Jenson Button in 2005
Jenson Button in 2005Qualifying - 4th
"I had a good lap and the car felt good, so I'm pleased to be on the second row for the final race of the season. We had a bit of understeer on the lap but generally the car has been great all weekend. We're not too far away from the competition ahead of us - only about 0.4secs - so I feel quite positive about the race tomorrow. I think we can all look forward to a great race, which I'm sure will be action-packed as the decider for the Constructors' Championship. Hopefully I can be part of that action and give the whole team a well-earned boost to end the season."
Race - 8th
"Today's result was obviously a disappointing way to end the season. We lost out under the first safety car when we pitted and the safety car was in front of us. The safety car should have waved us past, but as it didn't, Montoya sat behind it and that was it then, I lost about three places. In the first stint the car was good but towards the end it wasn't that much better than in Japan. We just didn't make the final step up that we'd hoped for here. It's been a long, hard season for all of us but we are all much stronger and more determined. My thoughts are already turning to 2006 and I know we have a lot to look forward to next year. For now I just want to thank everyone in this team, at Honda, at Michelin and all our partners for their incredible support this year during some very difficult times. We have a lot to look forward to together next season."
Brit-F1 Star Rating 
(5 star max)
Qualifying - 2nd
"It's fantastic to be on the front row of the grid for Honda's home race here at Suzuka. I'm very happy with the position, if not the lap itself. We were lucky with the weather as the rain came soon after my run. The car itself had massive understeer everywhere and it was difficult to drive, particularly as we had not the run the wet tyre before this weekend. All in all we have set the car up well for the race, we have a good strategy and I hope to go really well in front of the incredible crowd of fans that we have here this weekend."
Race - 5th
"I'm obviously very disappointed to finish 5th after starting from 2nd on the grid. I lost a place off the start but the early part of the race was looking good and I was able to keep pace with Fisichella. At my first stop the fuel flap failed to open and the crew had to do it manually, which lengthened my pitstop by over six seconds. After that we were struggling for pace and then I lost another position in the second stop. It's very frustrating from where we started and we have to do better in China"
Brit-F1 Star Rating (5 star max)
Qualifying - 4th
"I'm pleased with our fourth position today, although we expected a little bit more to be honest. In low-speed corners the car was working well but we had a bit of oversteer in the high-speed corners which meant that I had to get off the throttle in turn 11, the quick left-hander, which made me lose a bit of time. I was two tenths down on Montoya but the wind was so gusty and I could see that I was losing tenth after tenth as I came down the straight. The second row of the grid isn't a bad place to be given our strategy so we'll wait and see what happens tomorrow. I'm optimistic that we can get a good result from here."
Race - 7th
"It was a difficult day for us. Our pace was slow and we suffered with rear graining right from the start. We were on the hard tyre as well, so we didn't expect to get the graining. In fact that's the reason why we took that tyre. I struggled particularly on the last section of the circuit, through the fast corner and onto the straight, where we had big oversteer. So not a great day but at least we picked up a couple more points and have a decent qualifying position for Suzuka. I would like to offer my congratulations to Fernando Alonso, the new world champion. He's done a great job this season."
Brit-F1 Star Rating (5 star max)
Qualifying - 8th
"It was tough because in free practice this morning I had a big problem with my front wheels locking into the first corner and the Bus Stop. It hasn't been great coming straight from practice into qualifying and I was probably a little too cautious under braking. It was OK; better to play it cautious, brake early and be safe rather than sorry. I think we're going to be pretty good in the race so we'll just have to see what the weather decides to do tomorrow. We can get some good points from where we'll be starting."
Race - 3rd
"It's fantastic to be back on the podium and I have to thank the team for their incredibly hard work to get us back into the game here. The first stint of the race wasn't easy. I had such bad oversteer I barely had to turn into the corners! At the first stop we adjusted the front wing which made things better but we were a little too optimistic in switching to drys so we had to come in again and change back to wets. Double stinting the tyres really made all the difference for us though. I have to thank the entire team and Michelin for making this result possible. The pitstops were great and the Honda engine was faultless all weekend. We have some new developments for the next few races so I'm feeling really positive. Let's hope we have a few more days like today before the end of the season."
Brit-F1 Star Rating (5 star max)
Qualifying - 3rd
"I am pretty happy with that! After suffering with the set-up of the car a bit this morning, and having to slow up in the final free practice session because of the two yellow flags, I was a little disappointed before qualifying. Alonso and I were extremely close for 2nd, but 3rd here does have the advantage of being on the cleaner side of the track. It's nice to be near to the front on the grid again and hopefully we have a reasonably good strategy and pace so we can keep it there!"
Race - 8th
"Apart from qualifying we have struggled the whole weekend here. We have found this a difficult circuit and it has been tough getting to grips with the low downforce configuration. We had problems with the fuel rig which also meant that I had to stop four laps early and that cost me on the final result. Hopefully when we return to the higher downforce circuits of the next four races we will be able to get back on the pace."
