Richards Pleased with BAR's Progress

British American Racing team boss David Richards is pleased with the progress of the Brackley-based squad so far this year despite having failed to score a point.

Richards took over from Scot Craig Pollock at the helm of the team at the end of 2001, and after the five first races of the season BAR and Jordan - both powered by the same Honda engines - are the only ones who have not scored any points yet.

But after Canadian Jacques Villeneuve finished in seventh place at the San Marino and Spanish Grands Prix, Richards has admitted that he is encouraged with the progress made, but knows there is still a long way to go before his team can succeed.

"We have come very close to a points finish in the last couple of races but we have not been in a strong enough position to capitalise on every opportunity," said Richards. "Having said that, I am very pleased with the improvement in our overall performance and I have only praise for the team and our partners.

"We still have a great deal of work ahead of us but together we are starting to make real progress."

Following his performances in the last two races, Villeneuve is also confident of fighting for the points at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, a race he won back in 1997 with Williams.

"The A1-Ring is a fun track to drive on; I quite enjoy racing there," said the Canadian. "It's not a very exciting track for qualifying because there are no real high-speed corners, but it's a great circuit for racing. Our car should be more suited to this track as well.

"We still have a lot of work to do before we can become more competitive but hopefully we are in a position to get some points."