Takuma Sato’s hard work over the Hungarian Grand prix weekend was finally rewarded with his first point of the season, as he brought the second BAR-Honda 007 home in eighth position.

The result ensured that the team added five points to its championship tally, moving it into easy reach of sixth place in the constructors' standings.

It was an eventful race at the Hungaroring, which once again basked in uncomfortable temperatures of anything up to 36°C. Taku deftly picked his way through a first corner melee, escaping the debris from the Renault and Red Bull incidents, and was already ahead of David Coulthard when the Scot retired in spectacular fashion.

Although, like team-mate Jenson Button , Takuma performed well throughout the race, it became clear that the team's tyre choice did not suit the day's track conditions, which prevented the team from challenging for a repeat of its German Grand Prix podium.

　 "It was a tough race today, not least because of the temperature in the cockpit, so I am pleased with our result. I have finally achieved my first championship point of the season after a lot of bad luck, and I am happy to do so as the team begins a three-week break. I would like to thank everyone for all their hard work during the first part of the season.

"The first lap of today's race was quite dramatic and it was very important to me to avoid getting caught up in that. I was able to avoid any problems, as well as improve my track position, overtaking Barrichello on the outside of turn two. I am looking forward to the summer break now, and to the team coming back even stronger in Turkey."

　 Takuma Sato made full use of the two 45-minute practice sessions on Saturday morning, determined to make up for the time lost on Friday afternoon as he worked on the set up of his BAR-Honda 007 ahead of qualifying. The first session saw him 14th fastest, before picking up speed after the half-hour break to claim ninth best time overall.

The ever-rising temperatures at the Hungaroring, however, meant that track conditions continued to change throughout the day. By qualifying, the track temperature had peaked at a scorching 51°C, causing the teams to adopt various different strategies ahead of the 70-lap race on Sunday.

Both Takuma and team-mate Jenson Button reported that they were happy with the balance of their cars after a solid morning's progress, and will line up tenth and eighth on the grid respectively.

　 "It was a better day for me today. In the morning, we worked on the set-up, which we could not do yesterday due to lost running time. We caught up nicely and I was happy with the balance of the car.

"In qualifying, I felt that I had less grip, and a bit of oversteer in the middle sector cost me a little time. In the end, however, it was a reasonable lap, and we now look forward to seeing what we can do from this position and hope that we have a strong package for tomorrow."

　 Takuma Sato was an encouraging ninth fastest in Friday morning’s first practice session, but suffered a driveshaft boot failure in the afternoon hour, which left him confined to the garage for the second half of the session. He therefore ended the day 17th on combined times, and without the usual amount of data on which to base his decisions for the weekend ahead..

　 "The first session went well this morning - it was pretty straightforward running. This afternoon, we tried a slightly different set-up and the car was performing well until we had a driveshaft boot failure, which ended my session early.

"It's a shame that I could not do my scheduled programme this afternoon, so I will have to rely on Michelin's advice and hope that we have a trouble-free day tomorrow."