By BAR Honda
July 28 2005

Lucky Strike BAR Honda celebrated today when Jenson Button finished 3rd in the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim. After lining up on the front row of the grid, he recovered from a difficult start to get himself right back into the thick of the action. He then set his sights on reining in Michael Schumacher in his own backyard to get himself back into podium contention.

After 10-laps close behind, Jenson chose his moment well and disposed of the current World Champion at the hairpin, quickly pulling away and with excellent work from the pit crew ensured that things remained that way for the duration of the race. Despite a valiant effort running at the speed of the two in front, he was unable to catch Juan Pablo Montoya for second but was delighted to deliver a further six points and the team's first trophy of 2005.

Takuma Sato was forced to pit for a new nose at the end of the first lap which prevented him from achieving a points-scoring position. He ended the race 12th.

Following today's result, BAR Honda leapfrogs two teams in the Constructors' Championship in one go, boosting its position to 7th with 15 points.

Gil de Ferran, BAR Honda's Sporting Director, commented "We are very happy with Jenson's podium. He drove a very strong race pushing hard throughout and perfectly executing an overtaking manoeuvre over Michael that turned out to be decisive for us to finish third. The Honda engine and Michelin tyres performed faultlessly throughout the race. Unfortunately Taku got caught in a traffic jam coming out of turn three and had to stop for a new nose, which delayed him a lot and made it difficult for him to score points. This result sets us up nicely for the qualifying order in Hungary, where we are again hoping to be fighting at the sharp end of the grid."

Shuhei Nakamoto, Honda Racing Development's Engineering Director, added "Congratulations to Jenson for a fantastic drive - including a brilliant overtaking manoeuvre on Michael Schumacher - right in front of a group of over 1000 Honda dealer guests! He drove a great race from start to finish and fully deserved his podium finish. It was a shame that Takuma had another early race incident, but he again recovered well and must keep looking forward. I'm sure his luck will turn."