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The revamped BAR that saved Button's career

After several years of underachievement, the BAR Formula 1 project was in danger of floundering when David Richards arrived to steady the ship in 2002. Two years later, the team was the closest challenger to Ferrari and gave a shot in the arm to Jenson Button's career

The birth of the British American Racing team - or BAR - in 1999 was hardly a conventional one. Formed from British American Tobacco's purchase of the ailing Tyrrell team's assets, having been persuaded to do so by Jacques Villeneuve's manager and former ski-instructor Craig Pollock, the team's formative years were hardly blessed with success.

Towards the end of its seven-year tenure, however, BAR had been purchased by Honda and was a consistent threat for points and podiums. A crucial factor in that swing in form was a key managerial change, made after three years of failing to deliver on lofty expectations - including Adrian Reynard's promise that the team would win its first race.

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Author Jake Boxall-Legge

Jake studied engineering at university, as his original ambition was to design racing cars. He was bad at that, and thus decided to write about them instead with an equally limited skillset. The above article is a demonstration of that. In his spare time, Jake enjoys people, places, and things.