BAR 005 Honda

   For its fifth year in Formula 1, BAR (an acronym for British American Racing) further strengthened its partnership with Honda, which from 2003 became an integral part of the English team, offering greater collaboration through its engine technicians in order to progress step by step in the car/engine project. Still under the leadership of British sporting director David Richards, the team in charge of designing and developing the new BAR 005 took shape, a single-seater that was finally expected to allow the Brackley-based team, in Northamptonshire, East Midlands, England, to make the long-awaited leap in quality.

BAR 005, Jenson Button
Catalunya-Barcelona, Spanish GP 2003

   As a first move, Richards replaced the Technical Director, a role that passed from Malcom Oastler to Geoff Willis, an experienced British engineer with a long history in Formula 1 alongside Adrian Newey, first at Leyton House and then at Williams during the 1990s, when the Grove-based team dominated the top series. Willis was supported by a newcomer to Formula 1, the young German engineer Jörg Zander, who, after graduating from the University of Cologne, joined Toyota’s European headquarters, where he worked on the Japanese manufacturer’s Formula 1 car project. Willem Toet, the Australian-British aerodynamicist of Dutch origins, kept his role as head of aerodynamics, together with his assistant, British engineer Simon Lacey. Willis’s project for the new 005 completely departed from the previous BAR cars, eliminating the last remnants of the Reynard era still present in the BAR 004 chassis used in 2002. The new car adopted a more conventional Williams-style design. The main changes concerned the chassis, which was built using a new technique to make it as light and rigid as possible while still complying with safety regulations. Indeed, the new single-seater was significantly lighter, smaller, and more aerodynamically efficient.

BAR 005, Jacques Villeneuve
Nürburgring, European GP 2003

   To limit the car’s weight, nearly 10% of the components present on the previous car and deemed unnecessary by Willis were removed. The seven-speed longitudinal sequential X-trac gearbox was also redesigned in terms of size and especially weight, using new alloys for the casing and gears. Overall, the shapes of the car were softened and made less angular, especially the sidepods, which no longer featured the large barge boards seen on the 004. They were less squared-off and ended with the indispensable rear winglets, as well as two vertical panels between the rear wheels and the wing. However, throughout the season the aerodynamics of the 005 were constantly updated, and from the British Grand Prix onwards, a significant new aerodynamic package was introduced, including a revised rear diffuser to address the lack of downforce experienced at the start of the season, which had been compensated for by increasing wing angles, thus negating the greater power of the Honda engine. The suspension system was also completely redesigned to improve performance in combination with Bridgestone tires which, strongly desired by Honda, continued to be used on the Brackley cars in 2003. Thanks to new technical regulations issued over the winter, each team was allowed tires designed specifically for its cars. Although the Japanese manufacturer already supplied Ferrari as its main team, BAR and Bridgestone worked closely during preseason testing to ensure the best possible package for the new season.

BAR 005, Jacques Villeneuve
Catalunya-Barcelona, Spanish GP 2003

   As previously mentioned, 2003 also marked the beginning of a new chapter in the partnership between BAR and Honda, which further committed to providing greater support to the English team by exclusively supplying its RA003 V10 engine. The new Honda engine was lighter, smaller, and less massive than the 002 version, and it promised more power and an improved torque curve, although the approximately 835 hp at 18,200 rpm were still quite far from the roughly 900 delivered by Ferrari and BMW’s V10s. Nevertheless, the Japanese manufacturer continued engine development throughout the season, also working closely with the team on chassis development in symbiosis with BAR engineers in an attempt to build a perfectly integrated chassis/engine package. The new 005 was unveiled on January 14, 2003, in Barcelona at the Parc de Montjuïc, with the presence of Takeo Kiuchi (Honda F1 project leader) and Ken Hashimoto (Head of Honda chassis design) reaffirming Honda’s commitment to the BAR project. Also in attendance were the race drivers, Canadian Jacques Villeneuve and Briton Jenson Button, and test drivers Takuma Satō and Anthony Davidson.

BAR 04 Concept Car, Jenson Button
Jerez, december 2003

   Despite the grand promises and good intentions, in 2003 the BAR 005 again turned out to be a rather anonymous car, still far from the best single-seaters. Villeneuve in particular, already discouraged by Richards at the end of the previous season about staying with the team for his final contract year, seemed to have lost his driving edge, achieving only two sixth places and suffering a series of retirements or poor performances. Before the final race in Japan, the Canadian finally decided to leave the English team early, and his seat was filled by Takuma Satō, who managed to score a respectable sixth place in his only race of the 2003 season. Button, on the other hand, achieved some positive results, such as two fourth places in Austria and Japan, as well as several points finishes, allowing the team to collect 26 points and secure fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship. Once again in 2003, British American Racing failed to reach the podium, but at least equaled the fifth place achieved back in 2000, laying the groundwork for 2004, which would prove to be the best season in the team’s short history. After the season ended, a modified version of the 005, called the 04 Concept Car and featuring a special black and gray livery, was used to test the new Honda RA004E engine for the following season.