Following one of the sport’s greatest championship stories, that of Honda being resurrected as Brawn and taking both titles, comes possibly another as it was learned late last year that Ross Brawn had sold his team to Mercedes. Brawn insisted that he would continue in his roll as team principal, and so the rollercoaster ride of Brawn post-Ferrari continues.

The link to the technical director has certainly helped the transition as well, with the man almost certainly being a draw to Michael Schumacher. Despite turning 41 earlier in the year, Schumacher still has the motor sport bug in him and a return during 2009 seemed possible, the seven-times world champion testing a 2007 Ferrari. However, a neck injury sustained from a motorbike accident ended the dream for last year, but that didn’t stop the German driver. Shortly after the announcement that Mercedes would be taking over the team, Michael Schumacher was announced as the lead driver alongside fellow countryman Nico Rosberg. BMW-refugee Nick Heidfeld completes the all-German line-up as the squad’s test and reserve driver.

This isn’t the first time Mercedes have taken on the challenge of Formula One though, for the company threw some money at the sport back in 1954 and 1955. The W196 car was very successful and Juan Manuel Fangio took eight victories from twelve attempts. Fangio only retired the once and Sir Stirling Moss also took a famous first win at Silverstone in ‘55, the story being that Fangio only needed P2 to secure the championship and deliberately let Moss pass on the final lap. To this day, even Moss himself doesn’t know if this is true or not, the five-times Argentine champion passing away in 1995.

Of course with such a long and illustrious history in the motor industry and motor sport, I could discuss Mercedes-Benz from now until the end of my time, but for now at least, the marque has returned and a new silver arrows will adorn the race tracks of the world in an attempt to repeat last year’s phenomenal success.

The Mercedes livery was unveiled separately to the car itself, an event at the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart providing the backdrop to the silver colour scheme hiding the Brawn BGP-001 underneath. The car itself was finally shown to the world in early February at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit as the first group test of the year got underway. Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg took the wraps off the MGP-W01 before heading out for a few shake-down laps.

The 2010 challenger is an evolution of the championship winning Brawn from the year previous, and features a few Red Bull-esque flourishes. Interestingly, the front wing appears to have been changed very little, but the nose has certainly undergone some work. Having been narrowed and raised slightly, the front of the car is more shapely and as the line builds up and over the monocoque, the Newey-dip is there for all to see. Also drawing attention is the downward slant of the top of the car before it rises again towards the cockpit. Again, this is very reminiscent of the RB5, the car that challenged Brawn the most last time around.

The sidepods have grown in size slightly and the air-intake above the driver’s helmet is quite the work of art, looking more likely to at home on a fighter jet than a Formula One car. The rear wing looks to have been left alone and Brawn’s double diffuser is missing, the rules now banning such a device from the 2010 machines*.

The silver livery is welcomed but only as a reminder of the team’s past. If it wasn’t for the silver-finished W196s that charged around the circuits of old, one would have to seriously question the choice of colour for the MGP-W01. Whereas McLaren seem to have found a very successful way of presenting their car in silver, Mercedes’s looks dull and uninspiring. Only the little amounts red from the few sponsor’s logos and the pale Petronas blue break up the monotony of the colour scheme.

Of course, Mercedes are going to be well talked about this year, if not for the car’s performance then for Michael Schumacher’s. The multiple world champion should run well in the car and if he can keep himself out of trouble for long enough, it would seem there is little reason why further wins could not be added to the already record-breaking list. In the second seat sits a driver who has either just made the greatest move of his career, or the worse. In order for this venture to be a success for Nico Rosberg, he simply has to stamp his authority all over Schumacher. Failing to do so could mean years of obscurity, second places and bad press. Just ask Rubens Barrichello…

Mercedes’s car designation system refers to the team’s name, Mercedes Grand Prix, and the W refers to the team’s heritage, where previous versions were simply named Wagen (German for car). The final numbers are incremental, and as this is the first wagen in quite a while, it has been designated 01. Hence, MGP-W01.

Original article by BlogF1.

Meet The Cars: Mercedes MGP-W01

Schumacher last drove in 2006, at the time with Ferrari and although his retirement came with a lot of emotion from both the driver and his fans, the decision to quit was probably well calculated. Ferrari, although managing the 2007 drivers title and a couple of constructors, have slipped in form. Schumacher remained with the Maranello squad though, taking on an advisory role.

Earlier in 2009, Schumacher had hoped to return to racing with the Scuderia, the intention being for him to deputise the injured Felipe Massa. However, a neck injury sustained from a biking accident prevented the multiple world champion from returning.

With the desire to race still burning, and Mercedes needing someone special to take over from the dominant form displayed by Jenson Button in 2009, Mercedes courted Schumacher and with consent from Ferrari, the German driver will rejoin the marque that helped him so much in his early career.

The motivation I think is pretty straightforward. The call I got from Ross at the end of November concerning the chance to go racing, Mercedes being involved, I felt great.

I never left the race track. I was tired of F1 by the end of 2006, but in three years of absence I got back all the energy that I am feeling right now. I played around with motorbikes and I feel ready for some serious stuff now. Michael Schumacher.

Although Schumacher will turn 41 in January, he has maintained his fitness regime and in the summer increased his work-outs with the then-intention of driving the Ferrari. Clearly motivation is not an issue for the German – the decision to return and potentially tarnish his illustrious career (statistically speaking, I add) would have not been taken lightly.

This means that Mercedes will field an all-German line-up next year, hopefully competing directly with McLaren’s all-British line-up. Mercedes vs. Mercedes should also prove interesting, no less than having 4 world champions in the field.

Original article by BlogF1.

Mercedes Confirm Michael Schumacher Return

Original article by BlogF1.

Caption Contest: #98

Richard Branson had been in talks with Honda over the possible purchase of the team before it was decided that a management buyout would be the better option. It isn’t entirely known how far these talks went, but clearly they were closed in relatively mutual way because Branson is still keen on involving in company with Formula One. At the time, Branson spoke of wanting the sport to change before he involved himself and his company fully.

It has been reported in the The Times that Branson has cut short a holiday to fly to Melbourne and finalise the deal himself, leading many to believe that Virgin could become a major backer of the team (although The Times suspect Virgin will not become the primary sponsor).

An announcement is now expected tomorrow or at some point over weekend, and the cars could still be re-liveried prior to the race. Regarding the Henri Lloyd deal, team owner Ross Brawn had the following to say:

The Brawn GP team has faced a race against time to complete our preparations for the first race of the season in Melbourne and we would like to thank Henri Lloyd for sharing our vision for the future of the team and their commitment in ensuring that the team’s identity will be so well reflected in our team clothing and merchandise this year. Ross Brawn.

Image © Brawn GP.

Original article by BlogF1.

Brawn Gathers A Small Gaggle Of Sponsors

Brawn GP have done very little running in the off-season in comparison to their rivals. They spent much of the winter in the Brackley factory dealing with various companies and wealthy individuals who were interested in buying the team. Throughout all this time, no car made its way to a circuit for testing, and the staff at Brackley feared their jobs might be lost.

However, as soon as the announcement that Ross Brawn had struck a deal with Honda to buy the squad, everything suddenly went into overdrive. The team ran privately at Silverstone before heading to Spain for the group tests at Barcelona and Jerez. And I don’t think anybody expected to see what they saw.

