by Russell Atkins
Jenson Button is one of the top three drivers in the world and
Rubens Barrichello more ready than he has ever been – that is the view of Honda team principal Nick Fry as the 2007 Formula 1 season speeds ever-nearer into view.
The Japanese outfit's CEO is the man charged with building on Button's maiden success in Hungary last year – incredibly
Honda's first as a fully-fledged manufacturer within the sport since 1992 – but he is adamant that in his experienced and rapid Anglo-Brazilian pairing, as well as newly-recruited test and reserve driver Christian Klien, he has just the men for the job.
“We're very confident,” he told
Crash.net on the subject of the squad's driver line-up. “Jenson is undoubtedly one of the top three drivers in
Formula 1. His skill level is incredibly high; we've just got to provide him with a car that's up to the task.”
Fry acknowledged the fact that now the monkey of having taken 113 races to achieve his debut victory in grand prix circles had finally been removed from Button's back, it had provided a major boost not only for the 27-year-old, but indeed for the whole organisation.
“I think for both the driver and the team there is a change,” he concurred. “It's very small, but in Formula 1 every tiny change makes a big difference. Just that extra little bit of confidence in Jenson and in the whole team made a big difference, and to get the ‘has he won yet?' off our backs has been something of a relief.”
Fry was equally effusive when asked about Barrichello, a man who won nine races at
Ferrari but struggled for the first half of last year, encountering difficulties in adjusting to both a new working environment and an unfamiliar car. The 50-year-old said he was convinced the Sao Paolo-born ace would be much more like the ‘Rubinho' of old in 2007, perhaps even better.
