B·A·R 2004 Australian Grand Prix preview

source: BARf1.com

The 2004 FIA Formula One World Championship gets underway next Friday, 5 March, at the Albert Park street circuit in Melbourne, Australia. After an intensive winter testing programme, incorporating nearly 21,000km of chassis and engine performance and reliability work, as well as getting to grips with new tyre supplier Michelin, Lucky Strike B·A·R Honda is eagerly anticipating the first race of what has the potential to be its best season yet.

With the demise of Friday testing and the introduction of a single engine per weekend limit, B·A·R will be putting third driver, Anthony Davidson, to work during the two Friday practice sessions in order to gather vital set-up and tyre data for race drivers Jenson Button and Takuma Sato, who will be limiting their mileage.

Albert Park is a high downforce circuit, and one that is very popular with the drivers. The 5.303km track features a mixture of short straights and slow to medium speed corners, and requires the car set-up to have a balance of good traction and stability under braking, as well as being aerodynamically efficient. Teams face the problem of a green and dusty track on Friday, which takes time to clean. One unusual problem is ensuring leaves from the overhanging trees do not affect the running of the car. As Melbourne is much warmer than the venues visited in winter testing, it is also important for teams to ensure they have efficient cooling systems to cope with the high ambient temperatures.

Jenson Button on the Australian Grand Prix
"I can't wait for the season to start. We want to be strong from the off and if we can be quick in the first race it's only going to help our confidence and make us push on even more. The car has been very strong during winter testing and I'm expecting us to be reliable and to be fighting for podiums. I've never got a point at the Australian GP, so it would be really nice to start the season with points.