03/11/2005
NEWS STORY
In the wake of the official announcement of Super Aguri Formula One, and Honda's much publicised support for the venture, there have naturally been fears - most notably at Brackley - that involvement with a second team might compromise Honda's main F1 venture, namely the former BAR team, which it recently bought out.
In an internal memo, which has now been made widely available, team boss, Nick Fry, has sought to allay these fears.
"It is Honda's number one priority to achieve race wins and championship success with our team," wrote Fry. "That is why Honda chose to buy BAR.
"Notwithstanding this commitment to supply another team and the announcement in Tokyo, our first priority is this team," added Fry. "We will not allow any significant diversion of energy into a potential second team or any project other than winning."
Earlier in the week, Fry admitted that a second team would require massive commitment: "Starting a new Formula One team is a huge undertaking," he told the BAR website. "It requires the hiring of a lot of people, detailed logistics and the purchase of a large amount of equipment some of which has long lead times. What we are doing with the new team at the moment is working through exactly what needs to be done between now and the beginning of next season.
"It's all still at the detailed planning stage," he added, "and any announcements will come from the new team rather than us. We are the supporting act here, rather than the leaders."