It would appear that the Brawn BGP 001 is pretty quick. This is something quite incredible when you consider the major shakeup in the technical regulations that has occurred this year. With such a change in the way the cars are designed, most teams were anxious to get as much running as possible. However, on the first day of the Barcelona group test, Button managed an astonishing fourth fastest time, just 0.2s shy of Trulli’s Toyota.

From there it just got better for the team. Third on day two, fastest on days three and four. As you could imagine, Brawn very quickly became the talking point of the final sessions. Although their outright pace may not be as superior as the large margins may suggest, the new car doesn’t look overly shabby.

In Jerez, Barrichello and Button maintained a dominant presence and both drivers appeared satisfied with the progress being made to the car. They may have been showboating in order to attract sponsors or just generate some hype, but some journalists who attended the tests also noted that the BGP 001 looked consistently quick over longer runs.

With a Mercedes engine for 2009 and a chassis that not only looks gorgeous, but appears to be performing well, we could see a sharp improvement over the disappointing 2008 campaign when the team were owned by Honda.

In keeping Jenson Button they have retained a favourite among many of the fans, and ensured this season will not be the first with only one Briton competing. And by re-signing Rubens Barrichello, they have kept a safe and steady pair of hands in the second chassis. Barrichello is experienced and will help the team iron out any kinks with the car.

So what can we expect from Brawn in Melbourne? Well, Bernie Ecclestone is excited. When the new points system was announced in March, Ecclestone used Button as example of how the idea of race wins equals championship could benefit the sport. If the Brawn really is as quick as the test times suggest, Jenson and Rubens should be fighting for victories in the first fly-aways. From there on in, things may not be as easy due to the larger budgeted outfits ramping up development.

Personally, I’m yet convinced of the Brawn’s pace, but it certainly is very exciting. Not only have the careers of two drivers and a factory full of staff been saved, but the reinvigorated team appear to be able to fight for points.

It’s already been said many times over, but it is worth repeating: I bet Honda are kicking themselves right now.

Previous Honda Previews

• F12008 Honda Preview
• F12007 Honda Preview
• F12006 Honda Preview

Original article by BlogF1.

F12009: Brawn GP Preview

Images © Brawn GP Ltd.

Original article by BlogF1.

Brawn BGP 001 Debuts At Silverstone

A statement was made at midnight explaining that Ross Brawn, Benetton and Ferrari’s ex technical director and more recently, Honda’s team principal, has in fact purchased the team outright and renamed the squad Brawn GP. It was also confirmed that Mercedes-Benz, current suppliers of McLaren and Force India, will provide engines to the squad for the 2009 season.

Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello will drive the cars, the Brazilian hinting as much earlier in the week. While this leaves Bruno Senna waiting the wings for another year, the team will able to focus on ensuring their own stability and car development while pairs of capable hands steer the machines throughout the season.

To coincide with the statement, the Brawn GP website went live, although at the domain brawngp.com rather than the brawnracing domains that caught the eye of the media last week. However, it is only natural for companies to purchase competing domains to ensure the brand message remains intact.

The past few months have been extremely challenging for the team but today’s announcement is the very pleasing conclusion to the strenuous efforts that have been made to secure its future. Ross Brawn.

Ross then went on to pay tribute to Honda, the staff at Brackley and also to thank various people, companies and organisations who have helped the sale process and provided support during the past few months.

Firstly, it is a great shame that having worked with Honda Motor Company for so long we can no longer continue together. I would like to thank Honda for the fantastic co-operation and support we have received throughout this process – particularly those members of the senior management who were closely involved with concluding our agreement – and for the faith they have demonstrated in myself and our team.

I would also like to take this opportunity to pay due credit to our staff at Brackley. The levels of motivation and commitment that I have witnessed at the factory deserve the highest praise.

It would be impossible to mention all of the people without whom today’s announcement may not have been possible, however I would like to express particular appreciation for the support we have received from Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, the FIA (Fédération Internationale de L’Automobile), FOM (Formula One Management), FOTA (Formula One Teams Association), BERR (the UK’s Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform), Bridgestone, our other team partners and our many fans the world over.

The journey ahead will be challenging but exciting and we know we can count on their continued enthusiasm for our team and its ambitions. Ross Brawn.

The new car will be shaken down at Silverstone in the very near future and the team are expected to be testing in Barcelona next week as well as a final short run at Jerez just prior to flying the cars out to Australia.

This is, of course, very good news and ends months of agony for fans of the team, the sport and the drivers. It will be very interesting to see exactly how competitive the team can be, having done so little testing since the Brazlilan Grand Prix last November. An interim car was tested in November, but since then no running has taken place. Honda had pretty much given up on 2008 early in the season to concentrate on the 2009 efforts, and Button was particularly hyped at the prospects of the new car.

Let’s hope the car is quick out of the box and Brawn GP can at least keep up with the progress made by other midfield squads.

Image © HondaF1.

Original article by BlogF1.

Ross Brawn Is A Constructor: Honda Officially Becomes Brawn GP

The Team Formerly Known As Honda is expected to test a car this week ahead of the final group test at Circuit de Catalunya next week. The news of the test is encouraging, although the rumour is not new as this was speculated last week. However, the Yomiuri daily newspaper in Japan have run a story quoting a source at Honda as saying:

We expect to be able to make an announcement from the company and the team in the near future. Honda has been making all possible efforts to avoid the worst option of having to disband the team. Unconfirmed Honda Source.

Of course, we have all heard of speculation of this sort for a few weeks now and many people and companies have been linked to Honda since the Corporation made the initial withdrawal announcement last year. It would appear though that a management buyout is the most likely scenario, with Ross Brawn and possibly Nick Fry being to the two main participants in the deal. It was also noted last week that Caroline McGrory, a staffer employed in the legal department at Honda had purchased two Internet domain names; brawnracing.com and brawnracing.co.uk.

The possibility of Rubens Barrichello extending his Formula One career has hit the press today as well. Barrichello, who has driven for the team since 2006 after leaving Ferrari became the sport’s most experienced driver ever, and said at the time that he feels he has more to give to the sport and would like to continue.

Rubens was competing with Bruno Senna for the seat up until very recently, many (myself included) thought that Barrichello’s career as an active Formula One driver was over. However, should the Honda team be sold and assuming they have good financing in place, it would make sense to hang on to Rubens, the Brazilian driver being very experienced and able to assist with the transfer by developing the under-tested car. In other words, Barrichello is a safe bet, a consistent driver and takes away any worries of developing a rookie driver.

My faith says that next week I’ll be driving a competitive car in the tests in Barcelona – although I have no document in my hands that assures me of that. Rubens Barrichello.

Autosport are saying that the Barrichello deal is not yet signed, as the team are waiting to finalise the deal that will see the team saved. After which point further contracts can be negotiated and cemented. It is however common knowledge now that the team will use Mercedes-Benz engines, Vijay Mallya yesterday saying that the McLaren and Force India supplier had sought his approval before agreeing.

Mercedes-Benz have collaborated with Mallya’s team for 2009, supplying Force India with engines, gear boxes and technical expertise. The FIA usually only allow a manufacturer to supply two teams, which for 2009 would have seen Mercedes’ engines powering McLaren and Force India. However, the German motor company have presumably been given dispensation to supply Honda, for one year according to the Force India boss.

