There is a new champion spin doctor in motor racing, Nick Fry, whose excuse for the abysmal showing of the Honda RA107 is that the team is 'a relatively young and inexperienced organisation.'

There has been a name change at Brackley, but BAR made its debut in 1999 and Fry joined as Managing Director in 2002. To secure a place on the grid, BAR bought the Tyrrell Racing Organisation in 1997 and Tyrrell first constructed an F1 car in 1970. BAR acknowledged the Tyrrell heritage and claimed it was continuing a 'tradition of excellence'.

It does not matter that the name has changed. Honda is no more a new team than was Renault after it took over Benetton. Enzo Ferrari died in 1988, but Ferrari is still Ferrari. Only Ferrari and McLaren have longer continuous histories than the team which is currently called Honda.

Fry is now trying to recruit engineers from other teams and the only way you can do that is to throw money at the problem. That must really boost the morale at Honda.

Henry V before Agincourt: We're comprehensively outnumbered and we're ravaged by disease. All in all, it's a real bummer.

I'm hoping to get reinforcements who will be promoted above you. There's some handy lads in Germany and Spain, but they are not going to be able to get here for this battle on account of other commitments. Meanwhile, I'm stuck with you.

On the bright side, my leadership qualities are not in question.

Now I have inspired you, go out and win.

Fry is like a football manager who, after five years, thinks it might be a good idea to employ a dedicated goalkeeper rather than throw the shirt to anyone on the squad who might otherwise not get a game.

From the captain of RMS Titanic: If the engineers had made the ship go faster, we would have been well clear of danger. The fact is not that we were going too fast, but we were not going fast enough.

I do not think the engineers were totally to blame, however, you have to consider the iceberg, which was relatively young and inexperienced. It had not long broken away from the Arctic shelf and it was the first time it had strayed into the Atlantic shipping lanes. It was like a newly qualified driver on a motorway for the first time.

When Stewart GP began racing in 1997, Sir Jackie warned his sponsors and the media that it would take the team five years to become competitive. Stewart GP scored a win in its 47th race. It took the Brackley-based team eight years to score its first win. Eight years is how long it took Jordan, with two differences: Eddie did not have huge bankrolling and, the following season, Jordan won another two races. This year Honda has not looked like winning a point.

Pitpass recently published a piece by 'Helios', who seems to have an inside track into Honda. He, or she, suggested that the wind tunnel was not properly calibrated. If so, it won't be the first time such things have happened.

The dynometer at TWR was not calibrated properly, I believe it was something to do with atmospheric pressure. When the Yamaha engine was tested, it lost about 25 bhp in the short journey from Engine Developments (Judd).