BAR Not Bluffing, Says Button

BAR's impressive speed in pre-season testing is genuine and not an attempt to deceive people, says British Formula One driver Jenson Button.

The 24-year-old also repeated his opinion that the first Grand Prix podium of his career was waiting to happen.

"It's not like we've suddenly found a lot of speed," Button told Thursday's edition of Autosport magazine. "This actually feels normal. If I don't get a podium this year there will be something very wrong."

Button raised expectations when he broke the circuit record at Barcelona in January, admittedly with low fuel, and last week lapped in Jerez only 0.012 slower than Ralf Schumacher's Williams.

BAR's form, after finishing 2003 in fifth place overall, has been one of the talking points of the last month as teams gear up for the first race of the year in Australia on March 7.

"Apart from Barcelona, both with the new car and the interim model, we haven't really gone out to break the lap record," he said. "Now it's just happening that we are quick because of our work and that is great and helping to lift everyone in the team.

"We are just running through all of our test programmes and somehow we always manage to be quick, which is good news. The times have come as a consequence of the speed of the car, not because we are going out with fuel loads to set quick times."

Button has yet to finish on the podium in his four years in Formula One but said at the launch of the new BAR 006 this month that the team could be challenging for wins from the start of the season.

"Maybe people are running with more fuel than us, maybe some people are playing games, but at least we know we are sort of in the ballpark with the top teams," he added.

"If we aim for podiums, I think it's a realistic target. If we are in a position to finish on the podium on a regular basis, a win might happen too."