Button to take the fight to Michael?

[Bobie]

So can Button keep up his form and be the only driver apart from Rubens to to take the fight to Michael?

Will it be a three horse race this year between the two Ferraris and the BAR number 1?

[shiny side up!]

Considering the fact that with a little luck, Sato would have been in front of Button in Bahrain, I don't think you can write him off. Nor can you eliminate the Williams and Renault from the battle at or near the front. I have yet to see Button or Rubens take the fight to Michael, so perhaps the question should be can he take the fight to the Ferrari #2?

[Adam43]

Have you just read this weeks Autosport?

Button is driving well and getting some nice points and podiums, but here is a little perspective:

Micheal Schumacher 30 (3 wins)
Rubens Barrichello 21 (0 wins)
Jenson Button      15 (0 wins)

Ferrari 51
BAR     22

Previous world Championships:
Year Driver       Constructor
2000 M Schumacher Ferrari
2001 M Schumacher Ferrari
2002 M Schumacher Ferrari
2003 M Schumacher Ferrari

he is driving well, but there is a long way to go yet. Fingers crossed.

[Redblurr]

exactly, it's a looooooooong way from 1st to third especially if Schumi is driving the red one

[wazupmate]

Does Bunsen know how to lite DR's cigar! If he don't he should get inline behind James Allen.

[Mr V]

Originally posted by Bobie
So can Button keep up his form and be the only driver apart from Rubens to to take the fight to Michael?

Will it be a three horse race this year between the two Ferraris and the BAR number 1?

Whilst Jenson has been brilliant so far this season, don't forget that had it not been for a duff engine, Juan Pablo would once again been the main driver taking the fight to Ferrari in Bahrain.

[006_007]

Originally posted by Mr V
Whilst Jenson has been brilliant so far this season, don't forget that had it not been for a duff engine, Juan Pablo would once again been the main driver taking the fight to Ferrari in Bahrain.

Agreed, I still think Montoya is the fellow that is currently most capable of taking the fight to Ferrari.

Jenson/BAR will have their hands full if Montoyas car doesnt break and Ralf finds the pace he is supposed to have.

He is doing a remarkable job though.

TJ

[Mr V]

Originally posted by 006_007

Jenson/BAR will have their hands full if Montoyas car doesnt break and Ralf finds the pace he is supposed to have.

All the time Rafes future seems uncertain, imo, he's not going to get the job done. Neither side (Williams or Rafe) seem in any hurry to get everything sorted (to the detriment of the team), so for a while yet, i can see jenson having the upper hand over Rafe. Don't forget that last year, Rafe managed only 5 points in his last 6 races of the year. I can see Jenson finishing ahead of Rafe come seasons end.

[enemy-ace]

Button and BAR are certainly competitive but they are not in Ferrari's league yet! Or Williams' either for that matter. Methinks they will have a difficult time unseating Renault for third. Consider Alonso set second fastest lap at Bahrain in his charge to the front, and they haven't yet performed to their maximum.

[Tenoch]

Its way to early to call anything,right now all we can say that Ferrari and J. Button hit the ground running while the other teams still have some bugs to work out but none the less come mid-season Williams Mclaren and Renault will be at a pretty good stride.

[neilap]

I was predicted that this would happen but I think its way too early. Williams and Renault are still too fast to be overlooked. JB was as fast as JPM throught the race its the consistency that they lacked. Since they are on a steep learning curve their pace is acceptable. At the start of the season I said I would be disappointed with anything less than third. I was told to expect a 6th. Third is still possible. Personally, I think Renault are more of a threat than Williams. I dont know why, its just a feeling. Either way, in two races BAR has been as fast as or faster than the two teams. I know its a hard pill to swallow but BAR Honda had to eventually get it right.

That said, I feel they are on a real high now. I am sure there may be a couple downs further in the season. Its how they rebound that will demonstrate their drive for the title chase.

JB may be the team leader. He is also making fewer mistakes than Sato. Its funny how hard he tried to avoid saying Sato was holding him up in the race. But just like it took the team time to be taken seriously, I am sure that with a little more time Sato can be on JB's pace, consistently and not just for 50% of the race.

[BootsOntheSide]

If anyone can take the fight to Ferrari this season, it will be Montoya. His raciness and aggression are undisputed, he always gives 100%, and does genuinely frighten Michael. He was the closest in Malaysia, was in Bahrain until the car failed, and only Alonso's great start prevented him being closest in Malaysia.

This shoudl take nothing away from Button and BAR though. Their progress has been astounding, and the main thing is that one podium was on pace, and the other was at least a 4th on pace.

[300kph]

We will see a clrearer picture when we go back to Europe where most of the races are held...Although the Ferrari are way ahead, I think that in the long run, Montoya-Williams will be the stronger challenger among the rest...

[Wrex]

Originally posted by BootsOntheSide
If anyone can take the fight to Ferrari this season, it will be Montoya.

This I agree with

Originally posted by BootsOntheSide
His raciness and aggression are undisputed, he always gives 100%, and does genuinely frighten Michael.

This is just, hmmm, whats a polite way to put it? Nope cant think of it. This is just


I'm as impressed (and pleased) as anyone about the BAR pace this season, but they are miles away from Ferrari. Added to this, I see Williams and even Renault developing their cars further than BAR this season, so BAR will ultimately drop back to 4th.

But hey, I would'nt rule out a race win, nor would I rule out them stepping up another notch next season (and I never thought I'd be saying that).

[Glen]

I wouldn't say they are miles away - iif Bahrain had been run on the Saturday, in 20deg warmer conditions, then Button may well have won that race. OK, so it's no good having all these ifs, but you know what I mean - it's not a run-away difference like 2002 and, amazingly, BAR seem to be in the leading group chasing the red ones.

[Adam43]

Originally posted by Glen
I wouldn't say they are miles away - iif Bahrain had been run on the Saturday, in 20deg warmer conditions, then Button may well have won that race.

He would have been closer, but Michael was a long way ahead and I reckon had a lot in hand...

Still a warm European summer wouldn't hurt Button's chances...

[RWC]

Not sure if jense has the grit to fight it out for a championship but i sure hope we get to see him try this year!
I must admit,things have been ....different this year
Not sure i can actually use the word 'interesting' when describing anything f1, but it's a pleasent surprise to see bar and renault doing so well + the two other big teams having to dig deep

[Gt_R]

Although there is no doubt that Button had done pretty well of late, and BAR had made huge improvements and is competitive in recent races, i have no doubts that the immediate threat to Ferrari still comes from the Williams team.

Simply, Ferrari is more than pace and reliability. The whole structure is very strong, very experienced at the top level. And BAR is "new" to the top tier of F1, which their relative inexperience will show at certain events ie caught out by weather/traffic/etc. Williams on the other hand is experienced and well structured to take on Ferrari, and even they are struggling to match.

I think it is more useful that BAR don't set their targets too high..instead, the focus of Button/BAR/DR is to aim at is consistently beating Renault and pose a serious threat to Williams.

Unfortunately, without luck/favourable conditions, it is hard for anybody to beat Ferrari/MS in a straight fight. So while in an odd race or 2 we may see BAR/Williams/Renault coming strong and run close, those performance would be hard to reproduce for consecutive races.

[Logrence]

Ferrari are going to win it easily this year - why?

Because you've got BAR/Williams/Renault to challenge them now - I can see BAR and Renault falling back simply because they won't be able to keep up the momentum - that leaves Williams, but we're going to see a McLaren resurgence towards the end of the season when someone finally figures out they've put the engine in backwards. McLaren will be on the up and taking points away from the key players who will be fighting with Ferrari + Ferrari inc. for points.

[Logrence]

In short, er...no.

[neilap]

Question: Why would anyone expect Williams to be able to progress faster than Renault or BAR?

BAR, I've heard has been dealt a blow with the FIA ruling their new rear wing to be illegal(just what I have heard, dont know if its true). That figures . Usually people present something outrageous at first then try to reach a compromise. Maybe this is what BAR is doing.

No, one will catch or even beat Ferrari this year unless they have some bad luck. JB was 22 seconds behind MS after he has slowed to allow RB to be in the same frame for a photo opportunity.

[Peter Mallett]

I don't think BAR and Jenson will be up there unless Ferrari hits trouble. But the very fact that it can even be open for discussion makes this season so far different from any previous BAR season.

They appear to be on level terms with Williams and Renault. Certainly ahead of Jaguar and Macaroon. So it is possible but not probable I'm afraid.

[Wrex]

Originally posted by neilap
Question: Why would anyone expect Williams to be able to progress faster than Renault or BAR?

Experience and resources is the answer.

Dont get me wrong, I would love to see the establishment change.

You can bet your ass the most motivating thing at McLaren is'nt that Ferrari are beating them (they must be used to it by now), or even Williams and Renault. But a traditional midfield team is blowing them away!

There is no way anyone could see this as a bad thing. The change will be nice, Sato at the front can only be good to watch (no matter what you think of him), and anything that reduces the accuracy of our predictions makes it interesting.

Get Jag and Toyota up there as well, and we have ourselves one hell of a championship.

[Gt_R]

Yeah...nobody would have thought of predicting BAR challengine the top 3 teams before last year. ITV's most improved team belongs to them!

Yeah i heard about the rear wing being refused by FIA. It's supposedly give BAR a "third" element. Too bad..but nothing can be done if it doesn't fit the rule.

BAR doesn't seem to be able to easily and consistently match (though close) Williams in terms of pace yet. They're getting there, and DR seem eager to push the team for improvements. Williams/Renault had shown amazing developement pace throughout last year..i'd expect this year to be the same, and BAR have to really push hard to not be dropped by those 2.

[Skam85]

Hmmm....let me think about this for a moment....NO!!! You honestly can't say Jenson will challenge the Ferrari's after 3 FLY-AWAY races at the beggining of the season where lucky results for MIDDLE-GRID teams are higher than ever. It's not going to happen. Sorry JB fans but he wil be lucky to score 20 more points this year once Williams, McLaren and Renault hit their straps into the European season.