BAR 'behind the times'

Willis, who joined the team after 12 years at Williams, renews working acquaintances with Jacques Villeneuve and race engineer Jock Clear this year. Speaking at Imola after an opportunity to assess the BAR position, he said: "The positives include good team motivation, good communication and a positive approach, but there's a lot of work to be done because technically we are behind.

"Most issues are relevant to technical design quality. We have the people and the resources but we need to point them in the right direction.

"The car is behind the times. I don't think there has been a lot of understanding of development in F1 over the past four or five years, when the opposition has got a lot better."

Willis explained that there were structural issues to be addressed as well as problems surrounding weight distribution, centre of gravity and deficiencies in aerodynamic performance. The latter, he suggested, can be addressed in the short term but called for realism over what is possible.

Honda has also had a tough start to the season with its teams, BAR and Jordan, yet to trouble the scorers. While a small engine step is available at Imola this weekend, it will be Canada in June before a major advance can be anticipated.