Honda concludes its winter testing with optimism…

The Honda Racing team has just completed its pre-season testing with three days at the Jerez circuit.

The Japanese team worked alone for these three days, with Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello before being joined by Alex Wurz, the team’s test driver. All tested the latest aerodynamic and mechanical developments of the 2008 single-seater.

Each driver was behind the wheel of an RA108 for two consecutive days, completing a total of 603 laps, covering over 2670 km. No times were provided by the team.

Button believes that the new parts tested have allowed Honda to take a step forward just days before the first Grand Prix.

« Our final tests this week before the start of the season went well, and they were very useful in evaluating our new developments that we have implemented on the car, » said Button.

We completed some work in preparation for a race weekend in real conditions and I was happy to see that we made a step forward in terms of performance.

« We are realistic about our expectations for the first races and we know that we still have a long way to go. »

Barrichello added: « I have driven the new car from its launch until today with the new aerodynamic package. This is very useful for achieving and experiencing a concrete gain in competitiveness myself. »

« Today, I completed a large number of laps with the latest single-seater, which is beneficial. It’s difficult to know where we stand compared to our competitors, but I believe we’ve definitely taken a step in the right direction. »

« We have improved the car and I feel that we are well prepared for the start of the season, » concluded the Brazilian.