In a disappointing conclusion to a promising weekend, Takuma Sato finished just outside the Brazilian Grand Prix points after coming from the back of the grid to take tenth position.

Taku was making solid progress through the field on a one-stop strategy, and had climbed briefly into the points as a result of different fuel strategies, before experiencing what the BAR-Honda team euphemistically called 'a non-critical mechanical problem' in the second half of his race.

　 "We started with damp conditions today and I had a lot of fuel on board, which meant the car was very heavy. l also had a low downforce set-up, so it was very difficult to get heat into the tyres for the first few laps. The car was tough to drive with low grip and sliding quite a bit. As the track dried and the car got lighter, my pace picked up and we were on target for our strategy, but I then had a mechanical problem with the rear suspension, so the car was bouncing a lot and losing stability. At least I am pleased to have brought the car home safely. I now look forward to my home race at Suzuka."

　 Takuma Sato was frustrated by mechanical problems in both Saturday practice sessions at Interlagos, which meant that he had very little running time and was unable to work on new tyre runs in preparation for qualifying.

Preparation for qualifying was a challenge in itself, as the BAR-Honda team squeezed the work of three free practice sessions into two after rain stopped play for the whole of Friday afternoon. The deadline for tyre choice was deferred to noon on Saturday and Taku made good progress through a busy schedule of set-up work and tyre evaluations.

Since Taku was already penalised by a ten-place grid penalty from Spa, and was qualifying early in the session, the team decided to change the engine in his BAR-Honda after practice and, after completing just an installation lap, he will start the race from the back of the grid.

　 "Another difficult day for me. We were hoping to carry the momentum from yesterday over into today's free practice, but we had problems in both sessions, which meant that I had very little running. As a result, I didn't get the opportunity to put in a new tyre run, which is a big shame because I don't know how the car behaves on new tyres. For qualifying, we decided to complete only an installation lap so that we can maximise the opportunities for the race tomorrow. Obviously, I had to start from the back of the grid anyway, so we approached our strategy with that in mind. I am confident that we have a strong package and, as always, I will be fighting hard for a good result."

　 Conditions were warm and sunny as Takuma Sato reacquainted himself with the notoriously bumpy Interlagos circuit - and moved to the top of the timesheets in the first session of the day.

Taku finished the morning session in second position, and continued to develop his set-up for the demands of the anti-clockwise circuit as conditions cooled during the second session. He also evaluated tyre options for the rest of the weekend but, unlike other drivers who chose to run with new tyres, Taku's programme consisted of longer runs exclusively on used tyres, which saw him finish the session in an unrepresentative 20th position.

　 "The car performed well today. In the second session, we concentrated on the race situation and we also compared the two tyre options to help our choice this evening. All of our programme was completed and, although we need to work on improving our pace for tomorrow, it was generally a good day."