Talk it up Rubens, talk it up ...

It is funny that you probably did not even read my post (that you yourself quoted) and just hung to few words and decided to have a go at me. In that post I have made it a point to show you how Ferrari is like a mini united nations with engineers and mechanics from so many parts of the world.

Also can you tell me what Honda rovides BAR besides an engine, a Japanese driver, some basic sponsorship and minimum engineering support. Make no mistake BAR is an English team. It is not and Japanese team. As for Toyota, most of the Toyota F1 team's mangement and engineers are actually from Europe. They are based in Germany and are not a real Japanese team. It would be like calling Jaguar F1 racing team American just because Ford is the parent company.

 

About the only think I can agree with here is that Sato would most likely not be in F1 had Honda not been promoting him.

Regarding the success of a Japanese team - I don't think it will be as easy as you make it sound. The Japanese are good at one thing - copying someone else's design and trying to make it better. Sometimes they are successful and sometimes they are not. They do not have superior engineering skills but they DO have a methodical approach to problem solving (something WE taught them). But McLaren, Ferrari, and Williams are strong competitors and are the leaders (or are associated with the leaders) of F1 technological development. We're not talking about Ford or General Motors here. These are organizations that primarily exist to compete in Formula One. Honda has a steep hill to climb if you expect them to dominate this sport.

Having said that, the impact of Honda on BAR is profound. I find it hard to believe that the car Sato and Button are driving is just a wee bit different than the one Villeneuve had last year. I think the number of BAR DNFs will bear this out. My feeling is that Honda had been holding the "Japanese driver" issue over BAR's head and would not put full effort behind the team until either Button or Villeneuve vacated their seat in favor of a Japanese driver. Now that they have what they want, the engineering assistance and full force of their engine program has been brought to bear and they are expanding into other areas of development on the car. I suggest you buy up some BAR shirts (I have mine) because they will not be around long. Look for BAR to disappear in the near future in exchange for a totally Honda identity. The handwriting is on the wall.

Andy

 

Interesting observation. Me too I was wondering what the hell happened from last year's clunker to this year's challenger. However such transformations do not happen over night, but it is an intriguing thought.