Brit-F1 Star Rating (5 star max)
Qualifying - 13th
"It was a very disappointing qualifying lap because in practice today we didn't have any issues with the high-speed corner but we could see that other teams were struggling with the rear end quite a bit. It's a shame because we have been quick here so far this weekend. But all is not lost. I will start from P13 on the grid tomorrow and I'm sure that we can still do something very positive from there."
Race - 5th
"I really enjoyed the race! I had a terrible start, but to work my way through the pack was fantastic. For me, it was probably one of the most exciting races this year. The result is a little disappointing in a way because we have had good pace all weekend, but we've just got to try not make the same mistake again. It has been a fantastic weekend for the team and it has shown that we are getting closer to the top two teams, so we are very excited about the next race in Monza."
Brit-F1 Star Rating (5 star max)
Qualifying - 8th
"8th on the grid is not a great position to be starting from but hopefully we have a good strategy compared with the cars in front of me. I feel that I was unable to get much more out of the car today because we had pretty low grip. It also looks like we will have some different competition to fight with tomorrow. I'm sure we can achieve our target of some good points from here though so we'll see what tomorrow brings. Hopefully the temperature will have cooled by a few degrees as well."
Race - 5th
"We had a reasonably good race and secured a two-car points finish, which is great for the team. The car was running quite well and considering the fact that our tyre choice did not work for us this race, I am pleased to have finished fifth today. We are moving up the Championship and getting closer to where we want to be, so we are looking forward to a break for everyone to recharge their batteries and then getting back to business in the first Turkish Grand Prix. Everyone at B*A*R Honda has worked flat-out for weeks to achieve the improvement we have seen over the past few races and I wish the team a well-deserved holiday."
Brit-F1 Star Rating (5 star max)
Qualifying - 2nd
"I'm obviously delighted to be on the front row again - for the second race in a row. The team have done a fantastic job to make sure we took a step forward here after Silverstone and Honda have made good progress with the engine. It was a good lap for me today, although we did have a little too much front end on the car which meant I had a few moments, especially coming into the stadium. We have made progress since Silverstone but not quite enough to challenge the front runners yet, I don't think. We will be closer though and happy with that because it provides us with momentum to keep moving forward throughout the year. This is actually the first time I've started inside the top twelve here so it is nice to be on the front row and hopefully we can take advantage of that in the race tomorrow."
Race - 3rd
"It's fantastic to be back on the podium today after a great race for me and the team. I don't need to tell anyone what a tough season this has been for us and it's a great feeling to come away from here with a trophy for the guys who've worked so hard to get us up there today. I didn't get a great start and obviously Michael was able to pass me. In the first stint I worried that I might not be able to catch him but then he seemed to lose a bit of pace and I just kept pushing and pushing until I had my chance. I had to keep pushing hard because I knew he was stopping later than me, but in the end I was able to keep him behind for the rest of the race. Catching Juan Pablo was always going to be a different matter though. For us it was just a great race and I enjoyed every minute because I could push the car all the way. It's a huge boost to everyone at the Team, Honda and Michelin and my thanks to all of them."
Brit-F1 Star Rating (5 star max)
Qualifying - 2nd
"It's a great feeling to be lining up on the front row of the grid at my home race and in my highest-ever qualifying position here at Silverstone. We got everything we could out of the car for qualifying but we do have a very good race balance and strategy, so I think we can have a good race from here and target the podium for sure. The car has struggled a little through Becketts and Copse, which has been a bit of a worry, but it is working very well in the low-speed corners. It's so nice to be in this position and to be able to go head to head with the competition. We've had a pretty tough time of it this year, so it's great for the fans and the team who have worked so hard. The crowd here is a big boost to me and it's awesome to see so many fans and union jacks out there. I'm sure that we can put on a good show for them tomorrow, particularly in what has been a very difficult week for Britain."
Race - 5th
"I'm obviously not going to be happy with a result like this at my home race but it was evident that we can't expect any more from the car at the moment. We came here hoping that we would benefit from our improvements but they obviously didn't go far enough and we are still some way behind. The top two teams are just in a different league from the rest of the field at the moment and watching the cars in front and behind me was just staggering with the amount of grip they had in the high-speed corners. We are strong compared to the rest of the teams. I finished over half a minute ahead of Michael in sixth. Still we got some more points for the team and put on a good race for the British fans here this afternoon. I'm just sorry that I couldn't get the podium that we all wanted."
Brit-F1 Star Rating (5 star max)
Qualifying - 8th
"It was a reasonable lap and I think I did all I could to get the most from the car today. The circuit is in much better shape than it was this morning and the times are reasonably good for a qualifying session. I think that we are in a good position for tomorrow and that we can have a competitive race from where we are starting on the grid, as the car has been performing well this weekend."