Well, the FIA rules say that an engine manufacturer can only supply two teams. As far as Mercedes is concerned, that’s McLaren and Force India. I think a special one-year dispensation, I understand, has been granted for Mercedes to supply the ex-Honda team just to keep it on the grid.

I could have objected but I chose not to because it is good for F1. Nobody likes to see a team disappear. We had unfortunately Super Aguri disappear last year and I don’t think it is good for the sport that one more team goes. Vijay Mallya.

Mallya’s spirit should be commended. As he said so himself, the deal could have been blocked, but in order to help the sport and the former Honda team, Vijay agreed. A good move, I believe.

The team is not out of the woods yet, and much can go wrong. However, while very late in the day, it is still just about possible for the team to make it Melbourne. Quite what state the car will be in is anybody’s guess, having not tested yet. I’m sure though, fingers are crossed around the world for a twenty car grid in Australia.

Image © HondaF1.

Original article by BlogF1.

Rubens Barrichello & Honda Closing In On Deal?

First it was Carlos Slim who denied being a potential purchaser for the Honda outfit, and then Dave Richards pulled out of the running. Then it was the turn of the management to add some hope to a deal being made before the first race, and more recently, Richard Branson has been associated with the squad. Even Bernie Ecclestone has apparently had his piggy bank rejected by the company chiefs.

Originally, Nick Fry and Ross Brawn stated that they had received a lot of interest in the team and had whittled the offers down to a dozen serious possibilities. However, Honda CEO Takeo Fukui told the press in Tokyo today they have made little progress in finding a purchaser since the team went up for sale in December.

There are various offers for the team but we have not seen any serious buyer yet. We find the sale process difficult. Takeo Fukui.

This slaps Ross Brawn’s and Nick Fry’s previous comments down. In late December and early January, the current team principal and team CEO spoke of lots of interested parties.

There has been a huge amount of interest. It’s now got to the stage where we need to filter out the serious from the not so serious. We’re all hopeful that something will happen and we’re anxious to turn up the wick again in the new year. Ross Brawn, speaking in late-December, 2008.

It’s looking very positive at the moment. We had, as you might expect, a huge amount of interest at the start, probably well in excess of 30 groups came to us. We have now narrowed that down to something in the region of a dozen, and we’re currently talking to Honda about what is the best bet for the future. Nick Fry, speaking in early January, 2009.

With less than a month to go before the cars need to be sent over to Australia for the first race of the year, a deal that would ensure the survival of the squad is looking slimmer and slimmer. According to Autosport, Mercedes-Benz have apparently put a deadline of this evening (Monday 23rd) to commit to purchasing their engine units for the upcoming season.

The clock continues to tick…

Image © HondaF1.

Original article by BlogF1.

Has It All Gone Pear-Shaped At Brackley?

Di Grassi finished just one point behind Senna in the 2008 GP2 championship, and he has been widely tipped for a successful future in Formula One. However, Senna has been attracting similar headlines as well, and Bruno only missed out on the title to Giorgio Pantano by 12 points. Lucas wasn’t meant to race in GP2 this year, but after securing a drive with Campos Grand Prix, Di Grassi excelled thanks partly to his testing of the 2008 car over the winter.

This is a very well-deserved opportunity for Lucas to prove his potential after such an impressive performance in GP2 this season and during his testing responsibilities with the ING Renault F1 Team. We look forward to seeing Lucas in action and will take a keen interest in how he performs. Ross Brawn.

I am very excited to have the opportunity of testing with the Honda Racing F1 Team in Barcelona and look forward to proving myself to the team.

The next two weeks will be a very important stage in my development and I will be spending a lot of time at the Honda Racing F1 Team’s factory before the test to speak with the engineers and learn as much as possible in advance of the test. Lucas Di Grassi.

With Honda testing two young hotshots who will undoubtedly find themselves in Formula One in the coming years, what does the immediate future look like for Rubens Barrichello. The former Ferrari-winner celebrated his 36th birthday this year, but outscoring his younger team mate Jenson Button showed the world that Barrichello still has the ability and motivation to race. However, Honda need to consider their future carefully, and with many teams getting young drivers on their books early, Rubens may have just raced in his final Brazilian Grand Prix.

Original article by BlogF1.

Lucas Di Grassi To Also Test For Honda

The season started off poorly with a disqualification in the first round for Rubens Barrichello, the most experienced driver on the grid falling foul of the pitlane closure rule during safety car periods. Having completed the resulting stop-go penalty for this infringement, Barrichello then ran a red light at the end of the pitlane, the Brazilian claiming he simply didn’t see the light.

Despite this though, the Hondas qualified well in Australia, certainly better than their testing pace indicated. Unfortunately though, the pace would gradually decline as the year progressed and what started out as a ~12th place grid slot regularity, it soon became ~16th by the season close. And the race pace didn’t get much better either.

The Spanish Grand Prix saw the team score their first points of the year with Jenson Button claiming sixth place for the squad. Unfortunately, Rubens Barrichello collided with Giancarlo Fisichella during the race and was forced to retire with a damaged car. However, the Brazilian would also score points not to long after Button, Monaco and Canada proving good races for the the former race winner.

Tricky conditions at Monaco allowed Barrichello to calmly drive his Honda into sixth place from fifteenth on the grid, and the Canadian Grand Prix showed the world that if it all came together, the car was capable of getting into the third phase of qualifying, Barrichello doing just that and starting the race in ninth. Rubens would go on to improve his position and finish the race in seventh.

The team’s high point of the year would come in Britain with Barrichello scoring a well-deserved podium as other drivers around him were falling off the road in atrocious conditions. A good strategy from the team and a mature drive from Rubens resulted in third place, standing alongside Lewis Hamilton and Nick Heidfeld on the podium. Race winner Hamilton lapped everybody up to Barrichello and the pace-levelling rain allowed Rubens to show he hadn’t lost his competitive edge.

The latter half of the season saw any competitive advantage with the Honda get overtaken by just about everybody else. Jenson Button’s retirement rate improved, the Briton managing to finish all remaining nine races. However, Barrichello’s luck ran out and the Brazilian racked up a further three non-finishes; a collision with David Coulthard in Germany, a failed gearbox in Belgium and electrical problems halted his race in Singapore.

Jenson Button managed a ninth place in Singapore, and Barrichello claimed eleventh in China. But aside from these peaks, the second half of 2008 was full of gloom as the cars only managed to stay ahead of the Force Indias.

However, the team openly admitted that they were working very hard towards 2009 and when former-Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn was brought onboard as team principal in the ‘07-’08 break, talk of using 2008 as a transition year was suggested. However, despite all this there appear to be very few definite good signs for the future, other than the team developing KERS from an early stage and focusing on the 2009 campaign before most others.

Ever since the stunning 2004 season when the squad were still racing under the BAR name, the performance of the team has declined. From second place in 2004, BAR/Honda slipped to 6th in 2005, improved to 4th in 2006, but then slipped again in 2007 to 8th (and scoring 80 points less than the year previous) before resting in 9th this year, although the team did score more than double the points they did in 2007, mostly thanks to Barrichello’s podium.

Jenson Button has re-signed to the team for 2009, although the jury is still out on Rubens Barrichello. The only real factor playing against the lead points scorer from this season is the man’s age – Barrichello celebrated his 36th birthday this year, although he managed to outscore his younger and still much-praised team mate 11 points to 3.

