05/05/2005
NEWS STORY
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BAR will be counting the huge cost of today's decision by the International Court of Appeal, and not just financially.
The team, which was already in Spain, preparing for tomorrow's first free practice sessions, will now have to head back to England.
According to Pitpass' sources this couldn't have happened at a worse time. Apparently the chief executives of Honda, which bought a large stake in the team late last year, are currently meeting in Portugal and were hoping to attend Sunday's race, this is highly unlikely now, given the circumstances.
Then comes Monaco, Formula One's jewel in the crown, and an event that will cost the Brackley outfit dear in terms of entertaining potential sponsors, customer relations and indeed prestige.
Furthermore, both Spain and Monaco are amongst the few events on the F1 calendar where tobacco liveries are allowed.
Quite how Honda will react to the ban remains to be seen, but today's decision is sure to cause problems within the team and one or two heads could roll.
On a slightly ironic note, one cannot help but appreciate the significance of one of the pictures on the front page of the FIA's website… a BAR refuelling pit stop.