2001, the second year of Honda’s third F1 era, was a year of continuity and improvement: BAR’s management conflicts of 2000 were soon resolved, and Craig Pollock, the team’s managing director from the start, remained as team principal. Malcolm Ostler continued to lead design development under the direction of Adrian Reynard, technical director of the division developing and manufacturing the car.

This continuity in leadership was good news for Honda, which had worked with the prestigious McLaren, Williams, and Lotus teams in the 1980s and 1990s, but had partnered with BAR, a young team in its second year of competition, as it aimed in its third F1 era not only to supply engines, but also jointly develop the chassis, a new challenge for Honda. It was a time when Honda needed the knowhow that could only be accumulated by a stable team. In 2001, Honda continued to work with BAR’s engineering team, led by Ostler, to jointly develop the chassis.

With Honda’s help, BAR’s engineering team worked to improve the lack of grip in the chassis, which had been an issue in 2000. As a solution, BAR003’s weight distribution was revised to 45 percent on the front axle. The suspension arms were also made of carbon, resulting in a weight reduction of 33 kg. Several aerodynamic parts made by Honda were used to improve aerodynamic performance, and spring rates were reduced as a result. The unstable behavior of the car, with understeer at the entrance of turns and snap oversteer at the exit, was alleviated by changing the settings of the electronically controlled differential.

Team leadership remained unchanged, but the drivers did not: Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 champion who had driven for BAR since the team’s beginning, stayed under an extended contract, but Ricardo Zonta left and was replaced by Olivier Panis, who had won the Monaco Grand Prix in 1996 in a Ligier powered by a Mugen Honda engine.

There was also movement in the test driver lineup. In addition to the previously announced British driver Darren Manning and French driver Patrick Lemarié, two new drivers were announced at the new car’s launch. They were Anthony Davidson, who won the McLaren Young Driver of the Year award in 2000, and Takuma Sato, who finished third in the British Formula 3 championship in 2000. Sato passed the BAR Driver Development Program test in December 2000. He became the first F1 test driver to graduate from the Suzuka Racing School (now Honda Racing School Suzuka).

As for the team’s results, Villeneuve finished third in the Spanish GP, his first podium for BAR, but 2001 was more difficult than the previous year, mainly due to a lack of development direction and car reliability. The BAR003 developed by Ostler was basically an extension of the previous year’s BAR002 concept, and needed updates to improve performance. However, BAR’s engineers, who had little experience in F1, tended to be conservative in their development, and evolution stalled. Minor changes were made and the BAR003 became lighter through the technical alliance with Honda, but compared to the top teams, it was still an orthodox car. As a result, development of the car came to a standstill during the season, and as the season progressed, BAR fell behind its rivals. Although BAR finished within the points six times between its drivers, four were in the first half of the season. The second half was sluggish.

Villeneuve claimed his second podium in the second half of the season at the German Grand Prix, but the team fell short of their pre-season goal determined pre-season, to finish third in the Constructors’ Championship. 17 points for the year and sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship were both lower than the previous year’s 20 points and fifth place, ending a frustrating season.