Honda will test and evaluate Bruno Senna later this month, the 2008 GP2 runner-up being the nephew of late Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna. The team also courted Fernando Alonso during the this year’s campaign, but it would seem the Spaniard is only really interested in Ferrari and his current home Renault.

Honda 2008 Championship Results	Jenson Button (Grid) Race	Rubens Barrichello (Grid) Race
Australian Grand Prix Albert Park	(13) RET	(11) DSQ
Malaysian Grand Prix Sepang	(11) 10	(14) 13
Bahrain Grand Prix Sakhir	(9) RET	(12) 11
Spanish Grand Prix Circuit de Catalunya	(13) 6	(11) RET
Turkish Grand Prix Istanbul Park	(13) 11	(12) 14
Monaco Grand Prix Monte Carlo	(12) 11	(15) 6
Canadian Grand Prix Circuit Gilles Villeneuve	(18) 11	(9) 7
French Grand Prix Magny Cours	(16) RET	(17) 14
British Grand Prix Silverstone	(17) RET	(16) 3
German Grand Prix Hockenheim	(?) 17	(?) RET
Hungarian Grand Prix Hungaroring	(12) 12	(17) 16
European Grand Prix Valencia	(16) 13	(19) 16
Belgian Grand Prix Spa Francorchamps	(17) 15	(16) RET
Italian Grand Prix Monza	(19) 15	(16) 17
Singapore Grand Prix Singapore	(12) 9	(18) RET
Japanese Grand Prix Fuji Speedway	(18) 14	(17) 13
Chinese Grand Prix Shanghai	(18) 16	(13) 11
Brazilian Grand Prix Interlagos	(17) 13	(15) 15
Driver’s Championship Position	(3pts) 18th	(11pts) 14th
Constructor’s Championship Position	(14pts) 9th

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• F12008: Honda Preview
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• Honda To Evaluate Bruno Senna

Image Copyright © HondaF1.

Original article by BlogF1.

F12008: Honda Endure A Season To Forget

The young Brazilian driver has been linked to McLaren, Scuderia Toro Rosso and Force India, but Honda have stepped forward and said they will test Bruno in their RA108 later this month. The test will take place between November 17th and 19th, and the team were open about evaluating Senna for a 2009 drive.

We are delighted to provide Bruno with the opportunity to test for us later this month as we continue to explore all the driver options available to us for next season.

After an impressive year in GP2 this will be a chance for Bruno to prove that he is ready to make the step up to Formula One. Our objective is to have the best drivers available to us next season and our evaluation of Bruno’s performance will be rigorous.

We are looking forward to seeing how he performs. Over the next two weeks Bruno will be spending a lot of time with us at our Brackley base, working closely with our engineers and on the simulator to ensure he is fully prepared for this important test. Ross Brawn.

Interestingly, Senna finished in second place in the GP2 championship this year, beaten to the title by former-Formula One driver Giorgio Pantano by twelve points. But most of the interest seems lie with Bruno, who is often said to have a great F1 career ahead of him. Third-placed driver Lucas Di Grassi, who was only one point shy of Senna, has been linked to Renault for some time, having tested for them this year.

I am obviously very excited about being given my first Formula One test and to have that opportunity with Honda is a dream come true. Although I am still only in my fourth year of motor racing, I have wanted to test an F1 car for a very long time and I feel that I am ready for that challenge. Bruno Senna.

It seems Brawn is hesitant to let his experienced and proven winner Barrichello go, but the former-Ferrari strategist is aware that he needs to think about the long-term future of Honda rather than the short-term.

Original article by BlogF1.

Bruno Senna To Test For Honda

The last time a Briton won at Silverstone was in 2000, that year the race went to David Coulthard. Hamilton has now become the eleventh (twelfth if you rightly include Tony Brooks) British winner of the British Grand Prix and it was the McLaren driver’s seventh victory in Formula One; the team’s 159th.

It is definitely and by far the best victory I’ve ever had. It was one of the toughest races I have ever done. I was thinking out there if I win it it will be the best race I have ever done, not just because of the home crowd.

On the last laps I could see the crowd starting standing up, and I was praying, praying ‘just finish’. You can imagine the emotions going on inside and I wanted to get it around. Lewis Hamilton.

Nick Heidfeld has been suffering in qualifying lately and the German driver has been complaining of temperature problems with his Bridgestone tyres. However, yesterday Heidfeld put his BMW in fifth and today he brought it home in second, consoling the team after team mate Robert Kubica retired.

It was a good race. I am happy with second place because today it was the best I could achieve. Qualifying went well and in the race we did everything right. Obviously it was crucial to make the right tyre decisions.

At the first stop we were wondering if we should stay with the used set of inters, but luckily we then decided on new tyres. We were expecting a small shower, but when I drove down Hanger Straight and saw a black wall in front of me I thought I should expect more than that.

The most difficult moments in the race were when cars were overtaking me who had been lapped, but were just on better tyres for the conditions at that time. There was so much water and I couldn’t see where it was lying. Once before Abbey I almost spun, but just managed to keep the car on the track. Nick Heidfeld.

Rubens Barrichello gave Honda something to shout about as the most experienced driver in Formula One finished in third after starting the race in sixteenth. Barrichello drove a mature and outstanding race and for me, is the driver of the day. While Lewis won, he had the car underneath him to do just that, Rubens has a dog under him – his qualifying position proving that. But the Brazilian drove superbly in the difficult conditions and fully-deserves his podium.

I never lost the belief I have in me with the speed and everything. It was obviously a lucky day and it seemed to happen to me. I love the wet weather conditions but it was a perfect race.

We had a minor problem on the pitstop. I thought I had the fuel already but they didn’t let me go. But that was a minor problem because it was the right decision for us to take extreme wet tyres.

I was passing people from inside to outside, it was just magic. So I thought that was a good decision because I went off at Club and nearly hit the wall. It was Club and Abbey that were the most difficult ones. I said I am coming in and coming in for the extremes.

I have this great feeling, it is like I am young. I am smiling to the problems and I am working more. I love the sport, I love the speed and I cannot live without it. Rubens Barrichello.

Ross Brawn, Honda’s team principal, paid tribute to Barrichello’s drive as well, praising his driver and remembering the times they spent at Ferrari together.

Rubens had a great race. He really pushed when he had to, and the middle of the race was fantastic. It was a bit like old days. The team did a great job as well. Some great calls during the race and we had the right tyres at the right time.

We had a problem with the fuel rig which really probably cost us second place, so that’s frustrating, but we shouldn’t be too greedy. Ross Brawn.

David Coulthard, competing in his final British Grand Prix, lasted all of about two minutes. The Red Bull made contact with the Scuderia Toro Rosso and both slid off onto the the grass. It wasn’t Coulthard’s finest moment from his 15 year career, but the Scot put his hand up, accepted blame and apologised.

I’m extremely disappointed and sorry for the team. I’ve taken out two Red Bull cars so that’s obviously the worst case scenario. You have to take your opportunities when they come in a race like this and I thought I saw a gap. Unfortunately it turned out it was a bad decision.

The visibility was incredibly bad as you can imagine. I was very close to Sebastian after Abbey, as he had a wobble coming out of there. There was a clear gap down the inside, but unfortunately it was closing as I made the move.

