Perhaps it’s just me but it’s never a good sign when a F1 team announces that everything will be all right “once we get back to Europe”. The translation of this well-worn phrase is, of course, “we have completely screwed up with our new car, it’s shit slow and we don’t know why”. This year it’s Honda’s Nick Fry with the unenviable task of announcing the dire situation to the world.

“I think we have to set ourselves the target of being up there with Renault and BMW by the start of the European season,” said Fry.

Sorry, Nick. I think your real target (for 2008 now) should be to build a car you understand before the first race because somehow I doubt senior management at Honda were impressed at seeing your boys stuck behind the Super Aguris.

Argentinian driver Ricardo Risatti has been dropped from BCN’s GP2 line-up after failing to secure enough sponsorship to raise a full budget. Sakon Yamamoto has already been confirmed at BCN but no word yet on who will replace Risatti.