Lucky Strike B.A.R Honda completed an intensive four-driver, three-day test at two circuits this week, with the team in action at Monza in Italy and Silverstone in the UK.

By testing at the different circuits on consecutive days, the team was able to tailor its development work specifically to the forthcoming races. The main focus for the test in Monza was preparation for the Canadian and United States races, whilst at Silverstone the team conducted aerodynamic comparisons and an intensive tyre evaluation.

Due to expected rain at Silverstone, the test kicked off in Monza on Wednesday with Anthony and Enrique on track. Anthony spent the day working through an aerodynamic programme, covering a total of 112 laps and setting the fastest time of the day - a 01:21.887. Enrique also ran through an aerodynamic evaluation, followed by a tyre programme with options for the US Grand Prix, completing a total of 127 laps.

With improved weather conditions at Silverstone, the testing action switched to the UK on Thursday with Jenson and Takuma driving to gain some valuable track time before the British Grand Prix next month. Jenson ran through an aerodynamic comparison, completing a total of 98 laps. Takuma completed an intensive tyre evaluation, focusing on options for the British Grand Prix. He completed an impressive 163 laps.

Today saw Anthony and Enrique continue the driving duties in Monza in chassis 070-01 and 070-03 respectively. Enrique’s morning got off to a slow start due to a gearbox and engine change. A spin into the gravel also cost him running time but he recovered ground in the afternoon session, completing 97 laps for the day. Anthony ran through further aerodynamic evaluations, a Michelin tyre test and ran the latest spec engine from Honda to its target mileage, completing a total of 141 laps.

JENSON BUTTON ON THE SILVERSTONE TEST
“The test at Silverstone went reasonably well. I focused mainly on aero evaluations while Taku worked on the tyre options. We still need to find a bit more speed but we now know what works well on the car. We'll certainly go to Canada in better shape than we were at the Nürburgring."

TAKUMA SATO ON THE SILVERSTONE TEST
“I always enjoy driving at Silverstone, especially when you complete as many laps as we did on Thursday, which will help our preparations for the race next month. We completed a very important tyre test for Michelin looking at many different configurations. The car was very reliable, completing over 838kms. We are hopeful that we can improve the tyres from here so that we will be back in a strong position for the British Grand Prix.”

ANTHONY DAVIDSON ON THE MONZA TEST
“It is good to be back in the car. We completed a lot of laps today and have covered almost 3000kms in two days at the Monza test. We completed the planned Michelin tyre test and a number of aero evaluations – both of which have provided very positive results. In terms of performance we definitely are a step up from where we were at the last race and the car itself generally feels good – more like it should feel.”

ENRIQUE BERNOLDI ON THE MONZA TEST
“It was very exciting for me to be back in Monza at a fast track that I have not driven on since I competed in F1. My programme over the two days testing in Monza was mainly to test the Indianapolis tyre options. On the first day we completed almost all of the planned programme, with many long runs. Today we suffered a gearbox problem which stopped my running in the morning, but in the afternoon we got back on track and I completed a total of 97 laps. The car feels good and I think that this was a very positive test for the team.”

MARK ELLIS, CHIEF TEST ENGINEER
“This has been an extremely busy week, testing in both Monza and Silverstone, strictly in accordance with our testing agreement, and testing with an extra car in Silverstone. Everyone at B•A•R Honda has coped well with the added workload, resulting in a very productive test. Aero and brake tests have been positive ahead of Montréal and following the aero testing at Silverstone we now understand the issues from the Nürburgring. We are looking forward to a more competitive showing at the next two Grands Prix.”

SHUHEI NAKAMOTO, ENGINEERING DIRECTOR, HONDA RACING DEVELOPMENT
“We've had productive tests at both Silverstone and Monza from an engine point of view, having completed runs of the Canada spec engine without any problem.”

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