Pollock: Jordan is making us look bad

Formula 1 team boss Craig Pollock says the competitiveness of Honda stablemate Jordan is reflecting badly on his British American Racing team

The two teams both use equal specification works Honda engines and much has been made of the rivalry between them.

BAR beat Jordan to fifth place in the constructors' championship last year by three points, but Pollock's team seems to have dropped the ball in 2001 and has lost its momentum of the previous season.

The teams are currently separated by the same margin of three points, with Jordan fifth and BAR just one place behind in sixth. But Pollock is not happy with the lack of progress his team is making.

"We know how many updates Jordan has made to its car and we know how many changes the team has made to our car," said Pollock. "We know how we've developed it and to see Jordan going forward and us going backward is not good. We know what we have to do to address it."

Honda has maintained that there is total parity between the two teams and Pollock is quick to admonish the Japanese marque from any blame for his team's lack of performance.

"The Jordans were fourth and fifth on the grid at Silverstone," he said. "And we were 11th and 12th. I'm not blaming Honda. We're in it together and we lose together."

Alleged rivalry between the teams increased dramatically before the Canadian Grand Prix as it was thought that Honda was to continue supplying only one team next year and would make the decision according to which outfit was ahead in the teams' standings after the Montreal race. But in the event, Honda announced at the European GP last month, that it would be supplying both teams again in 2002.