BAR Promise More Improvements to Come

BAR plan to unveil significant modifications to their car shortly after emerging as the revelation of the first half of the Formula One Championship.

"We have some very big things coming," team boss David Richards promised after the last US Grand Prix without offering specifics. "We've got some fairly intriguing developments coming on the car...so I think we'll still be the talking point for some time to come."

BAR head to Sunday's French Grand Prix chasing Renault for second place in the Constructors' Championship and with podium places in seven of the last eight races.

The Honda-powered team, the sport's big under-performers and over-spenders until their transformation into potential race winners this season, said they could debut new aerodynamic components at Magny-Cours.

"We're really looking forward to the next couple of races because we think we are on the up," said Briton Jenson Button, third in the World Drivers' Championship despite suffering his first mechanical failure of the season in Indianapolis eight days ago.

"The Michelins should work extremely well in Magny-Cours and I am confident that our strong package should definitely enable us to fight for a podium finish."

Closest Challenge

BAR gave dominant Ferrari their closest challenge in the last three races, with Button finishing third at the Nurburgring and in Canada behind a Ferrari one-two, and Japan's Takuma Sato third in the United States.

That latest result was a breakthrough for Sato - his first podium in Formula One to equal the best Grand Prix result by a Japanese driver.

Reliability has been a problem, however, with the British-based team struggling to get both cars to the finish together in the points. Only twice in nine races so far this year have both BAR drivers scored points in the same race.

"I think as a team we're working very well together," said Button, still waiting for his first win. "But we need to have two cars up there. If one guy scores all the podiums and the other car doesn't finish, it's not good.

"If we are third and fourth or second and third or whatever it will make a huge difference to our Championship. So we need to do that in Magny-Cours.

"We're looking forward to it. Aerodynamically, the car is very strong, which you need for the high speed chicanes. I think we know where we are going to be with the tyres and we've just got to hope we've got the reliability."