By Phil Huff (13/10/2004)
October 13 2004

A lot has happened since the last BAR-Talk.com Newsletter yet, strangely, everything appears to be remaining the same. As the season draws to a close, the image of BAR finishing second best is becoming ever so slightly repetitive. You can't blame the drivers - Takuma has done a great job this year, slowly wearing away the ragged edges that define his racing character, while Jenson has been fantastic, especially considering his contract situation.

Neither can you blame Honda. They now seem to have got a grip on reliability, with their 'Suzuka Special' engine pumping out some 968bhp yet somehow remaining in one piece. Developments are continuing, too.

So is it BAR themselves? No. This years car is great, with a light, supple chassis working well with Michelin tyres. Continuous developments, such as the Torque Transfer device and devious details on wings. Falling foul of the FIA a couple of times hasn't stopped the, either.

So why do BAR keep coming second? Ferrari.

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You can't knock them - their car is at least half a second a lap quicker than Brackley's best. Over the course of a race, that's close to 30 seconds, and 30 seconds in F1 might as well be a few light years.

They've got, arguably, the best engine, the best tyres, the best chassis and the best drivers. Is it a surprise they keep winning?

The good news is that Geoffrey Willis, the brains behind the BAR car, reckons that the step forward for 2005 will be greater than that from 2003 to 2004. Honda re also saying the same thing, threatening a 1,000bhp engine during 2005. Between them, not only do they need to find that half a second, but they need to find an additional half a second to at least match Ferrari's pace.

The worry remains Michael Schumacher. He claims that he hasn't had to drive flat out at any point this year. If that's true, then that Ferrari might be even quicker than we fear.

Are we expecting too much? BAR achieved very little in their first five years, the points haul totalling just 70 from 83 races, and managing a best constructors championship placing of just 5th. With one race remaining this year, the team have 116 points in the bank, sitting behind only Ferrari, and looking certain to retain 2nd place in the Constructors Championship.

Given that, perhaps second isn't too bad after all.

Phil Huff
BAR-Talk.com