Formula One news

Hill: Honda isn't there yet

Former Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill believes Honda isn't there yet to continue winning races. On Sunday Jenson Button claimed his maiden win in Formula One, but Hill doesn't expect Button to start winning them constantly yet.

"I believe that Honda still has some more work to do before we can regard the team as having consistently winning equipment," Hill told the Guardian. "I was fortunate enough to have very competitive equipment at Williams in 1993 and went straight on to win my next two races. I think you have to ask yourself what Jenson might have achieved driving for McLaren, Ferrari or Renault, the three teams who currently have a tight grip on the formula one winners' circle."

"Jenson's win was very much a wild-card success in unusual circumstances and it's my feeling that when it comes to the next race at Istanbul [on August 27] it will be back to situation normal, with the team reverting to its role as a championship pretender rather than an established front runner."

Hill does believe though it is a personal breakthrough for Button to win his first Grand Prix. "The first win is obviously the hardest because for so long it seems to be so tantalisingly and maddeningly out of reach. Jenson did a fine job but when he took that 10-place penalty on the starting grid for that engine failure, which dropped him from fourth to 14th, he probably went to bed on Saturday night thinking 'Oh hell, this is just going to be more of the same.'

"I remember feeling a slight sense of bewilderment on the morning after my first victory. It was a strange feeling of having broken through an invisible barrier separating you from where you are to where you think you ought to be."

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• 06 Jan.
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  • Kubica to start karting team
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• 05 Jan.
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  • Suspended sentence and fine for Verstappen
  • Berger confirms Buemi for STR
• 04 Jan.
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• 03 Jan.
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• 02 Jan.
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  • "Title loss would have damaged Hamilton's reputation"
• 01 Jan.
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• 31 Dec. '08
  • Kubica: Next year is a big challenge
  • Hakkinen: Vettel will soon be a Formula 1 champion
  • Hamilton receives MBE award
  • Heidfeld expects more accidents in 2009
• 30 Dec. '08
  • Hamilton to join Madame Tussauds
  • Ecclestone: Button should take a sabbatical
  • Manager: Alonso would love to join Ferrari one day
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• 29 Dec. '08
  • Hamilton to miss victory parade in Woking
  • Alonso to join Ferrari in 2011?
  • Mexican billionaire denies Honda bid
• 28 Dec. '08
  • Mexican buyer for Honda?
• 27 Dec. '08
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• 26 Dec. '08
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• 25 Dec. '08
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• 24 Dec. '08
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  • Karthikeyan not interested in joining Force India
  • Mosley: Finding a successor won't be easy
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  • Mosley may still try to continue
• 23 Dec. '08
  • WSR team Draco teams up with Force India
  • Howett: Ecclestone not able to split FOTA
  • Toyota committed to Formula 1

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