Thursday October 24th, 2002

Canadian driver Jacques Villeneuve is confident that British American Racing will reap the rewards of Honda's decision to concentrate solely on the Brackley-based team in the 2003 season.

The former World Champion is convinced that by ceasing to supply engines to rivals Jordan next year, Japanese engine manufacturer Honda will help his Brackley-based team take giant strides forward.

"I am very happy about Honda's decision because it means they can concentrate on us," Villeneuve told Autosport magazine. "It means that to do the same job it will be cheaper. They will have the same budget and can do more with that."

Villeneuve, who this season scored only four points, revealed that he believes BAR's progress had been slowed over the last two years due to Honda's efforts being split while supplying two teams in Formula One.

"When there are so few special pieces it now means we can have them all," Villeneuve added. "Before, we sometimes had to wait so that the other team could have them."

Published at 16:32:38 GMT