Seven years into the Formula One wars, BAR Honda is poised to join the elite after finishing "First in Class" last year.
Sparked by Jenson Button's 10 podiums, BAR Honda wound up third in the 2004 Constructors' Championship behind the unstoppable Ferrari factory with Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.
While Schumacher racked up 13 wins in 17 races on his way to a seventh title, the 25-year-old Button ran second at China, Germany, San Marino and Monaco, in addition to capturing the pole position at San Marino, but is still seeking that elusive first victory.
"We had the strongest car a couple times last season and Michael managed to use his talent and pit strategy to beat us, but we are so close to breaking through," said Button, who nearly broke the track record last month at Jerez in Spain while testing the new BAR007 chassis.
"BAR and Honda have made the commitment to win and that's our goal - to win races in 2005."
Teammate Takuma Sato also ran strong in '04 with a third at the U.S. Grand Prix in Indianapolis and fourths in Japan and Italy.
Honda showed its support for the program by purchasing a significant stake in the BAR team during the off-season.