Villeneuve Positive after First Test with New BAR

Canadian Jacques Villeneuve was optimistic that the new British American Racing car will be an improvement over last year's machine after testing the Honda-powered 004 for the first time at the Barcelona circuit on Wednesday.

The 1997 World Champion, driving for the Brackley-based squad since the start of the 1999 season, had already revealed at the end of last year that his future in the team would depend on the performance of this year's car. And after driving the new 004 for the first time today, Villeneuve was in a confident mood, saying that it's a step forward compared to last year's 003.

"The car has definitely improved and there's a lot more still to come," said Villeneuve, who set the 12th quickest time of the day. "Also, the engine is still in its infancy so there's a lot more to come from that as well. There's good reason to be positive though. This year, the mechanical side of the car feels much better.

"The rear is a lot more stable, and in high speeds the car seems to be more stable as well. As this is just a first preliminary test there will be some more changes for the next test so I'll be back in the car then.

"We knew there was going to be a big difference in the car this year and so it's nice to get in it and see those improvements. The car feels good so I'm feeling positive."

Villeneuve, whose close friend Craig Pollock resigned as BAR's team boss only one day before the launch of the new car in December, was nearly two tenths of a second slower than teammate Olivier Panis, who was working at the wheel of the old 003 chassis.