I’m sorry for him that we made contact and went into the gravel, I’m sorry for Red Bull too, as it was two cars out in one hit. I’m extremely disappointed for this to happen at my last British Grand Prix. David Coulthard.

Coulthard’s team mate, Mark Webber, had a better weekend, the Australian qualifying on the front row. However, his race was almost over sooner than David’s after Webber spun on the opening lap, undoing all his hard work from Saturday. Even though Webber would go on to drive a very well-managed race and reclaim many of the lost positions, it so easily could have been much, much better.

Unfortunately I dropped it on the entrance to Becketts on the first la. I was quite close to Kimi [Raikkonen] and just got on the white line. I lost the car on the exit and had to let the field go past, so it was clear to spin back round.

After that it was about making the right call for the right conditions. It was a difficult day to go car racing and it just didn’t go our way today. The guys did a good job all week and it’s a shame we couldn’t convert our good qualifying performance. Mark Webber.

Fernando Alonso was upbeat after the race, despite losing out for being on the worn tyres rather than getting a new set at the pit stop. The decision cost the Spaniard a lot of time and he may have even lost a podium because of it. However, the conditions at Silverstone were difficult and Alonso was just happy to have added a few points towards his campaign.

Like every time it rains, anything can happen and that was the case. There were times when you had the right tyre and others when you had the wrong one and you had to keep the others at bay and try to stay on track because you knew it would be a good result.

It’s not bad. It’s a good feeling. Sixth position is three points that are good for the drivers’ and the constructors’ championships. We missed a chance because Barrichello finished on the podium and maybe we could have been there, but it’s okay. Fernando Alonso.

On the final lap Kazuki Nakajima lost seventh place to Jarno Trulli, but despite this and all his spins, the Japanese driver still managed to collect one point for Williams after a weekend the team will want to very quickly move on from.

It was good to score a point again, but it was a shame to lose seventh place to Jarno on the last lap. His tyres were in a better condition than mine, though, and he was just a bit quicker than me in the final laps when the track was drying out.

It was enjoyable out there today, although a little hard to control the car in the opening and closing stages. The team made a really good decision to put me on the extreme wets at just the right time and so I was able to manage the car well in such wet conditions. Kazuki Nakajima.

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2008: Post-Race Quotes

It wasn’t too long ago that Ross Brawn, while on sabbatical from Ferrari, noted that television coverage of Formula One was poor in his opinion. Being forced to watch the races at home, Brawn noticed that much of the information available to the teams was not displayed to the viewers, thus limiting the spectacle for everybody. And when you consider that Brawn was, at the time, still under a Ferrari contract of sorts – one of the most secretive teams on the grid, it says an awful lot about what we the viewers might be missing out on.

Martin Whitmarsh made his statement to Autosport today after speaking to winners of a KangarooTV contest, the prize being a free handset for the British Grand Prix this weekend. KangarooTV is an exciting development for Formula One and essentially means that while at a grand prix in a fixed seat, you don’t miss out on action that is happening at others parts of the track. Users can assign themselves just one car to follow or move around at their own will. There is also commentary and a whole host of other information available; moreso than what we, the general public get when we tune our TV set into the local broadcasters channel.

There are enthusiasts that are interested in the gladiatorial contest of the drivers, like Kimi Raikkonen v Lewis Hamilton wheel-to-wheel, there are those that are interested in the team game and the competition of McLaren v Ferrari, there are those that are interested in the technological battle, and there are those that are fascinated by the tactics and the strategy going on over a race weekend.

The more we can reach out and educate the people who are watching it, the more they can enjoy it. There will be some fans who are not interested in all those things, and in some senses these factors get in the way of a straightforward and simple interpretation of the event. But the reality is that within the fanbase there are a lot of people who find that fascinating. And understanding that is something we need to do a better job of. Martin Whitmarsh.

Martin’s statemant is accurate. There are many different types of fan and not all will want all the information cluttering up the television screen. However, many do and when I watch a grand prix, my laptop is tuned into Formula One’s live timing, broadcast over the ‘net and invaluable to me, especially during qualifying.

Whitmarsh spoke of the secrecy element in Formula One, explaining that in the past their radio transmissions would not have been freed-up to braodcasters through fear of a competitor gaining insights into their race strategy. However, if everybody opened up their radios, then everybody would be in the same boat. Because Formula One is so intensely competitive, the need to retain information is vital, but when the cars leave the grid and start the race, the sport falls out of the business domain and into the fan’s. Without us, the sport simply wouldn’t exist.

A few years back the FIA asked members of the public to fill in a survey. I remember it being quite a long series of questions but I happily filled in mine, naively believing that I, along with thousands of others, were finally getting their say. Unfortunately I later realised it was a complete waste of time. Little has been done about what the majority of us wanted, and to add an insult to my injury, Suzuka was dropped from the calendar. For this, I don’t believe I can forgive the FIA/FOM, and even though the circuit has been reinstated on a rotary-basis with Fuji, the mere fact that the circuit was removed for what amounts to a relatively minor reason was unforgiveable. The fans were not listened to.

I think what F1 has to get better at is providing the proportion of the fanbase that wants it with that extra data and information. Year by year you have to try to create more interest, and the more insight they have, the more they are intrigued, and the more they’re likely to come back next time.

Those of us who have the information in front of us get used to it, but if you find yourself in front of a television without it, Formula One isn’t as interesting. Martin Whitmarsh.

It is great to hear employees of the sport speak up about this, and Martin adding his words to Brawn’s from 2007 only furthers to the fore the fact that fans are not nearly being given everything they could potentially have. 2008 marked the first time Formula One was broadcast over the Internet, but it is only available (legally) to residents of the UK. I’m sure this will be expanded in the near future, but one has to wonder why it has taken so long to even get to this stage?

Clearly FOM could do a better job, and as Whitmarsh says, if you improve the interest by providing more information, the sport is better likely to grow in popularity. With environmental concerns becoming more and more prevalent in people’s minds, the sport could easily suffer on this and other counts. Formula One has to develop, but the very people whom the sport is for must be considered.

I’m interested in the views of others because this topic does divide on some levels. Some fans are perfectly happy with the current level of information and feel that broadcasters and FOM have done a good job at improving the whole show. However others, like me, feel that more could be done and we should be listened to more. The comments are open for your opinions and thoughts…

Original article by BlogF1.

Is Formula One Fan Friendly?

We can’t afford to lose teams and I think they [Super Aguri] showed a lot of character, a lot of effort in the last couple of years but circumstances prevailed and they were not able to carry on. It was a shame they could not find the funding to continue.

What I saw was Nick [Fry] making big efforts at time to keep the project alive, beyond any reason for us, it was because of the connection of Aguri with Honda. Nick did a lot of work to try and find a viable solution for Aguri. Ross Brawn.

Currently, Ross runs the Honda Formula One operation. He has done so since late last year and arrived at Brackley after a decade of limelight-basking in Maranello. So when his current employer gets caught up in the possible failure of its satellite team, you’d think, being experienced and all, he might get involved. For sure, he wouldn’t be able to devote much time to the cause, but you would think he would have concerns. But really, we don’t know if Brawn does or does not. And this is because he has hardly uttered a word about Super Aguri since this all kicked off.

