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A new outfit for 1999, Craig Pollock’s BAR team upset the F1 establishment before its first race. The FIA took exception to different liveries for the two cars, but after apologising, the team escaped being banned from a number of races.
Pollock, Jacques Villeneuve’s manager, formed the team with the assistance of British American Tobacco at the end of 1997, after buying the Tyrrell outfit. With cars designed by CART chassis supplier, Reynard, and power from the proven Supertec engine, BAR had an impressive package for a new team.
Team personnel were poached from up and down the F1 pit lane, giving the outfit great experience. Speculation regarding Jacques Villeneuve’s involvement was rife from the start, and after a few misleading signals he announced his move to Pollock’s team in July 1998.
The first season was indeed harder than anyone expected, and the cars proved consistently fragile, and only occasionally fast. In addition, the team was hindered by the early loss of Zonta to a broken foot.
Stand-in Mika Salo managed to put the car across the finish line for the team in San Marino, where he finished seventh. He also finished eight in Spain, before Zonta returned to the fray.
Villeneuve put in some typically gutsy performances, although he did not manage to finish a race until Belgium - where he crossed the line in 15th.
BAR did not manage to score a single point during the 1999 season, missing out on a top ten spot which would have enabled more paddock rights and free travel.
However, the announcement that BAR would be Honda's works team for 2000 stunned the F1 establishment, and cleared the path for a vastly improved performance. The technical team believed that 1999's car was quick, but could not be developed due to unreliability. Those problems were solved in 2000, BAR vastly improved.
2000 Result - Fifth in Constructors' Championship, 20 points, no wins
2001 Line-up
- Jacques Villeneuve, Olivier Panis