U.S. Grand Prix: Honda celebrates 2 car points finish in US Grand Prix
25 September 2000
FIA Formula 1 World Championship - Round 15 US Grand Prix, Indianapolis Race Report BAR HONDA CELEBRATES TWO-CAR POINTS FINISH IN US GRAND PRIX Sunday 24 September 2000 A stunning performance from Lucky Strike Reynard BAR Honda delivered the team's most competitive result of the year in the US Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this afternoon. Honda-powered driver Jacques Villeneuve was involved in a race long battle for third position and after 73 laps of uninterrupted action, the Canadian missed out on the team's first podium finish by less than half a second, but was still delighted to take fourth place for the fourth time this season. BAR Honda team mate Ricardo Zonta also gave a stunning display, climbing from 12th on the grid to finish in sixth place and claim a world championship point for the second consecutive race. Morning rain at the 'Racing Capital of the World' had left the track in a semi-wet state and gave the 250,000 fans their first experience of open-wheel racing in wet conditions at the historic venue. The race got underway with the field running on wet tyres, but no further rain fell and by lap ten most drivers had switched to grooved tyres as the track dried out. Villeneuve and Zonta, starting with a one-stop strategy and a wet set-up, had a full fuel load and high downforce wing settings to help the car handle well around the tight infield section of the track. Inevitably, the tactic reduced the straight-line speed of the BAR Honda 002, but both were able to keep the pace of their rivals and as the fuel load lightened, the Honda drivers were among the fastest lappers on the track. Returning to the scene of his 1995 Indy 500 victory, Villeneuve was cheered all the way by the North American fans as he battled with Frentzen's Jordan and Barrichello's Ferrari throughout the race. He sent them wild on lap 40 as he rose to third place, but almost immediately an uncharacteristic error saw him spin and lose the place to Barrichello. After a stop for fuel and tyres, Villeneuve had 20 laps to catch and pass Frentzen to claim his first podium finish for BAR Honda. With seven laps remaining, Villeneuve picked up a tow from the German down the long main straight and dived up the inside into the first corner. Unfortunately, he carried too much speed into the turn and ran across the grass, losing his hard-won place. Villeneuve reeled Frentzen in again before the end, but despite a nail-biting climax, he could not find a way past and had to settle for fourth place. Despite an early electronic failure, Ricardo Zonta drove another faultless race, as the back-up electronics system did its job perfectly. He was able to keep pace with the two-stoppers ahead of him and benefited from his one-stop strategy to lie seventh after his stop for fuel and tyres. The Brazilian hunted down his fellow countryman, Pedro Diniz, in sixth place but before he could overtake, the Sauber man retired allowing Zonta to enjoy an unchallenged run to the flag in sixth place. Jacques Villeneuve Position: 4th "Today was a lot of fun and we were really quick in the race, but it's frustrating to get so close to a podium. I made a couple of mistakes, but it probably wouldn't have made a difference in the end. I wasn't really close enough to pass Frentzen but I just decided there was no sand trap and no tyre wall, so I'd take a chance. I lost track of where the corner was and as soon as I touched the brakes I knew I was not going to be able to stop. We were a lot closer to the pace of the McLaren today and the car was much better than in qualifying." Ricardo Zonta Position: 6th "It's a great result for the team to get both cars in the points and I'm pleased to finish in the top six for the second race running. In the early laps the other cars were faster because of our wing settings and fuel load, but I could keep up with them and we were then faster as the race went on." Takefumi Hosaka - Managing Director, Honda R&D "Obviously we are very pleased to get this result. It was very exciting for us and for the fans to see Jacques battling all through the race for third place and the lap times today show that the car was very competitive. However, we are just as pleased with Ricardo's race. He suffered an early electronic failure, but the back-up system that the Honda engineers had prepared yesterday worked perfectly and he drove a fantastic race." Jordan Mugen Honda and Heinz-Harald Frentzen celebrated their second podium finish of the year, after a thrilling battle with Barrichello and Villeneuve. The German's result made up for the disappointment of team mate Jarno Trulli who retired from the race on lap 13 with a mechanical problem. Honda's home race, the Japanese Grand prix, takes place at the Honda-owned Suzuka Circuit on Sunday 8 October. BAR Honda will test at Silverstone this week, 27-28 September. Championship Standings after 15 of 17 rounds DRIVERS 1 M Schumacher Ferrari 88 2 Hakkinen McLaren 80 3 Coulthard McLaren 63 4 Barrichello Ferrari 55 5 R Schumacher Williams 24 6 Fisichella Benetton 18 7 Villeneuve BAR Honda 14 9 Frentzen Jordan-Mugen Honda 11 10 Trulli Jordan-Mugen Honda 6 CONSTRUCTORS 1 Ferrari 143 2 McLaren-Mercedes 133 3 Williams-BMW 34 4 Benetton-Playlife 20 5 Jordan Mugen-Honda 17 = BAR Honda 17 7 Arrows 7 8 Sauber 6 9 Jaguar 3