Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Brazil Preview Quotes: BAR

Jacques Villeneuve: "We worked well during the Malaysian Grand Prix but it was a pity that we couldn't show what we could do during the race. That was very disappointing. I'm looking forward to the next race however. The car is fast and we should be as competitive in Brazil as we were in Malaysia, if not more so. Interlagos isn't one of my favourite tracks, but if we can be quick there, then that's all that matters.

Jacques Villeneuve: "We worked well during the Malaysian Grand Prix but it was a pity that we couldn't show what we could do during the race. That was very disappointing. I'm looking forward to the next race however. The car is fast and we should be as competitive in Brazil as we were in Malaysia, if not more so. Interlagos isn't one of my favourite tracks, but if we can be quick there, then that's all that matters.

"In Australia I don't think you could really judge how effective the new rules were because of how much the weather conditions affected the outcome of the race. In Malaysia the weather was quite consistent - consistently hot! It made for an interesting race. I still disagree with not being able to refuel before the race, but if it makes the race weekend more exciting and it means the fans will come back to F1, then that's cool.

"After Malaysia I travelled back to Europe. I spent a day at home before heading to Italy the following day for a PR event with one of the team's sponsors. I then travelled to Barcelona for the last two days of the test and will now continue with my intensive training programme with Erwin before heading to Brazil."

Jenson Button: "Although we secured two valuable points in Malaysia, I was of course disappointed to lose two more on the last lap to Jarno and Michael. Brazil should be better for us though. We've had a really positive test in Barcelona and it was great to be able to put in plenty of laps - 108 on my first day there. All the signs are that our reliability is improving all the time and we have also worked towards improving the way we adapt to race conditions.

"Interlagos is an interesting and very challenging circuit. It's very bumpy, which is the main feature you notice when you first race there, but it's great fun and it has a lot of history. For me the best corner has to be Ferra Dura - a slightly slow right-hander. You take it in third gear and it goes into a fourth-gear corner which drops away, so the exit is completely blind. It really gets the adrenalin pumping. The other good corner is at the end of the back straight. It's a second-gear corner and that's where you see a lot of incidents normally, but it's a good overtaking opportunity."

David Richards, Team Principal: "Aside from the problem with Jacques' car we were encouraged by an otherwise positive performance in Malaysia and are pleased to have secured our first points so early in the season. The problem which prevented Jacques from starting the race has clearly been a primary focus during our test in Barcelona and Brazil should allow us to demonstrate the great strides we are making in terms of reliability. This race is another tough test of our car and drivers but we expect to improve our qualifying performance here with top 10 positions for both drivers. This should then translate into a better performance in the race when we will rely on the steps we have taken to maximise the tyres and the outstanding physical fitness of both drivers."

Geoffrey Willis, Technical Director: "We are pleased that we continue to demonstrate clear signs of our car's true potential and we go into Brazil feeling optimistic that we can build on our points-scoring performance in Malaysia two weeks ago. We enjoyed a very productive test in Barcelona in preparation for this race, which takes place at one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar and poses its own unique set of challenges. Although Interlagos is a medium-downforce track, it demands high aerodynamic efficiency and the right compromise between downforce and straight-line speed out of the last corner up the hill. Mechanical set-up is also critical here to help achieve the optimum level of traction for the infield section and to contend with this track's notoriously bumpy surface. As always, the weather conditions here can be very changeable which could make qualifying and the race very interesting."

Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda: "I'm looking forward to going to Interlagos, having really got the season off to a start by scoring our first points in Malaysia. We will be using the same specification engine in Brazil as we ran in Malaysia so I'm confident that we'll be competitive next weekend."

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Q & A with Juan Pablo Montoya
Next article Da Matta hoping to shine on home ground

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe