HONDA F1

Continuing the high downforce theme Honda have developed endplates for the "dumbo wings" and also added small winglets to the inside edges of the front wing.The latter addition is a small gain, compared to adding a bridge wing which has been the standard approach this year, something Honda have yet to develop.

Formula One is aiming to establish a 110 million Euro budget cap by the 2011 season, this week's Autosport magazine reveals.

A budget cap is set to be introduced in the sport from the start of 2009, and FIA consultant Tony Purnell has written to all Formula One teams with the figures the governing body would like to be set as a starting point for future discussions.

The figures proposed are 175 million Euro for 2009, 140 million by 2010, and 110 million a year later.

The cap would not cover expenditure on engines, KERS systems, marketing costs or driver and team principal salaries.

The figures, however, have received mixed reactions from some team bosses.

"Next year's figures are workable, but Honda is a little concerned about the glide-path, which needs more discussion," Honda Racing CEO Nick Fry told Autosport.

"By pushing the number too low, we may not only attract marginal operations but also alienate those at the top who want to develop high technology."

Today, the three test week at the Paul Ricard circuit began. The teams are preparing in France for the next two races in Monaco and Canada.

The nostrils of Honda have not yet been followed by other teams, but the Japanese team develops the 'elephant-wings' quiet. The RA108 is today already equipped with two new variants. Honda experimented with holes in the vertical part of the nostrils and appeared later in the lane with a vertical version with rainclouds to the end.

The Grand Prix of Monaco is upon us and the teams have everything from the closet to fetch as much as possible downforce at the close stratencircuit to generate. By Honda is not that different. The Japanese team wants in the principality revancheren for a disappointing race in Turkey. Honda intends to Monaco with a few new elements to be visible.

That unveiled teambaas Ross Brawn. "We have a test this week at the Paul Ricard circuit in order to prepare for the races in Monaco and Montreal. Then we get another test in Barcelona to our next aerodynamic update to confirm. We have some visually interesting new components for Monaco, where we met the most downforce so far will ride. According to our calculations we have only in Singapore later this year more downward pressure. Montreal is precisely the opposite, with many long straights and high top speed, "said the Englishman.

Rubens Barrichello has been since last Sunday as the record number of Grand Prix starts, and he himself has the ambition for many years to continue. The Brazilian drove all 257 Formula 1 races and has set itself the target of at least 300 Grands Prix behind his name.

The question is whether he had the opportunity to time. His contract with Honda expires and negotiations to extend that have not yet begun. Honda Racing-director Nick Fry said: "Contract have not our priority at the moment. We have been working two and a half years together and we have the commitment of Rubens already been extended. ” It can easily be renewed again. "

Fry stressed that Barrichello friends no need to expect. The Brazilian must simply show that he still has enough speed. Fry: "At this moment, Rubens quickly enough to be part of our line-up. And if next year he still fast enough, then he can remain with us. .” As simple as that. "

The Turkish Grand Prix ended in frustration for the Honda Racing F1 Team. Despite everyone’s best efforts to move Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello up the order, they came home pretty much where they’d started, in 11th and 14th places respectively.

In his record-breaking 257th GP start, Rubens got too much clutch slip away from the line, which allowed Jenson – who started one place further back in 13th – to pass him into Turn 1. However, no sooner had the race started than the Safety Car was deployed after a collision at the back of the field between Giancarlo Fisichella and Kazuki Nakajima.

The race re-started two laps later, with Jenson and Rubens running in 11th and 12th places after they’d both gained another position when Heikki Kovalainen pitted following a puncture. The Hondas then ran in formation until Rubens made his only pitstop of the race on lap 27, from which he rejoined in 14th position.

On the prime tyre Jenson climbed up to eighth place during this first pitstop window before making his only pitstop of the race on lap 31. He rejoined the race in 11th position, behind Jarno Trulli and ahead of Nelson Piquet, and it was at this stage of the race that the tide turned against him. He struggled for grip on the softer, option tyre – as he had during qualifying yesterday – and in the space of 500 metres he lost two positions at the end of lap 35 and the beginning of lap 36, first to Piquet and then to Kovalainen.

As more rubber went down on the asphalt, the handling of Jenson’s RA108 improved and he started to set competitive lap times. He set his fastest time of the race on the final lap, which was enough to hold off a late-race challenge from Kovalainen and secure 11th position.

"Although I managed to improve slightly on my start position, it was a disappointing race for us,” reflected Jenson. “The start was clean and I had a pretty good first lap, however our pace wasn't as good as we expected it to be during the race. I had a problem on my first stint with the front tyres, caused by the brakes overheating, which cost me a bit of time. We then changed our strategy to a one-stop which worked pretty well. Unfortunately the difference in fuel loads really tells here so it was difficult to hold back the quicker cars behind me who were two-stopping. We need to make some further improvements to the car before we are able to challenge for the points again."

Rubens had a lonely end to his race, coming home in 14th. "It was a frustrating race for us today,” he confirmed. “Unfortunately we did not have the pace to compete and overall I'm disappointed with the performance of the car. I suffered from understeer and traffic in my first stint so we stopped a little bit early to try and get me out into some space. From then on, it was an uneventful run to the end of the race. We have a lot of work to do over the next couple of tests to try to find some pace."

The Honda Racing F1 Team now heads to Paul Ricard for an intensive test session ahead of the next race on the calendar, the Monaco Grand Prix on 25 May. “We should have some visually interesting new parts for Monaco the highest downforce circuit so far,” says Team Principal Ross Brawn. “However, we do not expect Monaco to be the highest downforce track of the year - our calculations show that Singapore will require even more. Montreal is at the opposite end of the spectrum with the demand placed on very high straight line speed."

Honda Racing is the first team that has driven with a version of KERS (Kinetic Engine Recovery System), a system for energy back to win. Most teams are still in development, now known that the system next year will be permitted in Formula 1. Brawn: "We have for the first time drove in a car. Not on a very high level, but we are up and running." Brawn would not go into the question of when that has been, but described it as "fairly recent."

Ross Brawn believes that KERS good for the sport and for the car manufacturers in Formula 1. "I understand that many people do not understand because of the contradiction of saving money and on the other side much money to spend on new systems. But to automobile manufacturers as Honda, the technique has become irrelevant, so it's a good investment. It is at this moment However, very difficult to find a good balance for the system. The development of the system is still in its early stages. "

Rubens Barrichello says that the Honda team is not as timely in Turkey as it had hoped to be. In the run-up to the weekend Ross Brawn said that the circuit would be the Honda, after the first three points for Jenson Button in Barcelona. Both drivers knew not to reach the top ten and Barrichello gives them the blame for a bad balance sheet.

Barrichello: "Everyone has gone deployed today, but we were not as strong as we had hoped. I had problems with the balance of the car so this is the best we could achieve today. I could not get it to display on a whole round. The first two sectors were good, but in the third I was just too slow. We have a need to step forward on a regular basis in Q3 to come. "

Jenson Button had problems with his tyres and realizes that since the thirteenth place, it would be difficult to score points. "I did my run in Q2 on the soft tyre, which proved to work well for everyone. When I am not, so I had to return to the hard band, which has a round about three-tenths slower. In that light is the thirteenth still not entirely bad. But scoring points will be difficult from that position. But I've always fun in racing and overtaking, so we shall see what it gets. "