Jenson and Takuma


etting their first taste of the B.A.R Honda 006 today were new team-mates Jenson Button and Takuma Sato - one of the youngest driver pairings on the 2004 grid. Despite having only recently turned 24 years of age, Jenson is entering his fifth season in Formula One in the role of B.A.R's team leader. Following Takuma's excellent, if somewhat impromptu, race debut for the team in Japan at the end of last season, he is looking forward to benefiting from his wealth of testing experience in his second full season of racing in F1.

"2004 looks set to be a very exciting season for us - Button said - Pre-season testing has been going really well and the highlight so far was setting the new lap record in Barcelona two weeks ago. We didn't disguise the fact that we were running low fuel but the purpose of the run was to gauge car performance in that trim. As you can imagine, we were very pleased with the result!"

"The car is a major step forward and I feel very confident that the team isn't overstating its expectations for this year when we say we can fight with the top three teams. I think Taku and I will work very well together and hopefully we can look forward to the same kind of results we achieved in Japan. I think this year will definitely bring us podium finishes and, who knows, perhaps my first win as well."

"I'm very excited about racing with B.A.R this season - said Takuma Sato - Jenson and I will be a strong partnership, the car looks very good and I think we have every reason to feel positive. This will be my second full year of racing in F1 and my first opportunity to build on the valuable lessons I learnt in 2002. In my position as B.A.R third driver last year I had a great opportunity to prepare for this season, so I feel very comfortable that I will be able to play a big part in achieving the team's ambitions."

Latest 15 stories, here...Davidson will be playing a key...First taste of the BAR 006 for...New BAR Honda 006 : A...David Richards want regular...Button not for sale warns BAR...Schumi sets track record in...Dennis vows to support...2004 San Marino GP will be...BAR launches new car on Sunday...Toyota's Barcelona test...Schumi puts new car through...Jordan sign HeidfeldBridgestone leading F1 tyre...F1 teams set for $10m...Montoya to tackle title with...

BAR Honda
Press release