This week's Grapevine brings you information fresh from the paddock on: Raising the BAR Frentzen Making a Difference

Raising the BAR

It is promising to be a funny year at BAR, after the political wrangling over Jacques Villeneuve remaining with the team, signing Jenson Button from Renault, and wrestling Honda support away from Jordan. And, better than that, with expectations relatively low, the team can exceed them regardless.

There has been a lot going on behind the scenes. The team are in nothing like the same shape they were when Richards took over, and prospects seem to be very positive in the medium to long term - or at least, that's the buzz from the shop floor. And there seems to be some sense behind it too.

The political wranglings from the end of the season surrounded some significant manoeuvering, aimed at putting the team on to a footing for long term growth. The works deal with Honda was extended, and further broadened. More to the point, the manufacturer's commitment became tied to BAR alone, and a solid development roadmap was agreed for the next three years. The chassis and aerodynamic design teams were reviewed and augmented, with results that were visible this year. On the basis of these changes, and the Honda roadmap, Button was impressed into signing with the team. As one of the youngest drivers, the team see promise of a long a fruitful relationship with the Briton.

The wrangling included a fight to secure front running budget, and a very public attempt to persuade Villeneuve to leave - including the flat statement that remaining with the team would not only guarantee it was his last, but it would absorb so much of the budget, that the car could not be properly developed.

Making a deal of Villeneuve's expense was a huge part of the game being played with Honda over funding for the next three years. Honda are well recognised for backing Villeneuve, and want to keep him in the team. Richards, in contrast, is not such a fan, considering the driver a waste of resource, as his results were not sufficiently better than Panis' to justify the salary. The upshot of keeping him on, even for just one year, is Honda picking up a greater slice of research costs - even after the Canadian's departure.

Regarding expectations, the excellent job Ferrari have made of their F2002 has ensured that only the 'big four' are expected to stand any chance of winning races next season. And then, only if they really pick their socks up. For the rest of the field, BAR included, scrapping to score points is the order of the day - with a podium finish something to hope for, on the outside chance that the big boys get it all wrong. Being competitive with the midfield is all anyone can ask.

Which is fortunate, as the roadmap to the future sees 2003 as a vital building year, consolidating the design team and ironing out the development kinks, before attempting to get to the top of the pile in the two years following.

Against that backdrop, the team are putting together their 2003 challenger, in the full belief they will be able to do something worthwhile for the year ahead. The car doesn't really bear much comparison with its predecessor: this is Geoff Willis' first car for the team, and it carries more of the hallmarks of a Williams than any BAR created so far. The promise of a chassis that provides a solid home for the new Honda engine has lifted expectations - though there are concerns that reliability is going to be an issue, which is one of the two reasons for an early launch.

Given the BAR/Williams hybrid effect of the new car, neither Villeneuve nor Button is carrying an excess of experience into the New Year for setting it up. Both need time to acclimatise to it, and both are expected to need plenty of track time to establish how to get the car to work for them. It is interesting to note that neither is expected to have a particular advantage at the outset: Villeneuve has more experience with BAR personnel, but Button has worked with Willis, and driven one of his cars before, at Williams.

Then again, with Villeneuve knowing he is facing the end of his time at BAR, his chances of finding a place with one of the top four teams for the year after depends on how he performs this season - without appearing to recover the form he demonstrated at Williams, there will be no place for him in Formula One. Button, on the other hand, cannot afford to be dominated as he was by Giancarlo Fisichella at Benetton, and needs to impress if he is to gain the support of his team. Accordingly, the drivers' struggle against each other can do nothing but drive the team forward.

And that, of course, fits into the plan very nicely.

Frentzen Making a Difference

As things stand, the FIA anticipates three teams stepping forward to take on their suggested 'Friday morning testing' option, at the expense of in-season tests.

There was no doubt that Minardi would look for this option, as Paul Stoddart immediately illustrated how it could be turned into a cash generation program for the team - indeed, the potential income from hiring out a car for local test sessions is expected to pay for any development the team manage during the year.

Jordan, finances permitting, would rather test with the big boys, so they can continue to develop their integration and understanding of the new Ford engine. However, the budget to manage this has not materialised: currently, they cannot afford to test for much more than the permitted ten car-days without compromising their development budget anyway, so they are looking for the Friday tests.

So, a decision from Sauber to go the same route is critical, as no other team are expected to have any interest in losing their right to unlimited testing.

The argument about whether or not to join Jordan and Minardi is awkward, with each direction holding attractions. On the one hand, there's the option to test all new developments, relatively speaking, at leisure. Considering there are some interesting new components for qualifying, and Sauber have a car with potential to be developed, free testing makes a lot of sense.

On the other hand, the Ferrari engine, though powerful and unbelievably reliable, is expensive, and it is swallowing a huge part of Sauber's budget. Testing is expensive: taking the Friday testing option could free up enough budget to get some real in-season development done - something the team have struggled with in recent years. Not only that, but an extra two hours of set-up time on the track could offer a real advantage in qualifying.

Now, Heinz-Harald Frentzen's signing is looking like the decisive factor, potentially giving Sauber a chance to have his cake, and eat it too. The driver is a known quantity: during his previous time at the team, he generally offered quick, decisive opinions when testing. Since then, passing through Williams and Jordan, he has continued to gain experience and build his reputation as a capable tester.

Frentzen is happy with the Friday testing, and believes that the development program currently planned for next season will, just about, fit into the two hour Friday sessions, with the ten car days used for the major developments. It is not ideal, as there is little room for error, but on the positive side, it gives the drivers more time to themselves between events - something he believes will make them better rested and sharper for the race weekends.

With inexperienced drivers, Sauber would not have been able to risk the Friday testing option; however, with Frentzen on board, he is finding it hard to see how he can afford not to.