HONDA F1

Rubens Barrichello is optimistic Honda can break into the points at next weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix following a successful test for the team’s new aerodynamic package in Barcelona this week.

Honda have yet to score in 2008, but after running almost 220 laps of the Circuit de Catalunya on Tuesday and Wednesday, Barrichello believes the Japanese team have taken a step forward with the latest developments to their RA108 machine.

Honda driver Rubens Barrichello in no way intend to after this season his helmet to the willows hang.The experienced brasileno wants to be assured of a place on the grid 2009,preferably with his current employer.With the advent of Ross Brawn as teambos Barrichello expects that Honda a golden future.
The 35-year-old driver about his own future:"It is no secret that my contract at the end of the season comes to end.I would like to extend that,because I think Honda with Ross Brawn the coming years a significant role to play.2008 is definitely not my last season as a Formula 1 driver and I would like to continue as long until it really no longer can.And I have already said that I am the milestone of 300 Grands Prix wants to achieve,which I still have hope."

Rubens has confirmed that he is looking for a drive next year. I personally think he should stay on. Brawn, Rubens, Jenson and Wurz should carry Honda into the next era in my opinion.

"This week saw the first in-season test of 2008 where we can only use a single car compared to the two car pre-season tests. The development of the RA108 is progressing well and we had many items on the test agenda. Our major development is an aerodynamic update kit which successfully delivered a lap time improvement, however we will not know until the Spanish Grand Prix whether this translates into a significant step forward versus our competitors. In addition to developing the current car, we have been working with Bridgestone on the 2009 tyres. Running here in warmer conditions, we had no issues with warming the tyres up without blankets, and it is a pleasure to run a racing car on slicks again. We are looking forward to the challenge of running the cars next year without tyre warmers and reduced downforce. It should be interesting."

"It was good to be back in the car after closely following the progress that the team has made over the first three races of the season. My day was focused on set-up work with the 2008 car and running the slick tyres to evaluate the basic set-up and design requirements. In addition we continued our ongoing work on engine driveability with the new electronics system."

"It's unfortunate that my day in the car this week coincided with the bad weather that we have experienced today. I was only able to complete 42 laps, mostly on wet tyres, and could not really gather any information from those laps. Thankfully the team had three good days of testing earlier in the week so we are well prepared for the race weekend."

"We had a very busy and successful test this week. On Wednesday, I had a good day evaluating the slick tyres and we were able to make some improvements to our set-up. It was nice to finish at the top of the timesheet, although it does not have too great a significance when only half of the field were running slicks. We ran our new aero upgrade for the first time and I'm encouraged by the performance. I felt a definite improvement, although the windy conditions made it difficult to quantify how much. We covered some good mileage and a lot of test items, particularly on Thursday when I completed 140 laps. Overall I have good reason to be positive for the Spanish Grand Prix and I hope that we can get into the points there."

The Honda Racing F1 Team returned to the test track this week following the first three races of the 2008 Formula One season. With the majority of teams in action at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, this week’s four-day test has allowed Honda to prepare for the next race on the calendar, the Spanish Grand Prix, which takes place next weekend.

The rain is stopping from time to time but, with a wet track and no hot sun to dry it, the chances of any meaningful running this afternoon are looking bleak.

Of course, should things dry out we'll provide an update this afternoon. In the meantime, you'll have to wait until this evening for our full round up of lap times and a comprehensive review of the week's action.

It's been raining in Barcelona all day, and the Catalunya circuit stands quiet, meaning that testing is all but over for the week. Only Mark Webber has thus far ventured out for a timed lap, with a handful of drivers completing just one installation lap before returning to the comfort of the motorhome.

Testing report - day four
Location: Barcelona, SpainDate: 17 April
Drivers: Jenson Button

The Honda Racing F1 Team today concluded its four-day test at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.
Jenson Button joined the team to take over the driving responsibilities in the Honda RA108 for the final day.
Unfortunately running was continuously interrupted by heavy rain showers which drenched the track, restricting Jenson to a single installation lap in the morning and only limited running on wet tyres for a further 41 laps in the afternoon session.

