he is sooo sexy :sex:

Circuit de Catalunya - Spain 2 February 2008

1 S. Vettel 01:21.679 89

2 S. Bourdais S 01:21.782 88

3 L. Hamilton 01:22.135 80

4 H. Kovalainen 01:22.511 70

5 R. Kubica 01:22.833 90

6 F. Alonso 01:22.938 115

7 N. Piquet jr. 01:23.002 115

8 M. Webber 01:23.020 75

9 N. Heidfeld 01:23.070 94

10 D. Coulthard 01:23.322 85

11 N. Rosberg 01:23.347 34

12 K. Nakajima 01:23.948 40

13 J. Button 01:23.959 58

14 V. Liuzzi 01:24.263 61

Button says a lot of work needed on RA108

Jenson Button says there is still a lot of work to be done before the new Honda RA108 is competitive following a three-day test at Barcelona last weekend.

Both Button and teammate Rubens Barrichello suffered from a general lack of mechanical grip during the test, with neither managing to show the sort of pace the Japanese squad are hoping for in order to bounce back from their dismal 2007 season.

The good news for the team, however, was that the stability problems suffered under braking last year are nearly gone.

Button was happy with the car's reliability, but he admitted there is still a lot of progress to be made.

"I am pleased with the reliability of the car," said Button at the end of the test. "Generally, we have made some progress this week but there is still a lot of work to be done in the forthcoming tests. The car is completely new which means we are starting from zero in terms of developing the set-up.

"We are also experiencing some drivability issues as we work with the new ECU. The weather conditions today meant that I was able to get my first wet running in without traction control, which was good. On to Jerez next as we continue to keep pushing forward with developing the car."

Barrichello added: "There is plenty of potential in terms of working on the speed of the car in the coming tests and this will come as we continue to make progress with the set-up. At this stage I am happy that reliability is certainly on our side."

Circuito Permanente de Jerez - Spain 13 February 2008

1 M. Webber Red Bull 01:18.628 72

2 N. Rosberg Williams 01:19.091 98

3 K. Nakajima Williams 01:19.215 91

4 F. Alonso Renault 01:19.710 104

5 R. Kubica BMW 01:19.829 116

6 L. Hamilton McLaren 01:19.857 68

7 D. Coulthard Red Bull 01:19.883 97

8 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 01:19.889 114

9 N. Piquet jr. Renault 01:20.014 110

10 H. Kovalainen McLaren 01:20.152 84

11 N. Heidfeld BMW 01:20.201 109

12 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 01:20.536 76

13 J. Button Honda 01:21.147 85

14 T. Sato Super Aguri 01:21.376 101

15 R. Barrichello Honda 01:21.710 58

16 A. Sutil Force India F1 01:22.244 86

Button sure Honda will make progress

Jenson Button is confident that Honda Racing can deliver improved results in 2008 despite an unimpressive start to testing for their new RA108.

The new car has failed to set times that are a threat to the front-runners during its initial tests, as the team pin their hopes on the machine erasing the memories of a disastrous 2007 campaign.

But despite that lacklustre start, Button believes the team know what they need to do to step up their game - and he thinks the RA108 is heading in the right direction.

"The RA108 is completely new which means we are starting from zero in terms of developing the set-up," he told the official Formula One website. "We are also working on driveability as we adapt to the new ECU.

"These challenges were reflected in our speed at our debut test in Barcelona, especially on single fast laps, but our long-run consistency improved. We have a good basic car with new opportunities for aerodynamics and other areas and a clear plan for addressing any issues in the coming tests."

He added: "We have a lot of work to do in order to achieve our targets and obviously things are not going to happen overnight, however we have some very good people at the team and I have every confidence that we will progress throughout the year."

Button has drawn short, however, of making firm predictions about what Honda can achieve this year.

"We still have some important tests ahead so at this moment any answer would be a pure guess," he said when asked if a win was on the cards for this year.

"But I am very confident that the development is moving in the right direction and that results are lurking around the corner."

Exclusive interview - Honda’s Jenson Button

The past 12 months must have been difficult to swallow for Honda’s Jenson Button. With the RA107’s poor aero performance and lack of stability under braking to contend with, Button scored just six points in 2007, 50 less than his tally from the season before.

Over the winter, however, the Japanese squad have been hard at work, and with new team principal Ross Brawn now on board, the British driver is hopeful that it is only a matter of time before all the effort starts to pay off …

Q: Jenson, you have been with Honda since 2003 and have seen many people come and go. In the short time he has been in charge, what has Ross Brawn managed to achieve?

Jenson Button: The changes that we have made to the team over the last six months were exactly what we needed to take us forward this year and I’m confident that we have the right people, along with great support and resources from Honda, to achieve our targets. Ross arrived quite late in the design process of the RA108 so his focus has been on evaluating every area of the team’s operation to ensure that all the right elements are in place for us to move forward. I’m really enjoying working with Ross and it has been good to have him at the tests as he has so much experience to guide development.

Q: Where do you see the Honda team at the moment?

JB: We have a lot of work to do in order to achieve our targets and obviously things are not going to happen overnight, however we have some very good people at the team and I have every confidence that we will progress throughout the year.

