BAR - Honda - Richards : On the way up or down?

[Wrex]

While the non-renewal of JV's contract has caused some discussion, I was wondering what thoughts there were on BAR-F1 since DR's arrival. Is it improving, or going backwards?

IMO, the man has done some great work. He has stopped the hemorrhaging from the bank account, signed a good driver on a long term contract, strengthened the relationship with Honda, trimmed the fat from the team, improved morale, signed a top designer, and more recently, swapped over to Michellin.

IMO, this is more than CP did since the team began.

Thoughts?

[Gt_R]

We must first realise that either party alone cannot succeed without the other.

The greatest strength of Dave is his ability to put things right and manage it into the right direction. And that he certainly did for BAR, which looks lost before his arrival.

The impact Dave had for the team is that he had successfully brought in good people that he knows could get the job done. The getting of a designer from Williams, a promising young driver Button, removing unneccessary burden from the team, and choosing the tyres, (all as Wrex had pointed out) certainly brought the team forward.

BAR had practically hit rock bottom, and hence it's hard to go further down. The team is growing in strength and depth...once Honda got their engines right and with the help of Michelin, should enable them to improve.

It's not by coincidence that the replacement of key personnels (read Craig) changed the fortunes for the team.

[BootsOntheSide]

Dave has doen a great job at BAR, just as he did with Subaru (although not with running WRC itself - some of his decisions there have been somewhat daft). 2003 had so many signs of increased competitiveness, and I think 2004 can be their best seaosn by most measures.

Switching to Michelin was the right move, as even if Bridgestone are better again, they have few direct rivals on Bridgestones, only Sauber. Being on the wrong tyres must've cost them 20-30 points this season.

Considering the comparative salaries of JV and Sato, as well as Takuma's support from within Honda, his youth and potential, and his marketing kudos, this was definately the right move as well.

All the ingredients are right now. The only possible weaknesses are reliability and possible errors from Sato, but they had no mroe failures than Jaguar or Toyota last year, and wouldn't've hired Sato if he was still trashing chassis right, left and centre.

[Mark Webber]

I see two possbile weakness Sato & Honda . IF Sato can stop crashing them then you just have to hope Honda doesn't detonate them .

BAR as a team are strong and well sorted and Button is a key point and a good lead driver .

Tyres well help them . IF they understand them in which will take a little time .

IMHO main rival = JAG

[pirenzo]

I think Dave Richards has done a really fabulous job at BAR. Since his arrival things have actually started to move forward, Jacques may not have been particularly happy with progress, but then this sort of progress is what he expected to happen through the course of 1999/2000, not 2003/2004

[RWC]

Yes,DR has certainly stopped the team going backwardS.How much effect he can have from now on may be marginal though.Signing michelin was an obvious and great thing to do.Now it's really up to honda and willis' team in the medium term.In the long term DR's decisions could have a big effect again-can he get a better designer than willis for example?Can he keep button or at least one superfast driver in the linup?
Seriously though....much more influence can be had by honda than anything DR can do

[Peter Mallett]

Originally posted by Mark Webber
BAR as a team are strong and well sorted and Button is a key point and a good lead driver .

Gawd think back two years to what people said about him then.

But I agree DR has brought much needed stability and competitiveness to the team. It looks like a serious proposition now.

[Ej10]

Craig Pollock actually brought in Geoff Willis from Williams not Dave Richards!

[Gt_R]

Quote:"Craig Pollock actually brought in Geoff Willis from Williams not Dave Richards!"

On some thinking...i guess u;re right (and i'm wrong)

But anyways, Dave had been in the right place at the right time, and things does look better than the political blues of old B.A.R under Mr Craig.

Of course, to be generous, Craig has to be appreciated for laying the foundations upon which Dave now builds.

[Fogelhund]

Performance and results are everything. Richards hasn't done anything noteworthy yet. Let's see what happens this year. Sceptics await.

[neilap]

The year that DR was actually responsible for the car from start to finish is the year that its looked the best. Again, reliability is the biggest problem. One of the best things IMO is losing JV. He was not good for the team. So yes, I think they are on their way up. For the first time I feel they should be able to race with the front runners.

[Mark Webber]

I do think they are on the up I don't know about front runners but the group of Toyota /Jag /BAR will close up to the top 4 this year for sure IMO

[Jay]

Well time will tell... sad as it is, BAR's best years were still under the ski instructor, Mr. Pollock.

[Raven]

Richards is better in the role of team principle, IMO, but perhaps Pollock is the better businessman. All the materials such as Honda, BAT, Willis etc, were supplied by Pollock's hard work.

[senna12]

Please do not forget the power structure that was in place during CP's tenure. As was pointed out many times, the division of responsibilities by contract did not allow Craig to make many of the changes he knew were required to move ahead.

