Sato

	Villeneuve

TOKYO -- As expected, Japanese driver Takuma Sato was unveiled Tuesday as BAR's replacement for former world champion Jacques Villeneuve for the 2004 Formula One season.

"There comes a time in all relationships where you have to move on. That is the simple explanation," BAR managing director Dave Richards told a news conference.

"Some people think it was a predetermined decision taken a long time ago, but I can contradict that completely. It came after long debate, and the decision was taken internally."

Sato, 26, raced for Jordan last season but returned to BAR as a test driver for 2003. He will partner Briton Jenson Button for the Honda-powered BAR next year.

No place for Villeneuve

Bernie Ecclestone says he tried to help Canadian Jacques Villeneuve to stay in Formula One next season but no team was interested. "I did everything possible to talk teams into giving Jacques a drive for next season but the truth is no one wants him," The Sun newspaper quoted the Formula One chief as saying on Tuesday. "I still regard him as a great racer but he needs a team that would give him extra motivation," added Ecclestone. "Toyota would have been the perfect platform for him because they could give him a car capable of winning races." This weekend's Japanese Grand Prix looks like being Villeneuve's last in Formula One, with all the top teams having already filled their positions for 2004. Ecclestone said he had suggested Villeneuve should drive for free for Ferrari, where the 32-year-old's late father Gilles remains an iconic figure. "But it didn't come off because Michael (Schumacher) insists on number one status, which shows he must still consider Jacques a threat," said Ecclestone. Schumacher, who can claim a record sixth title at Suzuka, clashed with Villeneuve in the 1997 title deciding race and the two still have a frosty relationship. -- Reuters

Villeneuve, who won the 1997 title for Williams, was expected to drive his last race for BAR at the season-ending Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on Sunday.

"These situations are never easy," said Richards, who informed Villeneuve by telephone last week.

"I rang Jacques in Los Angeles. I didn't want him to hear the news secondhand. He was probably tired and had just woken up. It was not the best time to talk about it.

"I'm sure we'll follow up on that at the weekend. The Japanese Grand Prix will be his last race for the BAR team ... but I hope Formula One has not seen the last of Jacques."

Instantly recognizable with his dyed hair and hip-hop style of dressing, Villeneuve burst on to the Formula One scene in 1996 when he seized pole position in his first race and almost won it.

However, the 32-year-old could be forced to bid farewell to the sport because the top teams have announced their lineups for 2004.

Sato, meanwhile, who tested for BAR in 2001 before joining Jordan last season, vowed to build on his fifth-place finish at Suzuka last year.

"Of course, you dream of winning races, but all I can do is give 100 percent and try to improve on that fifth place at Suzuka," the Honda protege said.

"In 2001, I was focusing mainly on Formula Three, but I have a year of F1 racing experience behind me now and I'm a completely different driver."

Richards, too, insisted that promoting Sato was a positive step for BAR, which was founded in 1999.

"We are on the right track ... for the 2004 season. We have the fresh energy of Takuma Sato and a formidable combination of experience and speed," he said.

Button is 12th in the 2003 world championship standings with 12 points, Villeneuve 15th with six points. BAR is sixth in the constructors' standings.