British American Racing facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
BAR

Full name	British American Racing (1999) Lucky Strike BAR Honda (2000–2005)
Base	Brackley, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom
Founder(s)	Craig Pollock
Noted staff	Adrian Reynard David Richards Nick Fry Geoff Willis Ron Meadows Jörg Zander Willem Toet Andrew Shovlin Jock Clear
Noted drivers	List Jacques Villeneuve Jenson Button Ricardo Zonta Mika Salo Olivier Panis Takuma Sato Anthony Davidson
Previous name	Tyrrell Racing
Next name	Honda Racing F1 Team
Formula One World Championship career
First entry	1999 Australian Grand Prix
Races entered	118 (117 starts)
Engines	Supertec, Honda
Constructors' Championships	0 (best finish: 2nd, 2004)
Drivers' Championships	0 (best finish: 3rd, 2004, Jenson Button)
Race victories	0 (best finish: 2nd, 2004 San Marino, Monaco, German and Chinese Grands Prix)
Podiums	15
Points	227
Pole positions	2
Fastest laps	0
Final entry	2005 Chinese Grand Prix

British American Racing (BAR) was a Formula One racing team. They competed in the exciting world of F1 from 1999 to 2005. BAR started by buying another team called Tyrrell. For their first year, they used Supertec engines. After that, they teamed up with Honda for six years.

The team got its name from British American Tobacco (BAT). This company owned and sponsored the team. Their main goal was to show off their Lucky Strike and 555 brands. The team's main office was in Brackley, Northamptonshire, in the United Kingdom.

In 2004, the Japanese car maker Honda bought 45% of the team. Then, in 2005, Honda bought the rest of the team. This made Honda the only owner. Because of this, BAR Honda changed its name to Honda Racing F1 Team for the 2006 Formula One season. BAT continued to sponsor the team with its Lucky Strike brand. However, new rules about tobacco advertising around the world meant they stopped sponsoring F1 completely at the end of 2006.

Honda ran the team for the 2006, 2007, and 2008 seasons. In 2008, Honda tried to sell the team. The team boss, Ross Brawn, bought it. He also made a deal for Mercedes-Benz to supply engines. This led to an amazing 2009 season. The new team, Brawn GP, won the Constructors' Championship. Their driver, Jenson Button, won the Drivers' Championship. Mercedes then bought the team in 2009. Today, the team is known as Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team.

Team History

British American Tobacco (BAT) had been part of Formula One for many years. Their brands were often seen on F1 cars.

In 1997, Craig Pollock convinced BAT to buy the Tyrrell Formula One team. The deal was worth about £30 million. The team was still called Tyrrell in 1998. It officially became BAR the next year.

Getting Ready

On July 23, 1998, BAR announced a big signing. They got Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 World Champion, from Williams. He signed a very good contract for the 1999 season. Pollock had managed Villeneuve's racing career. A new driver, Ricardo Zonta, joined Villeneuve. The car's main frame was built by Reynard Motorsport in a new factory in Brackley. It used Supertec engines, which were re-branded Renault engines.

The team used Reynard chassis and Honda engines. In their first year, they used Supertec engines instead.

When they showed off their new car, BAR had a unique idea. They wanted to paint Villeneuve's car in red and white Lucky Strike colors. Zonta's car would be blue and yellow for 555. But the FIA, which makes the rules for F1, said this was against the rules. F1 rules say that a team's cars must look mostly the same. BAR tried to fight this decision. In the end, they agreed to follow the rules. To get around the ban, BAR painted one side of their cars in Lucky Strike colors. The other side was painted in 555 colors. For the 2000 season and beyond, BAR went back to a more normal car design.

BAR had a slogan: "A tradition of excellence." Many people found this funny. The team was brand new, so it had no history or tradition yet! Adrian Reynard also boldly claimed the team would win a race in their first season.

1999 Season

Jacques Villeneuve driving the BAR 01 at the 1999 Canadian Grand Prix.

Their first season was very tough. BAR did not score a single point in the Constructors' Championship. They were the only team out of eleven that year to do so. The car was quite fast and often started races in the middle of the pack. For example, in the Spanish Grand Prix, Villeneuve was briefly in third place.