TODAY’S LAP TIMES
NB: All timings are unofficial

1. M. Webber (Red Bull) 01:21.953
2. H. Kovalainen (McLaren) 01:23.589
3. K. Raikkon (Ferrari) 01:23.619
4. R. Kubica (BMW) 01:24.715
5. J. Button (Honda) 01:24.873
6. K. Nakajima (Williams) 01:24.927
7. N. Piquet (Renault) 01:26.100
8. J. Trulli (Toyota) 01:32.150

Times at 15:35:

1.		M. Webber	Red Bull Racing	RB4	1:21.953		16	pit
2.		H. Kovalainen	McLaren	MP4-23	1:33.127	+11.174	17	pit
3.		J. Button	Honda	RA108	1:33.917	+11.964	16	pit
4.		R. Kubica	BMW Sauber	F1.08	1:34.873	+12.920	7	pit
5.		J. Trulli	Toyota	TF108	1:35.004	+13.051	10	pit
6.		N. Piquet Jr.	Renault	R28	1:35.076	+13.123	22	pit
7.		K. Nakajima	Williams	FW30	1:35.563	+13.610	19	pit
8.		K. Räikkönen	Ferrari	F2008	1:36.855	+14.902	7	pit

According to livetiming on f1today.nl it has stopped raining but not much action, since the track is still wet. jenson only did an installation lap in the morning

There is a chance that it might rain tomorrow so we are going to have to wait and see how much useful running is actually going to take place. So it was good to see Rubens put in 141 laps.

From the looks of things though the team is really considering the "ears" for next weekends race. Running with them for two days, wow.

Jenson Button will join the team in Barcelona tomorrow for the fourth and final day of the test.

All timings are unofficial

1. F. Alonso (Renault) 01:18.483
2. M. Schumacher (Ferrari) 01:19.323
3. A. Sutil (Force India) 01:19.424
4. R. Kubica (BMW) 01:19.785
5. N. Rosberg (Williams) 01:19.841
6. R. Barrichello (Honda) 01:19.920
7. L. Hamilton (McLaren) 01:20.591
8. S. Bordais (Toro Rosso) 01:20.715
9. M. Webber (Red Bull) 01:20.849
10. J. Trulli (Toyota) 01:20.867

Rubens Barrichello was in action for a second day at the wheel of the Honda RA108 today as the Honda Racing F1 Team continues its track testing at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.

Today’s programme saw Rubens continuing the aerodynamic and set-up evaluations which he began yesterday in preparation for the forthcoming Spanish Grand Prix. Rubens spent the morning working on the new aero developments before completing a tyre evaluation in the afternoon using the 2009 specification Bridgestone slick tyres.

With the full test programme successfully completed, Rubens' final lap tally for the day was an impressive 140 laps around the demanding Barcelona circuit.

Jenson Button will join the team in Barcelona tomorrow for the fourth and final day of the test.

I've read on a German site that they were also evaluating a "revised front wing and barge boards".

Last year, we all bemoaned the fact that the tunnel did not work. What a difference a year makes.

Brawn says that Ferrari have nothing that can hold a candle to Honda's wind tunnel and Loic Bigois et al. are having a field day with it.. still the dumbo ears idea can't have been that bad if they are trying it again.

1º	17		Rubens Barrichello		Honda	00:01'18''928
.2º	21		Giancarlo Fisichella		Force India	00:01'19''721	00:00'00''793
.3º	2		Felipe Massa		Ferrari	00:01'20''283	00:00'01''355
.4º	9		David Coulthard		Red Bull	00:01'20''392	00:00'01''464
.5º	22		Lewis Hamilton		McLaren	00:01'20''452	00:00'01''524
.6º	5		Fernando Alonso		Renault	00:01'20''616	00:00'01''688
.7º	7		Nico Rosberg		Williams	00:01'20''800	00:00'01''872
.8º	12		Timo Glock		Toyota	00:01'20''870	00:00'01''942
.9º	3		Nick Heidfeld		BMW-Sauber	00:01'20''981	00:00'02''053

I've noticed that the W-wing has not reappeared today.

