More points for BAR Honda

The BAR Honda team leaves Brazil with another two points after Button's 7th place in the 71-lap race at Interlagos. Team mate Takuma Sato finished in 10th position. Button was unable to translate his 4th place in the start grid into a stronger race finish after suffering with tyre graining and overstreer throughout. The team will now put its frustrations aside to focus on the challenge of its home Grand Prix with a two-day test in Jerez next week.

Jenson Button "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."

Takuma Sato "We started with damp conditions today and I had a lot of fuel on board which meant the car was very heavy. l also had a low downforce set-up so it was very difficult to get heat into the tyres for the first few laps. The car was tough to drive with low grip and sliding quite a bit. As the track dried and the car got lighter, my pace picked up and we were on target for our strategy. I then had a mechanical problem with the rear suspension so the car was bouncing a lot and losing stability. At least I am pleased to have brought the car home safely. I now look forward to my home race at Suzuka."

Gil de Ferran, Sporting Director “After a promising day yesterday, this developed into a difficult day with both cars. Jenson had a bad start and was plagued with an imbalance which prevented him from finishing in a better position. The story was similar with Takuma as he also was unhappy with the car. Obviously we will analyse what caused this unexpected problem and hopefully we will have a better understanding of the issues prior to Suzuka. On the plus side, the Honda engines ran well and we look forward to returning to Suzuka for our second ‘home’ race. All that remains for me to say is congratulations to Fernando Alonso on behalf of everyone at B.A.R Honda."

Shuhei Nakamoto, Eningeering Director Honda Racing Development “It was a difficult start to the race after the accident off the grid, but at least the weather stayed dry throughout. I had been expecting it to rain and make life a lot harder. Both engines ran very well but Jenson struggled with a rear tyre graining problem and was unable to challenge for a podium finish. Takuma suffered with a non-critical mechanical problem in the second half of the race and was unable to fight for a points finish. Our running positions for qualifying in Suzuka are not too bad, so we will put this weekend behind us and focus on a much better home grand prix for Honda.”