Villeneuve Confident of Progress in 2002

Canadian Jacques Villeneuve and his British American Racing team put on Sunday a disappointing end to their 2001 season at the Japanese Grand Prix, but the 30-year old was confident of having a better car next year.

The 1997 World Champion finished the Suzuka event in tenth position after an eventful race and despite not scoring any points with his Honda-powered car in front of the Japanese manufacturer's crowd, Villeneuve admitted he enjoyed the race and was already looking forward to a better 2002 season.

"That was a fun race. We managed to fight hard and actually be more competitive than the guys who qualified in front of us â€" the Jordans and the Saubers," said Villeneuve. "They were a lot quicker than us in qualifying but today showed us what this team can do.

"It's great that we finished up 5th in the Championship and everyone is ready to race hard next year when I'm sure we'll have a better car."

BAR scored 17 points, the same amount as their Jordan rivals, but were able to keep fifth place thanks to their best results. However, the result of Jordan's appeal following Jarno Trulli's disqualification from the United States Grand Prix is still pending.