A tobacco-backed purchase of Tyrrell, six years of Honda power, a second place in 2004 and a sale that led to Brawn's 2009 title.
BAR, short for British American Racing, raced in Formula One from 1999 until 2005. Tobacco money bought the Tyrrell team, Honda supplied engines and later took full ownership, and its successor Brawn GP won the 2009 Constructors' Championship.
British American Racing, known as BAR, was a Formula One constructor that competed from 1999 to 2005. British American Tobacco set the team up after buying the Tyrrell operation, Honda supplied its engines from 2000 and later took full control, and the team was eventually sold to Mercedes. Its strongest season was 2004, when it finished second in the Constructors' Championship.
How did BAR start?
British American Tobacco paid GBP 30 million for the Tyrrell team in 1997, after Craig Pollock persuaded the company to supply most of the equity. Pollock, Adrian Reynard and Rick Gorne were minority partners, and the team kept the Tyrrell name through 1998 before adopting BAR for 1999.
The company name came from British American Tobacco plc, which owned and sponsored the outfit to show its Lucky Strike and 555 brands. The headquarters sat in Brackley, Northamptonshire, and the chassis were built by Reynard Motorsport at a new factory in the same town.
The slogan 'A tradition of excellence' drew amusement from commentators, because the team had no history to speak of. Reynard also predicted a race win in the debut season, a claim the first year did not back up.
From a tobacco-funded purchase of Tyrrell to a Honda works team, BAR's story leads straight into Brawn's 2009 title.
What was the 1999 livery row?
BAR launched with two different liveries: a white and red Lucky Strike scheme on Jacques Villeneuve's car and a blue and yellow 555 scheme on Ricardo Zonta's. The FIA ruled the split illegal, because F1 rules require a team's cars to carry largely identical liveries.
BAR took the complaint to the International Chamber of Commerce, a route the F1 regulations allow, and also lodged one with the European Commission. Pollock was called before the World Motor Sport Council, where he apologised and agreed to follow the F1 arbitration process. That step averted a potential fine or ban, while the team ran one side of each car in each scheme to get around the ruling.
How did the 1999 season go?
The 1999 season was a disaster. BAR scored no championship points, making it the only one of eleven teams without a score that year. The car was often quick enough to qualify in midfield, and Villeneuve even ran third at the Spanish Grand Prix before a pit stop dropped him back.
Reliability was the real problem. Villeneuve began the year with 11 straight retirements, and his first finish came at the Belgian Grand Prix, where he and Zonta both crashed heavily in qualifying. Zonta was hurt in practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix and missed the next three races, so Mika Salo stood in. Salo's seventh place at San Marino was the team's best result of the season.
What changed when Honda arrived in 2000?
From 2000 Honda supplied the engines and sent staff to work alongside the team at Brackley, with full factory support, official team vehicles and free engines. Honda had first planned a factory entry of its own, but that plan was dropped after the death of Harvey Postlethwaite, and the deal marked Honda's first direct involvement in Formula One since 1992.
Jordan Grand Prix also ran Mugen Honda power units, so the two teams competed for the supply, and the engine makers could not keep serving two teams indefinitely. The 002 car, again designed with Adrian Reynard despite tension between him and Pollock, was considerably more reliable. Its best finish that year was fourth, and BAR ended 2000 fifth in the Constructors' Championship.
How did BAR fare in 2001 and 2002?
Villeneuve reached the podium twice in 2001, but neither he nor new team-mate Olivier Panis was consistent enough, and the team finished sixth. In 2002 BAR scored points at only three races and finished eighth with 7 points, after Pollock resigned under pressure from British American Tobacco on the eve of the new car's launch.
David Richards took over as team principal, and his Prodrive company was given a five-year management contract. The two firms had worked together before, when BAT sponsored the Subaru World Rally Championship team that Prodrive ran. The workforce was cut back, technical director Malcolm Oastler and designer Andy Green left, and Panis departed at the end of the season.
How good was BAR in 2004?
2004 was the team's best season. Jenson Button scored many podiums, took the first pole position in the team's history at San Marino, and BAR finished second in the Constructors' Championship, ahead of every team except Ferrari. The first race win still eluded the team.
