BAR completes second 2003 test.

The Lucky Strike BAR-Honda team completed its second test of 2003 with Jacques Villeneuve and Jenson running at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, building on the fact that it is the first team to field two brand new chassis and put them through their paces.

Villeneuve had his first opportunity to drive the 005 on Tuesday, but overnight rain meant that the track was wet until early afternoon, and his first laps were spent getting a feel for the car and finding a comfortable driving position. A mechanical problem mid-morning confined the car to the garage, but the Canadian was able to resume running in the afternoon in dry conditions. However, an engine problem then caused the car to stop on track, cutting short the afternoon session.

Villeneuve completed a total of 14 laps in his first day's running, with a best time of 1min 19.748secs, partnering Anthony Davidson, who resumed his testing duties with the task of shaking down the new second chassis. He was able to complete 31 laps and posted a fastest time of 1min 19.712secs to narrowly outpoint his senior partner, before an engine problem also curtailed his day's running.

Villeneuve had an encouraging second day, completing 56 laps without any major problems. His main objective was to carry out further set-up work on the car, which enabled him to improve his seat position and increase visibility from the cockpit. His fastest time of the day was 1min 18.799secs, showing a marked improvement over day one.

The Canadian was joined on track on day two by Button, whose programme for the morning included some engine evaluation work for Honda whilst acclimatising to the new chassis. His track time was compromised by a mechanical problem and he was able to complete only 21 laps, with a best time of 1min 19.148secs.

The Briton continued working on the third and final day of the test by completing some engine mapping work for Honda, followed by a Bridgestone tyre test. Hydraulic problems hampered his running throughout the day and he completed 21 laps in total with a best time of 1min 18.524secs.

"I've lost quite a bit of track time over the last two days, but the car is performing well when we are able to get some laps in, so we just need to spend more time with it," Button allowed, "It's early days yet, so I'm sure we'll be able to make a lot more progress in Valencia next week."

Villeneuve continued his test into a third day, but his morning run was interrupted by an electrical problem. Once that was resolved, he was able to undertake some longer runs this afternoon, completing 32 laps in all, with a fastest time of 1min 18.195secs, the fastest by a BAR all week.

"The car is better everywhere," Villeneuve reported, "The fact that it's got more downforce and the weight distribution is lower helps mainly in the high-speed corners. It's very stable in high-speed corners, but also much more nimble, so you can carry more speed into the slow-speed corners. When you start accelerating, it doesn't snap as much as it did last year. I'm quite happy. We are just waiting for bits now so we can work on the set-up."

"It's been a frustrating three days, as we've had some engine problems and other difficulties, so I'm not too happy!" concluded HRD engineering director Shuhei Nakamoto, "However, it's not unusual to have problems at this early stage and we did gather some useful data. We are now focusing on improving things for next week's test in Valencia."

The team moves on to the Circuit Ricardo Tormo for a four-day test next week [28-31 January]. Villeneuve, Button and Takuma Sato are slated to carry out the driving duties.