Indianapolis but 8th place in the Championship proved that there was still a lot of hard work to be done.
There were many positives to take away from a very challenging season however. A colossal effort from the race team, test team and factory-based staff had finally started to pay dividends. After a year of consolidation, the team has made excellent progress towards establishing the right resources, experience, systems and structures with which to pursue its long-term objectives. Most importantly, despite another difficult season, the team’s enthusiasm and determination was undiminished.
Now officially known as BAR, the team embarks on 2003 with a critical awareness of what it takes to score points and win races. It also begins a new chapter in its relationship with Honda, which will see the team benefit from an exclusive engine supply by the Japanese manufacturer. Honda will also be an official sponsor of the BAR team for the first time, and the company's logos will have greater prominence on the BAR Honda 005 than in previous years.
BAR's objective for this season was to deliver a solid, well-engineered Formula One car and the all-new BAR Honda 005 is precisely that. The differences between the 004 and 005 could not be more immediate. The new car is lighter, smaller and more aerodynamically efficient and with its all-new Honda RA003E V10 powerplant it promises to be considerably more powerful too.
British young gun Jenson Button joins the team in place of Olivier Panis, creating what is certain to be one of the most potent driver line-ups in Formula One at present.
BAR is also presenting itself in a very different way in 2003 with a new corporate identity. The team's image is cleaner, more simple and much stronger and the name has been rationalised to 'B·A·R' rather than BAR or British American Racing. A new culture has been borne out of the need to instil the right attitudes and values into the team and a common belief in 'Pure Racing' sums up why BAR is here and what it is trying to achieve.
With the restructuring of the business, the appointment of new personnel, the commitment of Honda and the arrival of Jenson Button, 2003 promises to be a very exciting year for Lucky Strike BAR Honda.
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