Button had replaced Olivier Panis, who moved to Toyota, for 2003. Villeneuve's contract arguments with Richards ended with Takuma Sato, a Japanese driver backed by Honda, taking his seat before the season finished. Button led a race for the first time at the 2003 United States Grand Prix, but Bridgestone tyres caused problems until the team moved to Michelin.
A dispute with Williams over Button's services went to the Contract Recognition Board, which found in BAR's favour. Button was meant to race for BAR in 2005, yet he had signed with Williams for 2006.
Why did Honda take full control?
Rising restrictions on tobacco advertising in Formula One pushed BAT towards a sale. In mid-November 2004 Honda bought 45% of the team, David Richards left, and Nick Fry became team principal. Honda bought the remaining 55% in September 2005, making it the sole owner.
Honda then renamed the operation Honda Racing F1 Team for 2006. BAT remained title sponsor with the Lucky Strike brand, then left Formula One entirely at the end of 2006 under new worldwide tobacco advertising rules.
What happened in 2005?
The 2005 season started poorly and ended with a disqualification. BAR Honda was thrown out at San Marino, just as the team had become competitive, for running cars below the 605 kg (1323 lb) minimum weight. The team also served a two-race ban that included the Monaco Grand Prix.
BAR argued that the engine needed at least 6 kg (13 lb) of fuel to run, so the limit applied only during the race and not at post-race scrutineering. The FIA, and later the court, disagreed. The team first said it would take the matter to a civil court, but it later accepted the verdict. Max Mosley, the FIA president, thought the penalty was lenient and wanted a ban for the rest of the season. Unlike the case of Tyrrell in 1984, deliberate cheating could not be proven against BAR.
After the return the team had no points until the French Grand Prix, and Michelin tyre problems meant it did not start the United States Grand Prix. Takuma Sato scored just one point and his contract was not renewed, and Rubens Barrichello, a former Ferrari driver, took his place in the new Honda team. Button scored in each of the last 10 races, and his pass on Villeneuve at Pouhon, in the rain, stood out.
Did BAR's results improve over time?
Results climbed from a pointless 1999 to second place in 2004, then the team struggled in 2005, when a slow start and a disqualification made the year hard. The table sets out the main result of each season, using only the points and positions in the record.
| Season | Engines | Main result |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Supertec (rebadged Renault) | No points; best finish seventh at San Marino |
| 2000 | Honda | Best finish fourth; fifth in the Constructors' Championship |
| 2001 | Honda | Two podiums for Villeneuve; sixth in the Constructors' Championship |
| 2002 | Honda | Points at three races; 7 points; eighth in the Constructors' Championship |
| 2003 | Honda | Button led a race for the first time at the US Grand Prix |
| 2004 | Honda | Second in the Constructors' Championship; first pole at San Marino |
| 2005 | Honda | Disqualified at San Marino; two-race ban; Button scored in the last 10 races |
What happened after Honda tried to sell the team?
Honda ran the team through 2006, 2007 and 2008, but it tried to sell during 2008. Ross Brawn, the team principal, led a management buy-out, and an engine supply deal with Mercedes-Benz helped Brawn GP win the 2009 Constructors' Championship, while Jenson Button took the Drivers' title. Mercedes bought the team in November 2009.
BAT returned to Formula One in 2019 as a McLaren partner, promoting electronic cigarettes and other alternative products under its A Better Tomorrow campaign. The organisation now races as the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team.
What was the land speed attempt?
BAR tested a modified BAR-Honda 007 to try for a land speed record with a car that met Formula One regulations. The target was 400 km/h (249 mph), and the planned venue was the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Alan van der Merwe was the driver. A shakedown took place on 5 November 2005 on the 3.0 km runway at Mojave Airport in California, under the supervision of safety co-ordinator Jamie Hardwick. The four recorded times were 393 km/h (244 mph), 405 km/h (252 mph), 410 km/h (255 mph) and 413 km/h (257 mph). Those runs were not the record attempt itself, because waterlogged salt flats forced a postponement.
What is BAR's legacy?
BAR's legacy is one of transition. It began as a tobacco-funded purchase of Tyrrell, passed through Honda's works operation, and its management buy-out led to Brawn GP, which won the 2009 championships. The 2004 second place remains the team's best finish.
For most readers the story shows how a sponsor-backed team can change hands several times in little more than a decade. The name lasted only from 1999 to 2005, but the people and engines behind it shaped the years that followed.
