By Phil Huff
May 5 2005

Lucky Strike BAR Honda have been banned from entering the next two Grands Prix, and have been disqualified from the recent San Marino Grand Prix. The Court of Appeal's decision means that BAR have been found guilty of breaking the rules that govern Formula One. They ran a car that, when drained of fuel, had a 5.4kg weight advantage over the rest of the field.

At the forthcoming Spanish Grand Prix, that difference could amount to as much as 15 seconds over the course of the race, or about 0.227 seconds a lap. That 0.227 seconds would also be very handy in qualifying, allowing the team to gain a position or two on the grid with no penalty.

The court agreed that BAR Honda did not intentionally set out to deceive the scrutineers, but did comment that they showed 'at the least a highly regrettable negligence and lack of transparency'.

The two race ban, as well as exclusion from the last race, is the final decision and cannot be appealed. The team have also been handed a suspended six month ban, suspended for 12 months. This means that, should the team offend again in the next year, they will be forced to sit out the next six months of racing.

The team have skirted controversy for a number of years, most recently pushing the boundaries with their front torque transfer system and rear wing deflection. In a bid to reach the top step of the podium, BAR are pushing the rules to stretching point, and this time have stepped slightly too far.