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Gil de Ferran puts brave face on Honda prospects

Honda driver Jenson Buttton comes into the pits during the second practice session at the Formula One Grand Prix of Canada in Montreal on Friday. The race will be held today. PHOTO: AFP

Winning two CART championships and the Indianapolis 500 were easy tasks for Gil de Ferran compared to his current job -- trying to make the Honda Formula One team competitive.

When he took on the job as sporting director in April 2005 for what was then the BAR-Honda team, de Ferran knew it would be a big job to help the team become competitive with F1 juggernauts like McLaren-Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault.

But it has been far more difficult than expected, and things have not gotten much better so far this year.

Honda drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello have yet to score a point heading into today's Canadian Grand Prix, the sixth race of a 17-race season.

But de Ferran, a man who values creativity and intellect, remains hopeful and positive.

"It's hard because I'm a very competitive person," de Ferran said on Friday at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. "I don't enjoy being beaten. But you have to keep your emotions in check. It's really a matter of one step at a time."

De Ferran is not that far removed from his driving days. He left the cockpit at the age of 35, following the 2003 season, the year in which he won Indy for Team Penske.

After a brief try at doing TV commentary, he was offered his current job.

"I loved working with the producers and directors and I got to do some writing, so it was a lot of fun," de Ferran said. "But, at the end of the day, I was missing that competitive edge. I missed being part of a team and being able to influence the race in some form."

Barrichello, who won nine races during his time at Ferrari, is in his second season with Honda.

"We are making progress, but so do all the other F1 teams, so it's hard to catch up." Barrichello said. "Nobody stands still in F1. But Gil and everyone at Honda is determined to get it turned around, and I think it can be done. But it won't happen overnight."

Button is also trying to stay positive and he likes to spend time talking with de Ferran about racing.

"Gil is able to understand the drivers to a level that sometimes the engineers cannot, because although they are incredibly talented people, they have not necessarily been drivers themselves," he said. "Gil is a guy who has been in the same situation that we have been in and he has really helped us to bridge the gap between the drivers and the engineers."
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