When Brawn arrived at Honda, he stated he would be making small, minor changes to help the team initially. Ross’s approach is very methodical and concise. I suspect the man has a very large checklist somewhere (perhaps in his head) that he goes through, even for the simplest of tasks. And I’m starting to wonder if the removal of Super Aguri from Honda’s bank balance was one of those things on his list. Admittedly, this isn’t a small, minor change. But it would help Brawn in his job if he was given more of a budget to play with (remember, he’s used to blank cheques from Fiat) and was able to solely focus on the efforts of his own team, both on track and politically in the background.

If, and that is quite possibly the second-largest ‘if’ I’ve made on this site, Ross was the reason behind Super Aguri receiving substantially less support this year, then I have a lot of respect for the man. Not because he’s removed a bottom-of-the-grid team from championship (that loses respect), but because he would have managed to do it and get all targets pointing at Nick Fry while he can freely walk around the media saying how sad it all is.

Whether Brawn was a key Honda-side player in the demise of Super Aguri or not, we will never likely know, and Aguri Suzuki appears to be very annoyed with Nick Fry at the moment, so maybe I am reading between the lines too much. But you have to admit, if Brawn was involved, he did well to save face and dodge bullets.

Image courtesy of HondaF1.

Original article by BlogF1.

Is Aguri Suzuki Upset With The Wrong Man?

2007 as everybody knows was a very tough year for us. But in a way I think it was a good year, because it made us realise that a few things needed to change and that we were going in the wrong direction. And we have had the chance to put them right. I am looking forward to 2008 – and not just 2008 but the future with Honda.

For me the important thing is the improvement throughout the season. It’s all well starting with a reasonably competitive car, but it’s improving that’s the key I feel – and for us to improve race-by-race compared to our competitors is what we need to do. And that’s what we are aiming for. Jenson Button.

Barrichello meanwhile was quick to tell people that although his contract with Honda is up at the end of 2008, this year will not be his last in Formula One. The Brazilian is about to enter his sixteenth season in the sport and will surpass Riccardo Patrese’s record of 256 starts in Turkey.

I am grateful of everything I have had, but I don’t think this is my last year. From deep inside I don’t pretend to stop. I don’t have any contract signed yet and so on, but I feel good. But I feel I am going to stop before someone tells me to.

Honestly, from deep inside, if it wasn’t for how much I loved the driving, I love my kids and family and I would just stay at home to not be in this cold English weather.

So I do love so much the driving. For me it is a new start. I did have problems in my career and maybe I have mentioned that already – after three or four years of driving I thought, ‘wow, how long am I going to stay in this?’ Because I was fed up. But right now I think I understand how to get the good energy where you need it, and the bad energy you can just put it away. Rubens Barrichello.

Jenson then spoke of his future in Formula One and his desire to remain with Honda. Considering the Briton tried to leave at the end of 2004 his U-turn in attitude towards the squad is credit to the hiring and influence of key personnel, notably the recent addition of Ross Brawn to the squad.

I think that Honda has to be the team to be with in the future, it has everything now. It is the first time that I can truly say that in every area we are strong and we know which direction we are going. We have great technical direction with Ross and that is going to make a big difference to this team. I am very happy where I am.

Personally I am very motivated. I wouldn’t have spent my whole winter training my arse off in Lanzarote where it wasn’t necessary, maybe. I feel I am the fittest driver on the grid and I am as focussed as any other out there. Jenson Button.

Alex Wurz was also present at the launch, his first with Honda having been signed as their test driver following his retirement last year from competitive driving. Wurz has been praised in all quarters for his skill at developing a car and should be a great asset for Honda.

So far I have only driven the RA108 for a few short metres at the launch event today so I’m looking forward to the opportunity to try out the new car later this week in Barcelona, when I will really be able to start contributing to the development programme. All three of my previous teams have been world championship winners and I am very proud that I have the opportunity to play a role in the pursuit of Honda’s ambitions. Alex Wurz.

Following the car’s first run at Valencia last week, the initial signs were one of doubt with Barrichello and Button propping up the timing sheets. However, Brawn was insistent that the first test is not indicative of the RA108’s pace and said that improvements made to the team would be done step-by-step.

From my discussions they want to see step-by-step progress and the team going in the right direction. There’s no deadline. We’ll change things and if they see progress over the next few years they’ll be happy.

What was encouraging [from the test] was the car looked far more stable than the old car, I went out to have a look on the circuit. And while the old car had quite a reasonable level of downforce, it was very pitch sensitive and difficult to drive. This car looked nice and stable – the early signs are encouraging but we’ve still got to introduce the downforce and aero performance and start to see what the laptimes are like. Ross Brawn.

More Photographs Of The RA108

Original article by BlogF1.

Honda RA108: More Information & Photos

Honda have already shown the chassis to the world at the recent Valencia test where Barrichello and Button both put in a few laps, although the results appear to show little improvement. However, despite the obvious concerns the team are buoyed that the RA108 is a step forward, and combined with a new team boss – Ross Brawn – they are confident of moving forwards and scoring more points in 2008. The squad only managed six last year with Barrichello enduring his first point-less season in his Formula One career.

As you know last season was very difficult and disappointing year for us. But that is now behind us. At Honda we always ask people to challenge to the limit, the highest target, and never to fear making a mistake. Mistakes are natural things when you are targeting high, but I only accept that once.

The more important thing is to learn from mistakes we made and move forward. And that is the aim for this year. This year with some new faces and new ideas we must move forward. I am very pleased with the new steps that have been put in place.

This new car is a big evolution from last year and we also have evolution of the marketing concept as well. This year we hope to deliver the many Honda fans around the world with improved performance, as we follow our racing dreams. Yasuhiro Wada.

The team obviously had a very difficult year last year and they have had an extremely intelligent response to the problems we had. The difficulty with last year’s car was that it produced a lot of downforce but it was in a very aggressive way.

The focus on this car has been to make sure we produce the aero downforce in a more friendly way, a more usable way. We have also slimmed down the chassis, changed some of the layout for the car to give it more potential, particularly with aero development in the future, because it is going to be a very intensive season of development for us. Ross Brawn.

The livery has been revised as well and intergrates the traditional colours of Honda; red and white. The 2007 livery was, in some circles, considered innovative in that it contained little sponsorship decals, the team instead choosing to promote the myearthdream website where fans could make a pledge to reduce their carbon footprint and get their name on the car. This season’s car features more white and less earth, but continues the less is more philosophy from 2007.

Personally I think the livery is an improvement over last year’s, but the performance of the chassis is questionable. We won’t really know where Honda are until the Australian Grand Prix in March, but Brawn has stated that this season will be one of development and getting back to their 2006 pace.

Photographs Of The RA108

Original article by BlogF1.

Honda RA108: Launch & Photos

It is going to be tough season for the Japanese team as they will need to play catch up with the others ahead of them, but this winter has seen some big changes at Brackley, most notably the placing of Ross Brawn in the team boss role. But the car needs to be a dramatic improvement if they are to be able to compete with Renault and BMW for the remainder of the points.

We will have our ups and downs and over a long season; that is inevitable. But I don’t see any reason why we cannot get back to where we were at the end of 2006. We obviously don’t know where other people are, but I don’t think it is unreasonable to presume that during the course of 2008 we will be able to get back to where we were in 2006 – which is going to races with full confidence that we can score points. Nick Fry.

The RA108 will run for the rest of the week at Valencia and will be officially launched in it’s 2008 livery on January 31st at the team’s HQ in Brackley.

