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Montreal 04

Air Canada

13/06/2004

12/06/2004

BAR Qualifying Notes

BAR Qualifying Notes

Jenson Button will spearhead Lucky Strike BAR Honda's challenge in tomorrow's Canadian Grand Prix after posting the 2nd fastest lap in today's final qualifying session. Jenson delivered a near-perfect lap which looked worthy of pole until the final runner Ralf Schumacher pipped him to pole by 0.066 seconds. Nevertheless he lines up on the front row of the grid for the second time this season, with three places between him and the Ferraris.

His team-mate Takuma Sato was bitterly disappointed with his 17th place grid slot. He had a slide in between turns six and seven and in a bid to make up time in the last sector he missed the first part of the chicane and hit the kerb, which launched him into a spin. He recovered well to complete the lap, but lost four seconds in the process.

Jenson Button:
"I'm very pleased with my lap and a front row grid slot. Not as pleased as if I'd held on to pole but I'll settle for second. I lost a bit of time in the hairpin because I went a bit deep and locked up the front right. There are a couple more tenths in the car yet so to be a full second ahead of Michael is fantastic; a bit strange but great nonetheless."

"Having three cars between myself and Michael is a bonus - but I guess I still have Jarno behind me to worry about! Neither the team nor myself have ever had much luck here and it would be nice for us to change that this weekend. I'm told it will be a capacity crowd here tomorrow and I'm optimistic that we can give them something other than a Ferrari 1-2 to smile about!"

Takuma Sato:
"It has been a difficult day for me. In the morning session we lost the first part of the practice due to an oil pressure problem and then lost part of the second practice session, so we could not try all of the variables on the car that we wanted to. However, the car felt great in pre-qualifying and I started the final qualifying session feeling very confident."

"Sector one was very good, but I had a slide through turns six and seven, and in trying to make up time, I missed the first part of the last chicane and hit the kerb. I'm very annoyed with myself and I've certainly made life hard by having to start so far back down the grid. It will be a tough race for me tomorrow but this circuit has some good overtaking opportunities, so I have to be positive and try my best."

David Richards, Team Principal:
"I am delighted that Jenson has delivered such a mature and measured performance this afternoon, and it is a shame that he should miss out on his second career pole by such a tiny fraction. However, the race is what counts, and I am very confident that Jenson will continue his good work and deliver another podium - hopefully it's just a matter of which step!"

"As for Taku, I am very disappointed with his performance as he had the speed to deliver at the same level as Jenson. Having made a couple of errors in the second sector he should have consolidated the lap into what would have been a row two grid slot. Nevertheless, I fully support his brave and ambitious spirit; we just need to channel it in the right direction."

Geoffrey Willis, Technical Director:
"After a good morning the qualifying session ended with very mixed results for the team. Jenson's lap was very good and we are disappointed not to have held on to pole. However it is very good to be starting tomorrow's race from the front row since it is so hard to overtake here. The drivers have been happy with the car balance all day and we are confident with our tyre choice so we are looking forward to the race."

"Takuma spun his car exiting the final chicane trying to make up too much time and was lucky not to hit the wall. However, he did hit the kerb hard and damaged the car. This spin has dropped him to 17th on the grid so we will have to consider our options for his race strategy tomorrow."

Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development:
"What an exciting session! It was great to see so many people in with a chance for pole - us included. It was a shame for Takuma as he was obviously on an extremely quick lap but Jenson has done an excellent job. We can look forward to the race with confidence."