British American Racing
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| Full name | British American Racing (1999) Lucky Strike BAR Honda (2000–2005) |
|---|---|
| Base | Brackley, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom |
| Founder(s) | Craig Pollock |
| Noted staff |
Adrian Reynard David Richards Nick Fry |
| Noted drivers |
 Jacques Villeneuve Jenson Button Mika Salo Olivier Panis Takuma Sato Anthony Davidson
|
| Previous name | Tyrrell Racing |
| Next name | Honda Racing F1 Team |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| First entry | 1999 Australian Grand Prix |
| Races entered | 118 |
| Engines | Supertec, Honda |
| Constructors' Championships |
0 |
| Drivers' Championships |
0 |
| Race victories | 0 |
| Podiums | 15 |
| Points | 227 |
| Pole positions | 2 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Final entry | 2005 Chinese Grand Prix |
British American Racing was a Formula One constructor that competed in the sport from 1999 to 2005. BAR began by acquiring Tyrrell, and used Supertec engines for their first year. Subsequently, they formed a partnership with Honda which lasted for the next six years.
The team was named after British American Tobacco plc (BAT), which owned and sponsored it in order to display its Lucky Strike and 555 brands. The headquarters were in Brackley, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom.
In mid-November 2004, Japanese car manufacturer Honda purchased 45% of the team, and in September 2005 purchased the remaining 55% share to become the sole owner. Consequently, BAR Honda became Honda Racing F1 Team for the 2006 Formula One season. BAT continued as title sponsor with the Lucky Strike brand but due to new tobacco advertising regulations worldwide, pulled its Lucky Strike sponsorship from Formula One entirely at the end of the 2006 season.
British American Tobacco (BAT) had been involved in Formula One for many years, with several of its brands being displayed on F1 cars run by various teams.
In 1997 the corporation was convinced by Craig Pollock to provide most of the equity to purchase the Tyrrell Formula One team for GB£30 million. Pollock, Adrian Reynard and Rick Gorne were the minority partners. The deal was announced on 2 December 1997. The team was still officially known as Tyrrell in 1998, before it became BAR the following year.
On 23 July 1998 BAR announced the signing of World Champion Jacques Villeneuve away from Williams with a lucrative contract for the 1999 season. Pollock had managed Villeneuve throughout his racing career. Villeneuve was joined by F1 rookie Ricardo Zonta. The car's chassis was built by Reynard Motorsport at a new factory in Brackley and was powered by Supertec (rebadged Renault) engines.
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