British American Racing

BAR ( British American Racing ) is an old British stable of Formule 1, in activity of 1999 to 2005. Resold entirely with Honda in 2005, the stable took as from the season the 2006 name of Honda Racing F1 TEAM.

History

Missed beginnings

The stable British American Racing was born from the repurchase at the end of 1997 of the Tyrrell Racing by the group of tobacco British American Tobacco, associated with Craig Pollock (then especially known to be the manager of Jacques Villeneuve) and Adrian Reynard, which directs the firm Reynard, specialized in the design of racing racing cars. But contrary to what generally occurs in a repurchase from stable, the new executive team intends well to start from a white sheet and does not have as a project to make use of the old Tyrrell stable as bases work. The repurchase of Tyrrell has especially as objective to recover the commercial laws (in particular redistribution of the rights TV) which stick to such an old and prestigious team. Thus, while in 1998, the Tyrrell team directed by Craig Pollock disputes her last season in free wheel, the factory of the very new BAR team leaves ground in Brackley. As for the future distribution of the roles, it is limpid: Pollock takes the direction of the team, Reynard the technical direction, the design of the future car returning to Australian the Malcolm Oastler, a man of Reynard.

To start its first championship in 1999, the stable BAR can hope on the Supertec engine (old V10 Renault, technical solution which is a pledge of safety, but which has the disadvantage to be paying) and on a duet of interesting pilot: the world champion Jacques Villeneuve and the promising Brazilian beginner Ricardo Zonta. If the observers do not know too what to wait first season of BAR, Pollock is given the responsability to lay down the objectives: quite simply victory! But quickly, it proves that BAR PR01 does not have the level to fight with the best. Far from being a completely missed car (at its wheel, Villeneuve is qualified regularly in first part of grid), she suffers especially from an absolutely catastrophic reliability, which is not long in involving the setting well off Adrian Reynard. So much so that the pilots buckle the season without to have registered the least point. At the time of this first season, it is especially for its arm wrestling with TRUSTED that BAR will have made speak about it. At the time of the presentation of before-season, BAR had presented two cars decorated in two different ways (each one with the colors of a mark of the group BEATS). An imagination refused by TRUSTED, kind BAR to be folded up on a solution original but aesthetically debatable: two identical cars, but with a decoration different on each side.

Association with Honda

Before even the failure of the first season of BAR, Pollock sought solutions with a future. Very quickly, it ties contacts with Honda in order to convince the Japanese constructor to give up his project of F1 100% Honda, to be satisfied with a role of motor mechanic. As of the month of May 1999, the future marriage between BAR and Honda are thus announced. For BAR, this contract means that the team joined the group of the stables supported by a large manufacturer and who do not need more to pay their motorization. Since 2000, the results appear finally, and in spite of inevitable preoccupations with a youth of new V10 Honda, Villeneuve finishes in a beautiful seventh place with the final classification of the pilots, with 17 points.

But in 2001, in spite of two podiums of Villeneuve and beautiful performances of its new team-member Olivier Panic grass (more unlucky person), the results stagnate. A all the more worrying overall assessment as this year, Honda replaced Mugen-Honda as a motor mechanic of Jordan Grand Prix, and that in the long term, it is thus the support of Honda which is in danger. At the end of 2001, Craig Pollock pays in its turn the mitigated results of the team, and is replaced by David Richards.

In 2002, in spite of performances in fall, the political situation of BAR improves with the advertisement by Honda that BAR finds the exclusiveness in the Japanese engine.

In 2003, the performances of the team seem to set out again with the rise. But in a climate of permanent crisis, these is the time Jacques Villeneuve which is shown finger. Second larger wages of F1 behind Schumacher, it is regularly dominated by its new team-member Jenson Button. The relationship increasingly tended between Richards and Villeneuve leads to the ousting of this last the day before the GP of Japan, ultimate handle of the championship of the world 2003. It is replaced by Takuma Sato, protected from Honda.

Takeover by Honda

2004 should be waited until to see the results finally taking off. At the wheel of a powerful frame, propelled by a surpuissant engine, and been useful well by the tires Michelin (BAR gave up its tires Bridgestone during the off season) Short prop multiplies the podiums and finishes the championship in the third place, while to the classification of the manufacturers, BAR manages to subtilize on the wire the second place with Renault. But in spite of these good performances, the winter is marked by a new internal small revolution. Obvious result of its technical implication within the stable, Honda repurchases 45% of BAR, and pushes outside David Richards, replaced by his old right-hand man Nick Fry.

The season 2005 is far from confirming the level of form of Bar-Honda. The beginning of championship moreover is marked by a scandal of cheating, following the discovery by the technical police chiefs of a double judicious gasoline tank to make it possible the car to evolve/move in lower part of the legal weight. That leads to the disqualification of the pilots BAR of the GP of San Marino like on a suspension for the two following tests. At the end of the year, Honda repurchases the totality of the stable, which becomes as from the season the 2006 Honda Racing F1 TEAM. A solution which goes in the direction of the progressive takeover of the large manufacturers in F1, and which makes it possible at Honda to fight of equal footing with its large adversary Toyota.

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