Q: This season will be your sixth spent at Honda. Are you satisfied?

JB: I can’t imagine a better team to be working with for my future F1 career.

Q: The car manufacturer Honda seems to be very patient when it comes to on-track success. Is the pressure to succeed increasing?

JB: The only pressure is the pressure we put on ourselves. We are all committed to building a successful team and the effort and hard work across the team is relentless.

Q: The tests have been difficult so far. Can you pinpoint any specific reasons for this?

JB: The RA108 is completely new which means we are starting from zero in terms of developing the set-up. We are also working on driveability as we adapt to the new ECU. These challenges were reflected in our speed at our debut test in Barcelona, especially on single fast laps, but our long-run consistency improved. We have a good basic car with new opportunities for aerodynamics and other areas and a clear plan for addressing any issues in the coming tests.

Q: Alexander Wurz has joined the team as test driver. When do you expect to see the fruits of his contribution? And in what areas do you think his input will be vital?

JB: Alex's feedback is obviously great as he has been in the sport for a long time - in different teams. He brings a lot of experience to the team and he is already making a good contribution.

Q: How do you feel about the 2008 car? Do you think you will be able to repeat your 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix victory driving it?

JB: We still have some important tests ahead so at this moment any answer would be a pure guess. But I am very confident that the development is moving in the right direction and that results are lurking around the corner.

Q: There are only left 30 days until the Melbourne race. What is the team’s most urgent priority?

JB: As is the case every year, we will keep pushing hard in the remaining tests to ensure we arrive in Melbourne in the best possible position.

Q: What is your prediction for the first three flyaway races? Thumbs-up or thumbs-down?

JB: As always I’ll approach the first three races in a positive frame of mind and I’m hoping to see good reliability and improvements as the races progress.

Circuito Permanente de Jerez - Spain 14 February 2008

1 H. Kovalainen McLaren 01:17.974 96

2 D. Coulthard Red Bull 01:18.485 107

3 K. Nakajima Williams 01:19.117 90

4 L. Hamilton McLaren 01:19.429 83

5 R. Kubica BMW 01:19.535 129

6 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 01:19.688 53

7 N. Piquet jr. Renault 01:19.817 134

8 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 01:19.848 101

9 N. Heidfeld BMW 01:19.934 116

10 M. Webber Red Bull 01:19.980 107

11 G. Fisichella Force India F1 01:20.669 89

12 J. Button Honda 01:20.988 121

13 A. Davidson Super Aguri 01:21.010 103

14 N. Hulkenberg Williams 01:21.116 71

15 L. Di Grassi Renault 01:21.286 73

16 A. Wurz Honda 01:21.605 103

Barrichello and Button praise improving Honda

With less than a month to go before the 2008 season gets underway in Australia, Honda’s Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button are cautiously optimistic that the RA108 is finally showing signs of improvement, after wrapping up a productive test at the Spanish circuit of Jerez on Thursday.

Barrichello covered more than 150 laps over two days of running on Tuesday and Wednesday. Although he failed to make it into the top ten on the timesheets on either day, he was pleased with progress, convinced the team have gone some way to solving the grip and pace issues that blighted early test sessions with the car.

“We made some good steps with the driveability this week which have given me more confidence getting on the power,” the Brazilian said. “The car balance has improved with progress on the ride and suspension, and I'm feeling comfortable in the car and happier with my driving position.”

Button, meanwhile, tested on Wednesday and Thursday, covering over 200 laps as he ran through aero evaluations and a race simulation. Despite finishing over three seconds down on fastest man Heikki Kovalainen in the McLaren on Thursday, the British driver was also satisfied as he left Jerez.

“We have made good progress this week in understanding the car, addressing the issues that we experienced at the last test and getting the car balanced for long runs,” added Button. “There is a great deal of work to do over the two remaining tests before we head to Melbourne, but I am now happier in the car and have more confidence to push it to the limit.”

The team will be back in action at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya later this month.

Honda facing up to issues after test

16 February 2008

Honda continued its intensive pre-season testing programme in Spain this week with the track activity moving to Jerez. Race drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, along with Test and Reserve Driver Alex Wurz, were in action this week as the evaluation and development of the new RA108 race car continued.

"After this week's test in Jerez, we now have a full understanding of the issues which have been affecting the handling of the car," said engineering chief Steve Clark. "The new components to address these issues will be ready in time for our next test in Barcelona. With this in mind, the focus this week was to sign off the race distance reliability of the car with Jenson and Alex completing full race distances today. We also made steady progress with improving the engine driveability and chassis controls which will give us a good starting point for the next test when we will be in a position to implement the new updates."

A long way to go for new Honda - Button

16 February 2008

Jenson Button has warned that Honda has a long way to go with its 2008 car before the team can be competitive again. However, he acknowledged the team has made progress this winter, even though it might not be showing on the testing time sheets.

"We have made good progress this week in understanding the car, addressing the issues that we experienced at the last test and getting the car balanced for long runs," Button said. "There is a great deal of work to do over the two remaining tests before we head to Melbourne, but I am now happier in the car and have more confidence to push it to the limit."

Jenson & Flo