Reactions to Honda's Hungarian GP win
The Honda Racing F1 Team’s win in Hungary was the culmination of many years of hard work by everyone within the team, both in the UK and Japan. Here are some reactions to the breakthrough victory from some of the most well known team members and associates, as well as some of the unsung heroes…
“There are hardly words to describe this moment. It is an historic day for Honda and the most incredible occasion for the whole team, its associates and fans all over the world. Everyone has worked so hard for so long to savour the taste of victory, now that we have reached this important milestone, we know we have what it takes to go on and do it again and again.”
Nick Fry, Chief Executive Officer
“This will always be an unforgettable day for the whole Honda team! This fantastic result is the culmination of many years of hard work, dedication and relentless pursuit of perfection by the many members of our team, and on this day everything came right.”
Gil de Ferran, Sporting Director
“We are absolutely delighted with this victory. We have been aiming for victory from the first race of this year, and to have finally reached our goal makes us extremely happy. The drivers and all the members of the team have worked very hard and done a truly outstanding job. Today we share with all our fans the thrill of victory. Tomorrow we will once again be hard at work to achieve yet more Formula One World Championship wins.”
Takeo Fukui, President and CEO, Honda Motor Co. Ltd
"I am truly happy for Jenson and the Honda Racing F1 Team today. We hope to carry that forward for future wins."
Rubens Barrichello, Driver
“It's an amazing feeling getting our first race win with Jenson and it's great to be a part of it. I ran the car on Friday and it was great to drive then and the car remained fast all weekend. Also, the race team got the strategy right when it counted and it just came good - it was fantastic!”
Anthony Davidson, Third Driver
“It was just an amazing day. We really weren't expecting it with the engine change that we had yesterday. But Jenson drove a faultless race and the strategy was right and a few things fell in to our laps."
Andrew Shovlin, Race Engineer to Jenson Button
“The last seven years of hard work all came together in one moment. It’s a fantastic feeling for all the team and I’m really proud to be part of it. “
Darren Beacroft, No.1 Mechanic to Jenson Button
“For the team and Jenson to achieve their first victory is a big reward for the years of hard work, commitment and underlying belief that we had it in ourselves to win. It was particularly satisfying to see that the nature of the win was due to a combination of all the essential elements in races such as this one - Jenson driving fantastically through all the different conditions, taking the opportunities at hand, making the right tyre and strategic decisions at the critical moments, teamwork and having a fast and reliable car.”
Craig Wilson, Chief Race Engineer
“There was pressure on Jenson all the time because of the conditions. In the dry success is 70% due to the car and 30% to the driver, but in the wet, it's more like 50-50 or, if anything, the driver counts even more. To win from 14th on the grid was really good, a fantastic boost for the team.”
Jacky Eeckelaert, Chief Engineer - Advanced Research Systems
“A very emotional day for me. I started on this challenge in November 1997 which I believe makes me the first employee of the original British American Racing team. I have worked with some fantastic people during my time here and it was only a matter of time that we would get our just rewards but I didn’t think it would be today. Jenson drove a brilliant race, the team did an awesome job in the pits and we had the perfect strategy. I’m especially happy for BAT as they have been a fantastic partner over the last eight years and we will all be sorry to see them leave F1 at the end of the year. I can’t wait for Turkey.”
Ron Meadows, Race Team Manager
“I'm just overwhelmed. It was just a big day with the pitstops and everything, and we've hung together throughout Jenson's time with us. We've had some bad times, some blow ups, but this is the greatest day.”
Alastair Gibson, Chief Engineer
“Not only does this win belong to Jenson, Honda and BAT, it belongs to all of the staff both past and present. We have been waiting for this moment for over eight years and wondering what it would feel like. What I didn't expect was to be wiping tears from my eyes.”
Andrew Moody, Paintshop Manager
“It was very emotional watching Jenson take the chequered flag. I’ve been here since the beginning and have seen many changes, to win a grand prix is a very special achievement especially when you think who we're competing against. As Test Team Manager, I take great pride knowing that what we achieve at tests has a big impact on the car’s race performance.”
Andrew Alsworth, Test Team Manager
“I didn't think I'd be as emotional, but it just took me completely. I want another one now though, it's like a drug, you've just gotta have more and more. You get the taste. The thing is we did it the right way too, we didn't fluke it, we did it properly. I can retire happy!”
Peter Hodgkinson, Build Operations Manager
“It was a special feeling to see the team and Jenson win at last. It was fitting that Anthony was co-commentating on the race on British TV and that Mr Fukui was there to collect the trophy. Also it was 14 years ago almost to the day that Mr Honda himself passed away. He would have been delighted with the aggressive strategy and perfect teamwork that saw Jenson home.”
Paul Nowers, Honda Marketing Executive
