Honda 2008 Review, Part Six: In the End It Doesn’t Even Matter?

So here comes probably my last Honda article; the team I love and have supported for so long is on the brink of slipping into F1 history.  Whilst I’m still hoping a big business geezer on a white charger will appear and snap up the team for £1; when I wrote this there was still no significant news about the team other than the fact Honda have agreed to help any prospective buyers. 

Hey, maybe my doomed feeling isn’t justified. Ross could pull some strings and Jens could compete in 2009 with a Ferrari engine!?

What follows are the final three races of 2008.  All of which were total disappointments for Honda.  I remember writing throughout the season “don’t worry about the crappy performance this year, next year we’ll be great...” 

Looking back at Honda’s early season if they had continued to develop the RA108, I think they might have been in a similar position to Torro Rosso at the end of the season.  If my dreams come true that work will have been well worth it and the Ferrari RA109 will be a beast...if not...what a waste of the final season of a team that deserved to go out with a bang.  

2008 Season review of Honda Racing F1: Part six, Japan to Brazil 

Japan: 12th October 2008

Qualifying:
Jenson Button (JB): 18
Rubens Barrichello (RB): 17

Race:
JB: 14
RB: 13

At one end of the grid my Spanish F1 Hero triumphed, whilst at the other my British Hero floundered!

Yet another race weekend started poorly for the Honda team.  In practice Rubens was slow.  Jenson was slower still and qualifying simply reflected this.  Jenson, (who admitted that he didn’t expect much), struggled to get good balance and couldn’t place himself higher than P18.  Rubens, just couldn’t thrash the speed out of the RA108 and later stated that Honda were at the back of the midfield race; he only managed P17.

From not expecting much from the race, Honda’s drivers managed to capitalise on the first corner madness with Jenson making up a fantastic eight places (now P10); Rubens too hurled the car up to P14.  Unfortunately Jenson’s option tyres didn’t perform well and he quickly slipped down the pack.  Primes for the second stint gave the car much better performance, but by then it was too late for Jens who finished 14th.  Pretty much the story of his life! Will he ever be in the right car at the right time!!??

Contact with Fisichella damaged Rubens’s car and balance; he wrestled with it, holding off a faster Nico Rosberg until finally being taken.  Later on Rubens battled with fellow countryman Massa before yielding with 38 laps remaining.  That was about as exciting as it got for Rubens who finished P13.

Honda’s last home GP was yet another disappointing one.
 
 China: 19th October 2008

Qualifying:
JB: 18
RB: 14

Race:
JB: 16
RB: 11

China gave us another disappointing race for Honda and, after the last couple of races, a pretty dull procession overall.

During qualifying, Honda’s chances of breaking into Q2 were aided by engine troubles for Red Bull’s Mark Webber, (who was given a ten-place penalty for an engine change), and sure enough one of the RA108’s made it through.

 Qualifying comparisons show that of all the teams on this year’s grid, Rubens and Jenson were the closest.  Before China they had both beaten each other in qualifying eight times.  China, however, was Rubens’s race, with Jenson below par from Friday onwards.  Rubens would go on to win the overall qually battle…..and look what good that’s done for him!

Set up and balance troubles meant that 18th was all Button could manage.  Rubens was able to find far more speed (he was four tenths faster than Jenson) and got through Q1 at P15.  He then pushed the car to the max and finished the second session a very successful (for this season!) P14, which translated into P13 with Webber’s 10 place drop.

A pretty good start for both Hondas saw Jenson and Rubens make up three places each boosting them to P15 and P10 respectively. 

Rubens battled with a lighter and faster Webber before eventually having to yield.  As the race progressed Rubens drove like a man on a mission, and Jenson slipped back down the grid. 

The Hondas finished 11th and 16th with Rubens totally outperforming Jenson.  So why was Rubens so much faster than Jenson in China?

Simple, he was driving for his career, and if you asked me, he earned a drive in 2009.  Lets see what happens to the Brazilian champion that never was next year.  

Brazil: 2nd November 2008

Qualifying:
JB: 17
RB: 15

Race:
JB: 13
RB: 15

Honda’s last race for a while and nothing much to say, more a case of going out with a whimper than a bang.

At his home GP Rubens managed (again) to push the Honda to its limits and got himself into Qualifying round two.  He seemed particularly pleased with the team’s performance in Q1 and managed to pull out what he called a perfect lap, in which his option tyres and set up worked well for him.

Unfortunately for Q2, the RA108’s season long troubles re-surfaced in the familiar form of understeer and lack of grip.  Rubens later said that without those issues he thought the car was good for P14 or P13.  I would argue though Rubens, that this is the story of Honda’s season!  Was this the last time we’ll see Rubens Qualifying in F1?
 
Unfortunately for Jenson, his car wasn’t able to cope with the limits and stopped out on track after his last run.  Though he felt the car had improved since the mornings set-up a self confessed mistake on his second lap meant that ‘Team Jenson’ were on the back foot from the beginning. 

Consistently slower than his teammate in the first round, Jens finished a quarter of a second slower than the Brazilian. He still managed P17, beating both Force Indias (phew) and even a Williams.  The final qualifying scores for the season were Jenson Button: 8 better Saturday results; Rubens Barrachello: 10.     

The start of the race was as exciting as the end, with a massive downpour postponing the start by 12 minutes.  All the teams switched to wets and gingerly made their way around the first few laps until a crash involving Piquet, Nakajima and poor old David Coulthard bought out the safety car.

In the early commotion both Hondas capitalised on good starts with Jensen up to 14th and Rubens 11th.  Heidfeld battled his way up the grid from a poor starting position; he fought with Rubens for a bit before the superior BMW breezed past the RA108 on the pit straight.

After the switch back to slicks and a fire extinguisher leak in the Honda pits! the RA108’s were 13th (Rubens) and 14th (Jenson).  A rather harsh manoeuvre from Trulli pushed Bourdais off on lap 20 and gifted Rubens P12.  Jenson, however, slipped down the pack to 15th. 

After their second stops the Hondas were again behind each other in 12th and 13th (Rubens first).  It stayed this way really until the end of the race.  At one point Jenson overtook his team mate to gain 11th on lap 44, but neither driver managed higher than that.

The eventual result saw Rubens claim P11 and Jenson P14.  Both Hondas were involved in races and both seemed committed and didn’t drop off the boil.  I don’t think the cars had it in them to get beyond 11th without Toyotas giving way to them on the last lap.

And that was Honda’s season.  Really promising start, great few races then came the decision to concentrate on 2009.  I spent the whole of last season looking forward to next season and now I don’t know what to think. 

I realise Honda are in financial turmoil but I can’t help feeling greatly let down by the team I have followed since BAR.  Jenson is far too good a driver not to get a seat next year and I’ll support him wherever he goes.  I hope that my other hero Fernando Alonso is provided with a car that will take him to the end of the grid he belongs on. 

As for me….I’m not sure if I can be as passionate about F1 anymore and I fear I may well turn elsewhere for my motorsport kicks.