Sato: Canada BAR's big chance

Speaking ahead of round eight of the championship in Montreal, the Japanese driver said: "The BAR-Honda is getting closer and closer. I think Honda's commitment is unbelievably high and we are achieving a lot of power and good top speed. The Michelin tyre characteristics also give us good straight-line braking and traction out of corners.

"When we look at this circuit it certainly seems that we should be strong. There are some similarities with Imola, where we were very good in qualifying, but the difference is that this is the first low downforce place that we have come to. But I'm confident in our aero performance and I'm looking forward to a good weekend."

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, however, has a reputation as an engine breaker, with drivers at full throttle for almost 60 per cent of the lap. Sato has suffered engine failures in the last two races - Monaco and Nurburgring - and says that while Honda has another performance step in the pipeline, they have also concentrated on reliability for Canada.

Sato concluded: "I said earlier in the season that I hoped we could challenge Ferrari by mid-season but I think that to beat them now, we still need luck. But you never know. We will have to see how the situation looks after a couple of days on a low downforce track."