BAR are improving, but I still don't like the methods DR used to push Jacques out of the seat.

[nippy]

Quota"For the first time I feel they should be able to race with the front runners."

Do you not think that that is clutching at straws a bit for B.A.R.. 1998 Was their first year and they never pulled it together even with j.v in the cockpit so why would thay be able to make a dramatic change over the winter and be up there with Ferari, mcL. B.M.W. AND Renault especially with two yound drivers. Maybe im wrong but think about it

[Knowlesy]

In the past with BAR you never felt they were organised enough to race consistently well, the car designs were rubbish and the constant infighting seemed rather reminiscent of the Ferrari of the early 1990's.

Now though, with a top designer, a fresh faced and talented driver line-up and stability and control at the management level, you sense that they are on the way up.

That's certainly the impression I'm under. They make sensible proclamations and make prudent decisions, such as the switch to Michelins. getting rid of Villeneuve was also a very good, if tough perhaps, decision. He was an unsettling influence in most peoples eyes.

To me, BAR are certainly a team on the way up and should be battling near the front in a couple of years, if not sooner. They are a far more accomplished outit now.

[nippy]

Yes but in that fresh line up is a lead driver who cracks under the first sniff of pressure hense the lack of podium finishes and a Japanese driver who can't keep it on the track and crashes at every given chance

[Peter Mallett]

Originally posted by nippy
Yes but in that fresh line up is a lead driver who cracks under the first sniff of pressure

Would you like to explain that one? Or are you talking about Malaysia where according to all reports Button had tyre problems for the last laps.

Originally posted by nippy
..........and a Japanese driver who can't keep it on the track and crashes at every given chance

Even though I tend to share that view I'm pleased to say that his drive in Japan was neat, tidy and sensible. Therefore I hope his errant ways are a thing of the past.

[nippy]

Peter in Malysia Jenson was slowing with four laps to go because Trulli had spun earlier and the pace was back on as soon as the gap began to close he was passed by both Trulli and M Schumacher on the last lap and that was not the occasion i was referring to. n Sato's case his race was hardly neat and tidy Clouting the wall at turn 4 in friday practice where the B.A.R. boys did a fantastic job of rebuilding his car in the race he turned straight across the front of M.S.

[HKUSP40C]

Originally posted by nippy
Peter in Malysia Jenson was slowing with four laps to go because Trulli had spun earlier and the pace was back on as soon as the gap began to close he was passed by both Trulli and M Schumacher on the last lap and that was not the occasion i was referring to. n Sato's case his race was hardly neat and tidy Clouting the wall at turn 4 in friday practice where the B.A.R. boys did a fantastic job of rebuilding his car in the race he turned straight across the front of M.S.

[nippy]

so what's your point???lol

[HKUSP40C]

In reference to Sato, he crashes at any given chance? He was basically thrown into the car without having raced for a year and he did a respectable job to finish in 6th place at Suzuka. In 2002 against a highly talented teammate in an uncompetitive and terrible handling car, he crashed 3 times (I think) that were his fault in races throughout the season. Thats hardly crashing at every given chance. Yes he had spins and other crashes in practices, but who hasn't, especially a rookie?
As far

[GTRMagic]

Setting up a greenfield is no mean feat, and Craig Pollock was instrumental in making all that happen.

I am a Tyrrell fan, so I was more than piddled off that they virtually kicked Uncle Ken out of his own team in the last year of its life, and got rid of most of the staff at season's end. Sure the woodyard wasnt as sexy as the dreamteam BARF1 put together, but there was a team together, working together, a well-oiled machine which didnt have too many car failures, produced a workmanlike chassis without the dollars to evolve it.

So CP built his team from nothing, the call in my view was wrong to throw the Tyrrell history in the toilet, even thought they were in their rights as new owners to do so, and start again.

Imagine what would have happened had Harvey Postlethwaite and Ken Tyrrell had the luxury of the BAT money for many seasons... I reckon they could have run the entire 1980s and 1990s program on the money BARF1 has burned up in the last 6 seasons... and certainly not done any worse at all.

Anyway, back to topic... I am not a fan of Mr Richards. His operations are there or thereabouts, but the results arent always there. Having seen his prodrive group here in V8 Supercar, they are no better than some of the domestically produced teams, just that they cost a lot more.

[neilap]

Originally posted by nippy
Yes but in that fresh line up is a lead driver who cracks under the first sniff of pressure hense the lack of podium finishes and a Japanese driver who can't keep it on the track and crashes at every given chance

When did JB crack under pressure? Explain. Also, have you ever been pressured in a race and had a car, kart, bicycle that was not up to par? Its not easy.

Sato crashed from trying a little too hard not because he has no talent. Seat time is what it takes to make a good driver better. Seat time! He has had a lot of it in the off-season. Now if he still puts the car in the walls then you may have a valid point.