Hot on the heels of last weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, the Lucky Strike B·A·R Honda team heads straight to Germany for Round 7 of the FIA Formula One World Championship, which takes place just one week later at the Nürburgring.
Monaco treated viewers to the most thrilling race of the season so far, and B·A·R can take its fair share of credit for much of the spectacle! The sheer hunger demonstrated by Jenson Button as he reeled in Jarno Trulli during the closing stages of the race left little doubt that B·A·R will stop at nothing in pursuit of its first victory.
The teams usually test between races but the regulations prevent this with the back-to-back events. However, both Jenson and Takuma are eager to pick up where they left off in Monaco, particularly Taku, whose race came to a premature conclusion after just two laps due to an engine failure.
Buoyed by its fourth podium finish in six races, the team's adrenalin 'high' may well be preparation enough for the Nürburgring - a track which both drivers enjoy. It has the full mixture of slow through to high-speed corners, from the revised turn 1, hairpin and chicane, to the double medium-speed 'S' bends and the very high speed 'S' after the hairpin. It also features a lot of undulation change, which is unusual for most modern circuits.
Jenson Button on the European Grand Prix"We are very excited about the European Grand Prix this weekend after a great race for us in Monaco. There is just a week between these two races so we are unable to test in-between, but we aren't too worried because we have done a lot of testing at Paul Ricard and Barcelona for the two races. Also we have a good car that should suit the Nürburgring circuit well. It's a track I enjoy, particularly because of its high speed corners and undulations. I have gone very well there over the last couple of years so I am really looking forward to it and can't wait to start running on Friday morning."
Takuma Sato on the European Grand Prix"The Nurburgring is where I had my European racing debut in Formula Opel, so I have lots of good memories of the circuit. This is a great track for me, with some high-speed technical corners and I like the way the track goes up and down hill. The Monaco GP was very disappointing for me personally but we know that our pace and performance are at a very high level, so I am very much looking forward to returning to the Nürburgring this weekend."
David Richards, Team Principal"With the Nürburgring following straight on from Monaco, we will carry forward our momentum and high spirit into Germany. However, I suspect that our challenge will be even greater and that those who failed in Monte Carlo will be keen to redress the balance. We have now shown that no matter what the type of circuit, we have a car and a team capable of taking on the very best."
Geoffrey Willis, Technical Director"After the mixed result of a hard fought 2nd place for Jenson but a DNF for Taku in Monaco, we now head to the Nürburgring looking to perform well and score points with both cars, if not another podium to add to our tally. The Nürburgring is a very different track to Monaco although the tyre compounds used are almost as soft due to the low abrasiveness of the track despite the higher cornering speeds."
Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development"After finishing second in Monaco, I'm looking forward to getting to the Nürburgring. Although the circuit presents a completely different challenge than Monaco we will do everything we can to find the half second that stood between us and our first win last weekend."
The CircuitRace distance - 60 laps 191.398 miles (308.863km)Circuit length - 3.217 miles (5.148 km)Race Start - 14.00 local time (13.00 GMT)
Germany's Nürburgring - host to seven European GPs and two Luxembourg GPs since 1995 - is decidedly tame by comparison to its intimidating 14 mile, 174-corner predecessor. Further changes came in 2002 when the first turn was reprofiled to cut into the infield and around a new stadium section, slowing the track even more, but yielding another overtaking spot. Some superficial modifications also occurred for last year's race.
The current circuit remains a fairly high downforce track that is light on tyres. To achieve a competitive lap time here requires all the normal chassis attributes: good traction (particularly out of the hairpins), good chassis balance and stability under braking. As the circuit is situated close to the Eifel Mountains, weather can often play a major role in the outcome of races at the Nürburgring.
Honda F1 HighlightThe 2004 European Grand Prix marks the 40th anniversary of Honda's first Formula One race; Ronnie Bucknum started Honda's first ever F1 Grand Prix at the Nürburgring on 2 August 1964.
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