HONDA F1

"Our programme today was focused on the set-up of the car as the track improves a great deal here over the sessions. We completed a good part of our work as the car feels competitive this afternoon, so I am happy with what we achieved. As always, we don't really know where we stand in terms of the competition yet as everyone will have been running different set-up and fuel programmes.

"Monaco is always a very open race where it is important to have a good qualifying session. Based on our work today, I believe we can have a good weekend; so let's hope that this is the case. The weather will no doubt play a part on Saturday and Sunday as it looks like we will have some rain."

“The car was well set-up for my final run in Q2, and the last sector is where we would have improved further, as we had a better front-end for the high-speed corners. Sadly the yellow flags prevented us from realising our full potential. We're not in the top ten and it's disappointing. That’s Monaco for you and what is important is that we know the car was quick enough to have improved."

The Honda Racing F1 Team began its on-track preparations for the Monaco Grand Prix today as the Principality basked in perfect sunny conditions throughout the two free practice sessions. As is usually the case on the opening day at Monaco, the track only became representative during the afternoon session, once some rubber had been laid on the racing line.
As a result, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello completed a modest 26 laps each during the morning session, at the end of which Rubens was eighth fastest and Jenson 12th.

This afternoon, Jenson completed 45 laps during the second session, with a best time of 1:16.351s, which placed him eighth overall. Rubens completed 32 laps to end the day within 0.1s of his team-mate, placing him 10th.

Jenson Button is optimistic his Honda team will be competitive in Saturday's qualifying after a solid start in today's practice session.

"We had two good opening sessions and I had a reasonable balance right from the start, particularly on the harder tyre," said Button, who posted the eighth fastest time in the afternoon.

"This afternoon has really been about getting the long runs in, getting used to the balance and making some improvements.

"We have a lot of useful information from the two sessions today, however as always there is still work to do. We are not quite where we would like to be yet, and as qualifying does not take place until Saturday, I have plenty of time to work with the engineers.

"I'm confident that we will be in a good position for qualifying and also well prepared for any changes in the weather conditions," added the Briton.

Rubens Barrichello finished two places behind and the Brazilian was also feeling confident about Honda's form for the remaining part of the weekend.

"Our programme today was focused on the set-up of the car as the track improves a great deal here over the sessions," explained Barrichello. "We completed a good part of our work as the car feels competitive this afternoon, so I am happy with what we achieved.

"As always, we don't really know where we stand in terms of the competition yet as everyone will have been running different set-up and fuel programmes.

"Monaco is always a very open race where it is important to have a good qualifying session. Based on our work today, I believe we can have a good weekend; so let's hope that this is the case. The weather will no doubt play a part on Saturday and Sunday as it looks like we will have some rain."

Jenson Button - 8th: "It's always very exciting to be back in Monaco and out on track for the first day of running. We had two good opening sessions and I had a reasonable balance right from the start, particularly on the harder tyre. This afternoon has really been about getting the long runs in, getting used to the balance and making some improvements.

"We have a lot of useful information from the two sessions today, however as always there is still work to do. We are not quite where we would like to be yet, and as qualifying does not take place until Saturday, I have plenty of time to work with the engineers. I'm confident that we will be in a good position for qualifying and also well prepared for any changes in the weather conditions."

Rubens Barrichello - 10th: "Our programme today was focused on the set-up of the car as the track improves a great deal here over the sessions. We completed a good part of our work as the car feels competitive this afternoon, so I am happy with what we achieved. As always, we don't really know where we stand in terms of the competition yet as everyone will have been running different set-up and fuel programmes.

"Monaco is always a very open race where it is important to have a good qualifying session. Based on our work today, I believe we can have a good weekend; so let's hope that this is the case. The weather will no doubt play a part on Saturday and Sunday as it looks like we will have some rain."

Steve Clark - Head of Race & Test Engineering: "This morning was spent conducting race preparation work, whilst the second session was dedicated to set-up work and evaluating the tyres for qualifying. Neither driver had a particularly good run on the option tyre, which is brand new for this race. This is not surprising for a Thursday here as the track grip will continue to improve considerably, so we still expect the option to be a good tyre for qualifying and the race.

"We had a good test at Paul Ricard last week and it appears that our relative performance is back to where we were at Barcelona. It is never wise to be over confident at Monaco as there are so many variables affecting the race outcome. From a performance point of view we are hopeful of getting into the points on merit.

