De Ferran defends Honda drivers

Although Honda looked like one of the main favourites to fight for wins thanks to a promising showing in pre-season testing, the Japanese squad have failed to live up to the expectations, having scored only one podium finish in six races.

At the Spanish Grand Prix, Barrichello finished a lap down in seventh while Button was also well off the pace, finishing a distant six.

De Ferran, however, says the drivers are not to blame for Honda's lack of results, and the Brazilian still believes Button and Barrichello are one of the best line-ups in Formula One.

"Our problem isn't the drivers, I want to state this clearly, but it's the car that isn't fast enough in race conditions. I don't think other drivers with the same car would have gotten better results," de Ferran told Autosprint.

"I keep thinking that the Barrichello-Button pairing is one of the best in F1. Barrichello has gone through an adaptation phase with the team and the car, but in the last GPs his performance has been perfect.

"When he said he had to adapt to the tyres and to the way the brakes operate, those weren't excuses but precise technical truths which a driver must come to terms with.

"Some find the solution within five minutes, while others need more time."

De Ferran has also defended Barrichello's performance, despite the Brazilian struggling to get to grips with his Honda after six years at Ferrari.

"Barrichello is doing the job we expected of him: he has good sensitivity," he added. "Inside the team we've never felt a 'Rubens problem'; it seems more like a drama created outside.

"When I talk to him, even though he's already taken part in over 200 GPs, I still see the same person I knew already back in F3. F1 is still his priority in life."