Race - 4th
"It's great to finally get some points on the board after such a difficult first half of the season. This is a great result for the team and things can only get better for us during the rest of the year. It's also a real boost as we prepare for our home Grand Prix at Silverstone next week. I think we had a very good strategy here and the team has worked very hard all weekend to achieve our 4th position today. It's not just about gaining the points, which is great, but how close we were to the podium, which is a big motivator for the team right now."
Brit-F1 Star Rating (5 star max)
Qualifying - 3rd
"It's nice to get two good qualifying sessions in a row following our pole in Montreal but it wasn't the best lap really for me today. We're definitely in better shape than yesterday and have made quite a few improvements to the car which is nice to see. However, I struggled with very low grip and understeer on my lap, so I was a little surprised at the time because it felt like a tough lap. Still, it's great to be third and I think we can do good things from here. Our strategy is a good one so I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
Race - Retired after parade lap due to tyre safety concerns
JOINT PRESS RELEASE FROM THE MICHELIN TEAMS 2005 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX
Indianapolis (USA), 19th June 2005.
The Michelin teams deeply regret the position that they have been put in today and would like to apologise to all the spectators, TV viewers, Formula One fans and sponsors for not being able to take part in today's USA Grand Prix.
Following Ralf Schumacher's accident on Friday morning, we were advised by Michelin that none of the tyres that were available to the teams could be used unless the vehicle speed in turn 13 was reduced. Without this Michelin did not consider the tyre to be safe to be used for the race.
All the teams are confident in Michelin and trust their advice as we know they are competent and responsible and their written instruction to us not to race unless changes to the circuit were made was accepted.
After final data from Michelin became available at 06.30 on Sunday morning it became clear that Michelin were not able to guarantee the safety of the drivers. Numerous discussions and meetings took place to find a safe solution to the problem. Every possibility for the race to go ahead in a safe manner was explored. The only practical solution was for a chicane to be installed prior to Turn 13 and nine of the teams were prepared to run under these conditions even forgoing championship points or by allowing non-Michelin teams to take top positions on the grid.
Unfortunately all proposals were rejected by the FIA.
Safety is always the first concern of any team and the FIA. Regrettably the teams were obliged to follow Michelin's requirements not to race.
We are totally aware that the USA is an important market for Formula One and there is an obligation for Formula One to promote itself in a positive and professional manner. It is sad that we couldn't showcase Formula One in the manner we would have liked today
Qualifying - 1st
"I'm thrilled to be back on pole. The past few months have been difficult for all of us at B*A*R Honda and everyone has worked so hard to turn our performance around. It means so much to be able to reward everyone at the team, at Honda and at Michelin with a great result like today's. We came here expecting to see an improvement after such intensive testing last week but I have to admit that even I didn't expect us to be this quick. It felt like a good lap but the circuit had quite low grip so I am a little surprised to be honest. Let's be clear: we know this is only qualifying but grid position is half the battle and we have once again shown what we are capable of. I think we have a strong strategy for tomorrow and we should have good race pace. I don't know if we are quick enough yet for the victory but it will be interesting to see how far we can take today's result."
Race - Retired
"It has been a disappointing end to what has been a very encouraging weekend. I got onto the marbles in the hairpin, went a bit wide because the rear locked up and got the tyres dirty. When I got to the chicane, I had big understeer and hit the wall off the second kerb. It was completely my mistake and very frustrating because we were looking good. My start wasn't great and the Renaults got better traction off the line which allowed them to leapfrog me. After that the car was running reasonably well. We were not on the same pace as the leaders but it was looking good for a podium finish. To end the day with no points is frustrating but we have to look at the positives from the weekend. We have made real progress and now have to work hard to make the most of that in Indy."
Brit-F1 Star Rating (5 star max)
Qualifying - 13th
"It's not very much fun being one of the first cars out for the session. There was very little grip and the balance was not what we expected at all. It's a shame because in free practice this morning the car felt pretty good. We have to look now at what we can do for tomorrow but I am confident that we can make up some ground and be strong in the race."
Race - 10th
"We thought that we would be reasonably strong here, so today's race has taken us by surprise. We had a lot of oversteer in the car but also in turn-in we had huge amounts of understeer, so I don't understand what was going on really. I struggled a lot, but at least we made enough progress to move a bit further up the grid for Canada. We have a few new aero parts coming for the next race so that will help us there I'm sure. We have a lot of work to do in testing next week and hopefully we will be able to make a bit more of an impact on the grid in Montreal."
Brit-F1 Star Rating (5 star max)
Jenson Button remain disqualified for this race (see below)
Brit-F1 Star Rating (for his commentary with ITV Sport)
BAR were disqualified from the Imola GP and were banned from racing at Spain and Monaco
Speaking about his disqualification Jenson said, "You've got to say that our chance of winning the championship is pretty much gone. To come back from that is pretty much impossible, especially with Renault being so strong in the first few races and Ferrari are going to be strong for the rest of the year."
