Richards Confident BAR Have Second Place

Team principal David Richards said his BAR-Honda team have second place in the Constructors' Championship all but secured after moving 16 points clear of Renault after the Japanese Grand Prix.

BAR, competing in their 100th Grand Prix at Suzuka, picked up 11 points after Jenson Button and Takuma Sato finished third and fourth respectively, with Fernando Alonso picking up four points for Renault in fifth.

Renault now need to claim first and third in the Brazilian Grand Prix in two weeks time to stand a chance of regaining the second place they had held for much of the season, and Richards is confident BAR can pick up the three points they need to be 'best of the rest'.

"It is a pretty tall order," said Richards, whose team are a massive 138 points behind runaway World Champions Ferrari. "Renault have got to score a win and a third place in Brazil to pip us. It has been a monumental year for everyone.

"But we won't give up now - we've only got one more race to score that elusive win for us."

Button, who scored his 10th podium of the season with third place at Suzuka, believes BAR's results in the most recent Grands Prix have helped see off the threat of Renault.

"It is still not impossible (for Renault), but it is pretty much," he said. "It's great to have 16 points and the last few races, I think we have shown a very good team effort, where we've had both cars well up in the points and that's really made a difference for us."