Adrian Reynard on World Motorsports...

[Sparky]

...Anybody else catch it?

There he was, interviewed at the Autosport show, talking it up like it was their debut season or something. Made me all nostalgic it did!

"BAR will definately be in a position to challenge for the Championship this year. (sound familiar?) There will certainly be many podium finishes; Everything we need to succeed is in place.

What on earth is he going to use for an excuse at the end of this season??
"Everything is in place..." That kind of narrows his options a bit, doesn't it!

I know that teams and drivers need to be supremely confident at the dawn of a new season, otherwise why bother, right? But most teams, Jordan for example, understand that the top two steps are occupied indefinately, and aim for that lucrative third spot.

A bit off topic, but Ford Rally boss Malcolm Wilson was saying the exact same thing about his chances. "We've got to win this year, we've watched it go for three seasons now, we MUST win this year; We have everything we need to win."

How long can these teams keep on kidding us and themselves?

If I was a naive new sponsor, blindly pouring money into a 'will-win' outfit, I'd be pretty cheesed come season's end.

In fact, I'd probably want a refund!

[Jay]

If you watch Amercian sports it is quite common for teams or Athletes to come out and say that they are going to be the best and win the Championship even when it is obvious they will not.

I guess a little optimisim never hurt anyone...

[angst]

Panis has strengthened the team in terms of driving talent, and particularly testing/development. With Villeneuve at the team I believe they have two of the top five or six drivers out there. There was a marked improvement over the previous year and with Honda's further involvement and Adrian Reynard's record this isn't as ridiculous as you seem to think. Williams and BAR will both be snapping at the heels of the big two this season.