However, the car often broke down during races. This meant many times the cars did not finish. Villeneuve had a particularly hard time. He had 11 straight retirements at the start of the season. Zonta got hurt during practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix. He missed several races. Mika Salo filled in for Zonta. He got the team's best finish of 7th place at San Marino.

2000 Season

The BAR 002 car helped the team score its first points at the 2000 Australian Grand Prix.

During the 1999 season, BAR announced a big change. Honda would supply their engines starting in 2000. This deal meant Honda would not only provide engines. Honda staff would also work with the team at their base. It was the first time Honda was directly involved in Formula One since 1992.

The new Honda-powered BAR car showed a lot of improvement in 2000. It was much more reliable than their first car. The team's best finish was 4th place. The victory they had promised in 1999 still didn't happen. At the end of the season, the team finished 5th in the Constructors' Championship. This progress was enough to convince Villeneuve to stay with the team.

2001 and 2002 Seasons

Villeneuve driving the BAR 003 at the 2001 Canadian Grand Prix.

Villeneuve got on the podium twice in 2001 for BAR. But his results, and those of his new teammate Olivier Panis, were not always good.

Jacques Villeneuve driving the BAR 004 at the 2002 Italian Grand Prix.

In 2002, David Richards took over as team boss. Many staff members left the team. Villeneuve still found it hard to score points. Panis also did not meet expectations. BAR made a deal to be Honda's only team in 2003. This was despite finishing behind Jordan, another Honda-powered team, in both 2001 and 2002.

2003 Season

Villeneuve driving the BAR 005 at the 2003 United States Grand Prix.

BAR brought in Jenson Button to replace Panis for the 2003 Formula One season. Villeneuve's contract talks with David Richards ended with him leaving the team. Japanese driver Takuma Sato replaced him before the season ended. Honda often likes its teams to have Japanese drivers for publicity in Japan. Jenson Button led a race for the first time at the 2003 United States Grand Prix. The team had some trouble because they used Bridgestone tyres. In the off-season, they switched to Michelin tyres.

Best Season: 2004

In 2004, the team got much better. Button got many podium finishes, meaning he finished in the top three. He also got their first ever pole position at San Marino. BAR finished the season in 2nd place in the Constructors' Championship. They were only beaten by Ferrari. Even with this success, BAR still hadn't won a race.

Logo used by BAR during their partnership with Honda.

During 2004, there was a disagreement with the Williams team. Both teams thought they had a valid contract for Button for 2005. The issue went to a special board. The board decided in favor of BAR. Button would drive for BAR in 2005. However, he signed a contract to join Williams for 2006.

Rules about tobacco advertising were getting stricter. Rumors suggested that BAT would sell the team. In November 2004, BAR announced that Honda had bought 45% of the team. As part of this deal, David Richards left. Nick Fry became the new team boss.

2005 Season: Challenges and Controversy

Jenson Button driving the BAR 007 at the 2005 United States Grand Prix.

The start of the 2005 season was not good for BAR. They struggled in the early races. Just as they started to do better at San Marino, BAR Honda was disqualified. This happened because their cars were found to be too light. F1 cars must weigh at least 605 kg (1323 lb). BAR argued that their engine needed 6 kg of fuel to work, which would keep them above the minimum weight. They believed this rule only applied during the race, not after. The FIA and a court disagreed.

The team was disqualified from the race. They were also banned for two races, including the important Monaco Grand Prix. The team first said they would fight the decision. But later, they decided to accept it.

The team's pitwall control center. From here, managers and strategists talked to drivers and engineers.

When BAR returned at the European Grand Prix, they struggled. Unlike the year before, BAR did not score any points until the middle of the season. This was also made harder because their Michelin tyres caused them not to start the 2005 United States Grand Prix. Takuma Sato had a very poor season, scoring only one point. His contract was not renewed. Rubens Barrichello, a former Ferrari driver, replaced Sato in the new Honda team. Button scored points in the last 10 races of the season. He also got two podium finishes.

At the end of 2005, Honda bought 100% of BAR from British American Tobacco. This completed their goal to become a full F1 car manufacturer team. Also, Jenson Button's contract with Williams was bought out. Button then signed a multi-year contract with Honda.