Photographs Of The RA108

Original article by BlogF1.

Honda RA108: Roll Out At Valencia

I am delighted to be joining the Honda Racing F1 Team at the beginning of what I hope can be a very exciting period for the team. This is an excellent opportunity to play an important role in the development of the team going forward. My three previous teams have all been world championship winners and I hope to be able to contribute to Honda’s ambitions.

The chance to work with one of the best brains in F1 in Ross Brawn is very exciting, as is the level of resources that the Honda team has at its disposal. Alex Wurz.

Having an experience and much praised test driver will certaianly benefit Honda. Alex has been said to be very good at developing cars giving vital and accurate feedback, something Honda desperately need.

Wurz will be at the Valencia circuit on January 22nd in the RA107 car before getting his hands dirty with the RA108.

Original article by BlogF1.

Alex Wurz Becomes Test Driver For Honda

Jean Todt

Formerly the team boss of Ferrari, Jean Todt orchestrated the Scuderia’s revival through a variety of bold moves in the mid-nineties that ultimately led to seven constructors titles between 1999 and 2007. Now taking a step back from the pitwall, Jean has handed his mantle to long-term Ferrari employee Stefano Domenicali, and Todt is now in the senior executive position for the whole company.

Jean has been involved in motor sport for most of his life and in 1984 took up his first management role, running Peugeot’s in the World Rally Championship. As success came Todt’s way the Frenchman soon became frustrated with Peugeot when they refused to enter F1 and eventually switched allegiances to Ferrari. Todt’s successful management of the Scuderia has led to many questions regarding his future, and in 2004 towards the end of Mosley’s third term, it was expected for Jean to run against Max. However, Mosley was left unchallenged and Jean was soon promoted to Ferrari’s CEO before stepping down as team principal. While the media was hyping up the possibility of Todt running against Mosley in 2005, the Briton stated that Jean would make an excellent president, suggesting that if Max could have his way he would choose Todt.

Jean probably would make an ideal president for the FIA, having gained management experience at Peugeot and Ferrari and generally seen as a hard but ultimately fair principal. Ferrari were recently named as the best company to work for in Italy, with reports saying that employees at Maranello feel welcome to voice ideas, concerns and thoughts in an open and receptive manner. Combine this with the Frenchman’s ability to understand motor sport politics inside-out as well as an understanding of road cars and associated issues that concern the FIA, Todt is probably the most qualified of people listed in this post to succeed Mosley.

Paul Stoddart

Perhaps not an obvious choice given the Australians out-spoking criticism of the FIA’s handling of Formula One, but Paul is in with a chance due to his political stance and gaining experience in motor sport. Sponsoring and running teams in various formulae, Paul and his company European Aviation enjoyed fair success in the mid-to-late nineties. And in 2001 his dream was realised when he purchased the Minardi F1 team from its founder Giancarlo Minardi. With a strong passion for the sport he kept Italy’s second squad going until late-2005 when he reluctantly sold out to Red Bull

During his tenure at Faenza, Paul stood firmly against many other team bosses who said that Minardi shouldn’t be competing if they couldn’t really afford to. Stoddart has battled with Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone and his determination and seemingly unmoving morals deserve admiration. One example of Paul’s sporting code came about when the teams long term technical director John Walton passed away on the evening before the 2004 British Grand Prix. Stoddart ran his cars without sponsor logos for the race which ultimately led to the teams title partner withdrawing their funding, stating they would have liked to have at least been informed about the move. But while having a clean conscience isn’t necessarily a pre-requisite for the presidential role, it shows that Paul can be fair and would likely listen to his advisers, team bosses and fans to ultimately make right decisions for the sport.

However, Stoddart will have to want the role, and currently the former Minardi boss is busy continuing the Italian name in America as well as running his portfolio of businesses, notably European Aviation that reclaim, repair and sell aircraft parts to the aviation industry, as well as running a VIP charter service around the continent and a second airline – OzJet – based in Australia.

Paul has stated in interviews that he thrived on the political battles when he was attempting to keep Minardi in Formula One, and the Australian understands how to run successful organisations. He has charm and charisma as well as passion and dedication, but his dealings with the FIA in the past may count against him if he chooses to stand next year.

Damon Hill

When Damon Hill retired from competitive racing in 1999, the Briton stated that he would be moving away from Formula One, choosing instead to focus his efforts on a variety of businesses he owns and operates. But in 2006, ten years after claiming his only world championship, Hill succeeded Jackie Stewart in becoming the president of the BRDC. The organisation currently owns the Silverstone circuit and are in charge of safe-guarding its future as the venue of the British Grand Prix.

Damon has contacts within the road car industry; as well as running a luxury car club he also owns a successful BMW dealership in Warwickshire. The ‘96 champion has a good core group of people around him and the next logical step from the BRDC is surely the FIA.

Although Hill is perhaps an unusual choice for the FIA presidency, his role in the BRDC leads me to think that he may run in 2009. His announcement to the Drivers Club came as a surprise to many, but it shows Hill has a taste for the political side of motor sport. And despite Bernie Ecclestone’s threats, the British Grand Prix does remain in the calendar for now, suggesting Damon is enjoying reasonable success in his position. Again, it comes down to whether Hill would want to run, but with his other business ventures ticking along smoothly, he clearly has some time on his hands. And although he would have to step down from looking after Silverstone, the call of the greater good may be enough to lure the famous name further up the motor sporting ladder.

Ross Brawn

Like Hill, Ross Brawn is perhaps not the most obvious of choices for the FIA president, but over the last ten-plus years we have seen Ross flourish in Formula One, gaining respect from all quarters of the paddock. Brawn’s fame came from his success at Benetton and Ferrari, but even before working in Formula One, the qualified machinist and engineer worked for Jaguar in their sports car department and has enjoyed working in a variety of roles from technical director to aerodynamicist.

Brawn’s political experience may work against him as he doesn’t have much dealings with this side of the presidential job. Instead, Ross seems to happily blend into the background and let the key decisions be made by others, letting them run the battles while he quietly works away behind the scenes. This lack of authoritative diplomacy may lose him confidence, as well as his previous shenanigans at Benetton and Ferrari which saw the sport being brought into disrepute through the decisions of the team to openly control races.

Also working against Brawn is his loyalty to previous teams. Ross spent a decade at Maranello before moving away, and during this time the rumours of the FIA favouring the Italian team strengthened immeasurably. From Brawn’s point of view, these bias thoughts are solved by him taking the team principal position at Honda. This move, while lucrative for Brawn, could quash any feelings among people that Brawn would be bias towards Ferrari should he become the next president. With ongoing criticism of the body for possibly siding with Scuderia, I imagine the FIA would want to put this behind them and move forward into the next decade with a clean slate. Appointing Ross would naturally draw a lot of skepticism, but by his allegiance to Honda – particularly if they can return to their competitive form – would certainly ease the initial pain.

Having said that, I doubt Brawn would want the role as he seems to prefer to stay behind the pitwall, headphones firmly over ears. This may change in 2008 as his more public role at Honda will require ever more PR pressures, but I struggle to see Brawn in charge of the FIA and enjoying it – a factor that is clearly important to Ross.

Who Is Likely To Succeed Mosley?