"This is the first moment I've really thought there's really no chance we can challenge for the championship, but the aim this year was to win races anyway and we've just got to stick to that. This would have been a great race for us. However, for me I think Monaco was the one that I'm most disappointed about because I think that could have been a race we could have shocked a lot of people at. We would have been staggeringly quick. It's a circuit that I love. We did well there last year getting on the podium and I really think we could have gone one step higher this year and I don't think it would have been too hard either."
Saturday Quotes - 3rd after final qualifying
"I am reasonably happy considering the position we started in for qualifying. My lap was going really well until the last sector, when I had too much understeer. At least it has shown that we are have made some big improvements and are on the pace. It would have nice to be on pole here, but if we are in the top five tomorrow I will be very happy because I think the car is strong enough for us to make the best of every opportunity in tomorrow's race."
Race - Finished 3rd
"It's fantastic to be back on the podium again after such a great weekend for the team. It looks like we are very much back in the game. The past three races have been tough for all of us at BAR Honda and it's fantastic to have put that behind us here today. Everyone has worked incredibly hard - night and day in fact - to turn things around and I have to say a huge 'thank you' to everyone for their efforts. It was an incredible race and a great feeling to be as strong as we were in the early stages. We lost out towards the end when I got a bad run up the hill from Aqua Minerale and Michael was able to get beside me going into the Variante Alta. Fighting him in that position could have put me out of the race, so I decided to play safe and ensure we got home and dry with a podium and our first points to show for it. As we saw here today there is so much more potential though and we can be stronger still if we maintain the momentum and keep fighting for that win."
Brit-F1 Star Rating (5 star max)
Saturday Quotes - 11th after final qualifying
"It was a reasonable lap, but the track is so hot and there is very little grip. At turn 8 I had a little bit of oversteer so I lost some time there but generally, given the timing of our qualifying slot and the relative track conditions, there was little opportunity to improve on my time. We will have to see what tomorrow's final qualifying brings but it seems that we will start the race from the middle of the grid. Hopefully the car will be as strong as it was when we started the race in Malaysia and if we can stay reliable then we should be able to finish in the points."
Race - Retired
"I got a reasonable start, our car felt strong and we had good pace, so we were obviously hoping for better things. I tried to overtake Fisichella on lap two but he moved across me and I lost three places behind him. From around lap 20 we were starting to experience some bad gear shifts and also signs of brake wear, so I had to start to look after the brakes a bit more. The pit crew removed the tyre to inspect the front left in the last pitstop and it seemed that we would make it to the end of the race. When I tried to select first and pull away though, the clutch problem recurred and I couldn't pull away. The guys did a fantastic job to try to get me back into the race but then the car stopped at the pit lane exit. We have two weeks of testing now where we have to work hard on reliability for Imola. We will have a new package and a stronger car, so let's hope that San Marino is where our season will finally get started."
Brit-F1 Star Rating (5 star max)
Saturday Quotes - 9th after final qualifying
"The car felt good but I haven't had any running on new tyres today, which meant it was difficult to get a real feel for the car in qualifying set-up. We also had a problem with the engine this morning and I wasn't able to get out in second practice. Despite that, the lap was OK and I'm reasonably happy. I lost of a bit of time in the last sector but we're close enough to be able to get some of that back tomorrow. I'm sure we can do a better job in the morning and look forward to a more positive race."
Race - Retired
"It goes without saying that I'm incredibly disappointed and frustrated. I felt I was one of the quickest cars on the circuit - our pace was so strong that I was easily able to take the Red Bull cars and then get close enough to Raikkonen to pass him. In light of how our strategy would have played out versus the competition we've let ourselves down today. I'm disappointed for myself, for Anthony in his first race for us and also the team who've worked so hard all weekend in extremely tough conditions. We have to sort this out in time for Bahrain."
Brit-F1 Star Rating (5 star max)
Saturday Quotes - 8th after final qualifying
"The weather conditions haven't exactly given us the best start to the first qualifying session of the season. Judging by the way the weather turned again after my run I was luckier than I thought I would be. The car was very bad this morning when the track was damp and we were off the pace. We changed the rear-end for qualifying and it was a big improvement. The weather has thrown things slightly for us but at least we know we are heading in the right direction again. I won't make any predictions for tomorrow though because I'd say today has left everything wide open."
Race - Finished 11th
"I had a poor start to the race and I was losing up to three seconds a lap behind Villeneuve. Once I passed him after the second pitstop the car was pretty good. The car ran reliably but clearly this wasn't the way we wanted to start the season and we have a lot of work to do to get back up to where we need to be."
Brit-F1 Star Rating
(5 star max)
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