Speed Record Attempt

BAR tested a special BAR-Honda 007 car. They wanted to use it to set a new land speed record for an F1 car. The team aimed to reach 400 km/h (249 mi/h). They planned to try for the record at Bonneville Salt Flats. The driver for this project was Alan van der Merwe. The car was tested on November 5, 2005. It reached speeds of 393 km/h, 405 km/h, 410 km/h, and 413 km/h. However, these were just tests. The actual record attempt was postponed because the salt flats were wet. BAR's successor, Honda, used the car to set a new record the next year.

Complete Formula One Results

(key)

Year	Chassis	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Points	WCC
1999	01	Supertec FB01 3.0 V10	B		AUS	BRA	SMR	MON	ESP	CAN	FRA	GBR	AUT	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	EUR	MAL	JPN				0	NC
				Jacques Villeneuve	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	15	8	10†	Ret	9
				Ricardo Zonta	Ret	DNQ				Ret	9	Ret	15†	Ret	13	Ret	Ret	8	Ret	12
				Mika Salo			7†	Ret	8
2000	002	Honda RA000E 3.0 V10	B		AUS	BRA	SMR	GBR	ESP	EUR	MON	CAN	FRA	AUT	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	USA	JPN	MAL			20	5th
				Jacques Villeneuve	4	Ret	5	16†	Ret	Ret	7	15†	4	4	8	12	7	Ret	4	6	5
				Ricardo Zonta	6	9	12	Ret	8	Ret	Ret	8	Ret	Ret	Ret	14	12	6	6	9	Ret
2001	003	Honda RA001E 3.0 V10	B		AUS	MAL	BRA	SMR	ESP	AUT	MON	CAN	EUR	FRA	GBR	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	USA	JPN			17	6th
				Olivier Panis	7	Ret	4	8	7	5	Ret	Ret	Ret	9	Ret	7	Ret	11	9	11	13
				Jacques Villeneuve	Ret	Ret	7	Ret	3	8	4	Ret	9	Ret	8	3	9	8	6	Ret	10
2002	004	Honda RA002E 3.0 V10	B		AUS	MAL	BRA	SMR	ESP	AUT	MON	CAN	EUR	GBR	FRA	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	USA	JPN			7	8th
				Jacques Villeneuve	Ret	8	10†	7	7	10†	Ret	Ret	12	4	Ret	Ret	Ret	8	9	6	Ret
				Olivier Panis	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	8	9	5	Ret	Ret	12	12†	6	12	Ret
2003	005	Honda RA003E 3.0 V10	B		AUS	MAL	BRA	SMR	ESP	AUT	MON	CAN	EUR	FRA	GBR	GER	HUN	ITA	USA	JPN				26	5th
				Jacques Villeneuve	9	DNS	6	Ret	Ret	12	Ret	Ret	Ret	9	10	9	Ret	6	Ret
				Takuma Sato																6
				Jenson Button	10	7	Ret	8	9	4	DNS	Ret	7	Ret	8	8	10	Ret	Ret	4
2004	006	Honda RA004E 3.0 V10	M		AUS	MAL	BHR	SMR	ESP	MON	EUR	CAN	USA	FRA	GBR	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	CHN	JPN	BRA		119	2nd
				Jenson Button	6	3	3	2P	8	2	3	3	Ret	5	4	2	5	Ret	3	2	3	Ret
				Takuma Sato	9	15†	5	16†	5	Ret	Ret	Ret	3	Ret	11	8	6	Ret	4	6	4	6
2005	007	Honda RA005E 3.0 V10	M		AUS	MAL	BHR	SMR	ESP	MON	EUR	CAN	USA	FRA	GBR	GER	HUN	TUR	ITA	BEL	BRA	JPN	CHN	38	6th
				Jenson Button	11†	Ret	Ret	DSQ			10	RetP	DNS	4	5	3	5	5	8	3	7	5	8
				Takuma Sato	14†	PO	Ret	DSQ			12	Ret	DNS	11	16	12	8	9	16	Ret	10	DSQ	Ret
				Anthony Davidson		Ret
Source:

Notes

• ^† – The driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified, as he completed over 90% of the race distance.

Images for kids

• 

  The team's pitwall control centre, from which the team managers and strategists communicated with the drivers and engineers

See also

In Spanish: British American Racing para niños