On the day after Honda debuted its 2008 contender, Nick Fry has said that its predecessor did not suit Ruben Barrichello, the man charged with giving the RA108 its first run.

"Jenson is totally committed and flat-out from the first corner, all the time," Nick Fry told The Guardian. "As for Rubens, I believe he still has all his skill and potential but by the same token I fully accept that after 15 years in Formula One, when we have presented him with a car that is less than fully competitive, it may sometimes be hard for him to maximise his motivation."

There was much surprise in July last year when the Brackley outfit announced that it would be retaining the same line-up for a third successive season.

While Button, who referred to the RA107 as "shit" - and that's when he was in a good mood - managed to score six points, four of them in China where he finished fifth, Barrichello failed to score a single World Championship point for the first time in his fifteen season F1 career.

Though, according to forums and message boards, there was widespread disappointment with the new car yesterday, mainly down to aesthetics, the arrival of Ross Brawn is expected to see the team return to the sort of form it showed in late 2006.