Ultimately, it will probably be neither of these people. Perhaps that is for the better as all appear to still be very much involved with their respective teams and organisations. I guess if one person were to receive a unanimous thumbs-up, it would likely be Todt as he is probably the best qualified person for the position, particularly after already receiving encouragement from the current president. Maybe Jean’s move from team principal to company CEO was just a way for Ferrari to progress with new management while keeping Todt from signing on in the twelve month gap?

Thankfully the FIA have decided that after Mosley, the presidential role may only be kept by one person for two terms, which will help keep a fresh perspective on the sport. Although it goes without saying that whoever takes over needs to be intelligent enough to listen to all views concerning the sports and interests that fall under the FIAs control. They need to understand that it is the fans who ultimately decide the fate of Formula One, and the decisions made in Paris and Monaco have huge ramifications right down the grid, through the grandstands and across the world. Rules need to be unambiguous, penalties need to be consistent and changes to the sport need to made with full and open consultation.

I don’t have much respect for Max, but I don’t envy his job either.

Original article by BlogF1.

The Next President Of The FIA

Trying offer some sort of reasoned voice though, Honda have stepped forward with something a little more sensible. Now, I should point out that I disagree with limiting the talents of the staff in Formula One, and therefore see no need the cap anything, but my view isn’t going to stop Mosley in his path and make him reconsider. So, what have Honda suggested?

Quite simply, they have said that if you want to reduce costs for Formula One teams, thus making the playing field a little more level and allow more players to join, just limit the total money the teams can spend during the year.

Ross [Brawn] and I both think that an overall budget cap is something that should be seriously investigated. What we see at the moment, if you look at the accounts of any of the UK F1 teams, is that the costs keep going up.

So far what we have been successfully doing is moving money from one area of the team to another. Money is certainly moved from engines to aerodynamics, because that is the next best area of performance advantage.

We support a lot of the proposals on the aero restrictions, but the fear is that that money will merely be diverted elsewhere. It will go to driver salaries or engineer salaries, or some other part of the car, but will not necessarily reduce the total bill that a team has to pay.

So rather than chasing our tails, we think we should be considering an overall budget cap. Although it will be difficult to monitor, we think it can be achieved. Nick Fry.

I like the honesty of Fry’s statement, saying that all the engine freeze has done is forced the teams to spend more on aerodynamic development and less on the power plants. The total spend is likely to be the same, if not more as Fry hinted at. Essentially, Honda’s F1 CEO has just slapped Mosley down, proving (from Honda’s point of view at least) that the teams are not saving money; they’re actually spending more.

We do support sensible efficiencies on cost and cost restraint. The difficult thing is applying it so it doesn’t advantage or disadvantage one team over another, and that’s the thing we need to focus on.

The concept of a budget cap a couple of years ago was thought to be fairly ludicrous. But if you look at the weaknesses of the counter-arguments and alternative solutions, you wonder whether budget-capping isn’t the one you ought to find a solution for. It gives everyone the opportunity they want to try and achieve the objective. Ross Brawn.

Brawn hit the nail on the head when he states that the cost-cutting rules need to be fair through the grid, ensuring that they don’t “advantage or disadvantage one team over another”. Unfortunately, Ross is about to see Formula One from a non-Ferrari standpoint. This at least should be interesting to watch next year.

The teams are also businesses, and like other limited companies, they need they’re accounts audited and in most circumstances, are made available for viewing. Combined with legislation within the rules, policing the costs spent by the squads would be far easier to manage than an FIA official standing guard at the wind tunnel. Which, by the way, adds to the costs of the governing body which would probably be passed down to the teams at some point.

I could pick holes in the aerodynamic argument. How do you police CFD? You have a processor and a number of people working at their workstations in the CFD department, but if you’ve got somebody off-site quite legitimately developing the code and then they put that enhanced code into your system, are they part of your CFD process or not?

I’m not saying a budget cap is the easiest thing to apply, but is it any more difficult than the other things we’re going to do? [...] How fast can you make this car go for 100 million a year? How efficient can you be? And it’s up to the teams to decide whether they spend 50 million on the driver and 50 million on the car; or one million on the driver and 99 million on the car. It would be fascinating to have that challenge. Ross Brawn.

I like having Ross back in F1. And facing the challenge of reviving Honda away from the comforts of Maranello, the banana-munching brain-box can, has to think radically, perhaps even upsetting the establishment in the process. Like I said, Ross is going to make for some enthralling viewing in 2008.

But back to budget caps. Would it really work? Like all things in business, it isn’t rock-solid. Of course some teams would fudge the numbers, move and hide money, but is it any worse than trying to do some of the things the FIA are currently putting forward? It would actually promote innovation, developing systems without the comfort of the limitless money source, and it would definitely level out the grid a little.

As always, your views are more than welcome, so let me know what you think in the comments. Has Ross gone bananas, or does the green-fingered team principal speak as wisely as the green-bodied Yoda? Erm, budget caps: good or bad!?

Original article by BlogF1.

Welcome Back Ross, Now About These New Rules…

Ross will become the team principal at the Brackley-based squad and will be responsible for the designing, manufacturing, and engineering departments. He will work alongside Nick Fry who will remain as the chief executive.

I am very excited to be joining the Honda Racing F1 Team. Honda has a proud heritage in Formula One and the opportunity to help the team to realise its potential represents a fantastic new challenge for me in the sport.

The team has already done a great job of giving due consideration to its future and has spent a good deal of time putting in place both people and first class engineering resources to achieve its ambitions. I look forward to working alongside what I know to be some very talented people and helping Honda to rediscover its winning ways.
Ross Brawn.

Today’s announcement that Ross Brawn is to join our team is a very satisfying conclusion to the process of refreshing and revitalising a strong and determined team. Ross obviously needs no introduction.

His experience of winning world championships in Formula One will be crucial as we seek to put Honda back into championship contention and I am delighted that we will be working together to achieve that.
Nick Fry.

Thinking about Brawn’s reason behind his sabbatical, it was clear that he wanted a new role within Ferrari, perhaps taking over the mantle from Jean Todt. However, the team clearly had other ideas as to how to structure themselves, and this may have pushed Ross away. Having said that, it clearly could have been the other way round – I guess that is something we proabbly won’t get to know. Ferrari have also shown that they can win the title without him, although I think it is fair to say that had McLaren not been excluded the end result of the championship may have looked different.

For Honda though, only time will tell how long Ross remains. With a woeful 2007 car that was undriveable and a team that appears to be unmotivated, perhaps Ross has bitten off more than he can chew. I imagine if anyone can turn the team around then it is Brawn, but I fear his challenge ahead will not afford him of the luxuries he was perhaps used to at Ferrari.

One good thing I can definitely see coming out of this is the retaining of Rubens Barrichello. As a former Ferrari driver in the team’s dominating era, Rubens worked with Ross and no doubt owes a debt of gratitude to the Briton himself. I hope Brawn will want to keep Barrichello with Jenson Button, if anything just for consistency during the progression.

Looking at the giant jigsaw, I can see 2008 as being one of Honda’s up years. Driver aids are out and this is something Button will revel in. A smooth and forgiving driving style should help him, particularly when pitched against drivers of the younger ilk. Combined with the force that is Brawn, and maybe even fewer front-running competitors (Renault either being penalised or building a dog again), Honda might be able to return themselves to the front again.

So, the big question: Will Honda return to winning ways in 2008?

Original article by BlogF1.

Ross Brawn Joins Honda