"There is a chance of rain on Saturday and Sunday which at this track amounts to a big roll of the dice. We will be looking to take advantage of any opportunity to move further up the field."

		driver	team	time	difference	# #
1.		L. Hamilton	McLaren	1:15.140		40
2.		N. Rosberg	Williams	1:15.533	+0.393 +0,393	39
3.		K. Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:15.572	+0.432 +0,432	42
4.		F. Massa Bulk	Ferrari	1:15.869	+0.729 +0,729	37
5.		H. Kovalainen	McLaren	1:15.881	+0.741 +0,741	39
6.		R. Kubica	BMW Sauber BMW Sauber	1:16.296	+1.156 +1,156	34
7.		F. Alonso	Renault	1:16.310	+1.170 +1,170	27
8.		J. Button	Honda	1:16.351	+1.211 +1,211	45
9.		K. Nakajima	Williams	1:16.372	+1.232 +1,232	40
10.		R. Barrichello	Honda	1:16.418	+1.278 +1,278	32
11.		N. Heidfeld	BMW Sauber BMW Sauber	1:16.426	+1.286 +1,286	44
12.		T. Glock	Toyota	1:16.688	+1.548 +1,548	46
13.		M. Webber	Red Bull Racing Red Bull Racing	1:17.094	+1.954 +1,954	39
14.		D. Coulthard	Red Bull Racing Red Bull Racing	1:17.131	+1.991 +1,991	39
15.		N. Piquet Jr. Piquet Jr.	Renault	1:17.246	+2.106 +2,106	35
16.		G. Fisichella	Force India Force India	1:17.251	+2.111 +2,111	33
17.		J. Trulli	Toyota	1:17.379	+2.239 +2,239	28
18.		S. Bourdais	Toro Rosso Toro Rosso	1:17.581	+2.441 +2,441	38
19.		A. Sutil	Force India Force India	1:18.176	+3.036 +3,036	31
20.		S. Vettel	Toro Rosso Toro Rosso	1:18.225	+3.085 +3,085	38

Result of free training 1

		driver	team		difference	#
1.		K. Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:15.948		26
2.		L. Hamilton	McLaren	1:16.216	+0.268 +0,268	27
3.		H. Kovalainen	McLaren	1:16.248	+0.300 +0,300	28
4.		F. Massa	Ferrari	1:16.292	+0.344 +0,344	26
5.		N. Rosberg	Williams	1:16.653	+0.705 +0,705	27
6.		R. Kubica	BMW Sauber BMW Sauber	1:16.834	+0.886 +0,886	23
7.		F. Alonso	Renault	1:17.498	+1.550 +1,550	25
8.		R. Barrichello	Honda	1:17.511	+1.563 +1,563	26
9.		M. Webber	Red Bull Racing Red Bull Racing	1:17.798	+1.850 +1,850	23
10.		G. Fisichella	Force India Force India	1:17.835	+1.887 +1,887	26
11.		T. Glock	Toyota	1:17.942	+1.994 +1,994	26
12.		S. Bourdais	Toro Rosso Toro Rosso	1:18.245	+2.297 +2,297	30
13.		N. Heidfeld	BMW Sauber BMW Sauber	1:18.263	+2.315 +2,315	13
14.		K. Nakajima	Williams	1:18.274	+2.326 +2,326	28
15.		J. Trulli	Toyota	1:18.360	+2.412 +2,412	16
16.		A. Sutil	Force India Force India	1:18.360	+2.412 +2,412	25
17.		N. Piquet Jr. Piquet Jr.	Renault	1:18.955	+3.007 +3,007	32
18.		J. Button	Honda	1:19.153	+3.205 +3,205	26
19.		S. Vettel	Toro Rosso Toro Rosso	1:19.176	+3.228 +3,228	35
20.		D. Coulthard	Red Bull Racing Red Bull Racing	geen tijd no time		3

Honda driver Jenson Button at Honda has two privet jets ordered to start his own charter to set up. That makes him the first European buyer of aircraft of the Japanese firm. The Englishman gets its newly ordered aircraft in 2012. At a privet jets Honda comes with a cost of about 3.6 million dollars.

Button: "We are very optimistic about the world of the privets jets and the great help of HondaJet in our first steps toward its own charter. I am particularly impressed by the technology used to fly efficiently, which is better for the environment. My personal experience with Honda and their dedication to reliability, quality and technological sophistication will be felt by a flight in a HondaJet. "

Rubens Barrichello looks ahead at his 16th Monaco Grand Prix.