Here's some speculation: they are first testing each bit of kit on its own to get a baseline, but they are very much intended to work together.

Tomorrow or Thursday, they'll get all the bits screwed on together and that will be real test of what it can do.

The nose horns and the W-wing especially look like they form one unit. The nose horns appear to be channelling the airflow directly into the curved sections of the w-wing.

Another possibility is that the nose horns are designed to address the front suspension problems that see the RA108 bounce up and down when it rides the curbs. Ground-effect aero at the front all but disappears when the front wing "takes off" but the nose horns should not be affected as badly and could thus help keeping the bounce "lower".

All idle speculation.. but at least you can't say they aren't trying!

DUMBO EARS!

Testing continues in Barcelona, and Honda Racing F1 have made some very noticeable changes to the car. Clearly visible are aerodynamic front wheel covers similar to those run by Ferrari and McLaren, but it's the nose that attracted attention as the infamous 'Dumbo ears' that turned up in 2007 made a brief appearance.

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Honda are trying out front wheel covers and some modified 'dumbo' ears that were tried once last year - they're the most visible parts of any upgrades thus far.

For live timing: http://directo.thef1.es/
If you google Motor21 then click on the 'Translate this Page' link rather than the main address link you'll get a good translation (at least in the UK) if your outside the UK I'm not sure how many languages it works with.

Honda Racing F1 completed their first day at Barcelona yesterday, with Alex Wurz setting the second fastest time of the day. However, Wurz's lap was set on slick tyres, as Bridgestone continued their preparations for the return of the much missed tyre format.

After completing 75 laps throughout the day, with a pause for a small fire in the morning and a brief rain shower in the afternoon, the RA108 managed to set a best time of 1:21.059, some 2.72 seconds behind the Ferrari of Felipe Massa, who was also running on slick tyres and a modified aerodynamic package.

Rubens Barrichello will take the wheel today as the team switch to development and testing of the RA108, with a significant aerodynamic upgrade planned for introduction this week. Rubens will continue on Wednesday, with Jenson Button driving for the final day.

Yes, it looks like an evolution of the winter testing w-wing.

There are also the horizontal fins on the barge boards.

We would really need to compare before and after pictures in some detail to spot minor changes (that might have big effects).

As it's the first of a four day test, I suspect that they have only run part of the new package anyway to get a baseline. We'll probably see more changes over the next few days.

Anyway running on slicks probably invalidates much of the data for 2008 anyway.. which is why Ferrari and McLaren were running 2009 simulations.

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa set the Monday pace at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya at the start of a four-day test session. Second to Massa in the timesheets was the Honda of Alexander Wurz, followed by McLaren’s Pedro de la Rosa.

Massa’s best time - over two seconds quicker than Wurz’s - was set on slick tyres, which Bridgestone are evaluating this week ahead of their possible return next season.

A total of nine teams were in action, each fielding a single car, with the majority evaluating new components and aero packages ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix later this month.

Weather conditions were fine and dry apart from some rain during the final hour. Testing continues on Tuesday.

Full report to follow.

Unofficial Monday times from Barcelona:
1. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:18.613
2. Alexander Wurz, Honda, 1:21.059
3. Pedro de la Rosa, McLaren, 1:21.566
4. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 1:21.679
5. Nelson Piquet, Renault, 1:21.913
6. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:22.193
7. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:22.431
8. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:22.590
9. Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India, 1:22.846

Honda Racing F1's three day test in Barcelona has got off to a fiery start, as the team set about improving the RA108 with a significant aerodynamic upgrade. On what is a beautiful day in Spain, Alex Wurz started the day in the Honda before a small fire halted proceedings.

Just thought, I'd open a new thread for this.

First pictures of the new aero package on fire:

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/4/7634.html

I hope this isn't a bad omen :-)

Looks like new horizontal fins on the barge boards. Not sure about the engine cover (old? new?).