“This will be my 16th Monaco Grand Prix so I know the circuit very well by now! Like everyone, Monaco is one of my favourite races and I have been successful here in the past, finishing on the podium four times. I particularly enjoying qualifying at Monaco, it’s one of the biggest challenges of the year to get it right and give yourself the best chance in the race.

“Experience does count around Monaco as the driver and your strategy can make the difference to the outcome of your race, it’s not purely about car performance. And of course, on the day, you have to keep the car out of the barriers and bring it safely home.”

And what are the technical challenges?

“The streets of Monaco are tight, twisty, bumpy and unforgiving. You can really feel the speed of the car when the barriers are so close to you, but despite this, Monaco is one of the lowest speed circuits that we will race on and presents a number of unique challenges. Good mechanical grip from the car is a fundamental requirement, coupled with as much downforce as possible.

“Low-speed handling is crucial as this is usually the slowest circuit on the calendar, although this year Singapore looks to be even slower. We will also be driving without the benefits of traction control for the first time in Monaco which I’m sure will be interesting. The new Bridgestone super soft tyre compound will be used for the first time over a race weekend, following its debut at the test.”

The key to a fast lap at Monaco is to remain confident in the face of daunting metal barriers, says Jenson.

“Monaco is a truly special race weekend. It’s completely different from any other venue on the calendar, although it will be interesting to see how the street circuits in Valencia and Singapore compare later this year. The whole lap at Monaco is just a non-stop challenge and you have to maintain absolute focus and concentration over every single one of the 78 laps of the race.

“The absolute key to a really quick lap is to not let the barriers intimidate you as this is a circuit that rewards precision. Having a good qualifying session and getting the best grid position possible is so important to a successful weekend. Passing is very difficult during the race, so you need to make a good start and do your overtaking off the line where possible.

“The Monaco Grand Prix means a great deal to me as it is one of my three homes races of the year, along with Silverstone and Japan. However, being a resident of Monaco is of no benefit over the race weekend as the principality is completely transformed! It’s unbelievably busy and getting around can be just impossible. My top tip would be to walk everywhere or use a scooter. What I love about Monaco is that it is a fantastic race for the fans who can get so close to the action and noise of Formula One.”

Honda team bos Ross Brawn thinks that the Grand Prix of Monaco next Sunday of a very chaotic manner. The drivers drive for the first time since a long time without traction control on the narrow street circuit. That goes according to Brawn problems: "Monaco is a track where the lack of traction control and engine braking will be felt."

He continues: "In Turkey we saw on Friday for the first time what impact a combination of a circuit with little grip and no tools can have. You see the car sometimes behave you know that traction control that had never allowed. I think that the loss of engine braking just such a major role in the slower lap.Also a factor that will play in Monaco. I am counting on many incidents coming weekend. "

A technical analysis ahead of this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

From a technical point of view, Monaco is not as much of an enigma as many people think. The track has been re-surfaced several times in recent years, which means the asphalt is not dissimilar to many permanent racetracks around the world, and from a set-up point of view, it is simply at one end of the aerodynamic and mechanical spectrum.

The cars run with maximum aerodynamic downforce throughout the weekend, which leaves the engineers and drivers to focus on maximising the mechanical grip generated by the cars. It is generally best not to change the car’s set-up too much during first practice on Thursday as the circuit only becomes representative in session two, once the surface has started to collect rubber.

With overtaking almost impossible at Monaco, gaining a good grid position is vital. For the engineers, finding their drivers a clear piece of track during qualifying, especially during Q1 when all 20 cars will be out, is as important as improving the car’s set-up.

Monaco GP set-up details

Full throttle: 60%
Brake wear: Medium – Hard
Downforce level: High – 10/10
Tyre compounds: Soft / Super Soft
Tyre usage: Medium
Average speed: 160kph (100mph)

Interesting to see if Honda replace Wurz with Sato before end of the season as the folks in Japan are calling for. Many even calling for him to replace Rubens in second seat but know there's no chance of that happening! Honda in the past have backed down to their Japanese fans i.e. dedicating a lot of time and money into the Super Aguri team. Hope they don't Honda already wasted enough time and money in past on Sato, they should pick drivers on talent and not on nationality. I hope the Spanish GP is last we ever see of Sato he's not good enough for Honda. Would'nt mind Davidson coming back as test driver next year though as he did decent job last time round.