Brawn GP (topic rename)

Given that last year Rubens pretty much shat on Jenson overall I think it would be the other way around if there was a lead driver... but there isn't as there's no point whatsoever having such an arrangement in a team which will likely challenge for little more than than a few points as the season goes on.

Bruno is testing for Oreca today at Ricard

Some parts from an interview with Rubens for Folha de Sao Paulo published yesterday:

(Sorry if any errors, people!)

Debut on the car:

"-This Monday, the team will be in Barcelona, but I won't be able to drive yet due a simple reason: my seat isn't ready, and nowadays you cannot test with the polyurethane one because, if an accident happens, they tie you and remove together with the seat. My spec will only be ready Tuesday, so I'll drive Tuesday and Thursday, and in Jerez, Sunday and half Monday."


BGP001 first impressions:

"-It was a calm day, we used the 1.200m track, the Silverstone National. In reality, it was just to check if everything was alright, fine with the engine... We were doing five laps then stopping, then another five and stopping again, I left around 15h and it was all good."

Contract:

"-The contract I've only signed this Thursday, but I already knew since last Wednesday (from the previous week - Rodrigo), that was when him [ Ross Brawn] called me and I got to know I was going [to Europe] for a good reason."

What he was doing between all this time:

"-I had four months of vacations, whose I left emotions aside, I've learnt many things and always kept positive. Anyways I never gave up to try because that was my objective. In reality, it was like I had only two weeks of vacations, because I wanted to race and knew that had to be myself."

On the naysayers:

"-Sometimes, some think that I'm one who want to give excuses, that I'm a crier, so I was afraid of not being able to be back and pass that happiness for the car and for the tracks. But my contact with Ross was always very large, and he was always very clear to say that he wanted me, even before he took control of the team."

Team's fate:

"-It wasn't the original plan, he wanted a buyer, but didn't get it, so had to buy the team."

Physically talking:

"-I lost 5Kg and I'm in better shape than ever. We, drivers, generally exercise alot till January and then end up mantaining during the year. This time was different, since I went until March, only finished to lose weight because was already stronger than the necessary."

Expectations on himself, car, etc...:

"-I want to win. Won't start the year simply as more one number, running to reach at 300 GPs nothing like that. I want really to have fun, but also to show for everybody why I fought alot to reach where I am.

I already passed by alot of things in my career, many ups and downs, and what really motivates me now is that I believe we will have a really competitive car. Aerodinamically it born really good, we have the same engine of McLaren, what is a thing that let's me really trustworthy. I think that differently than the last year, now we won't suffer with speed. We won't have the KERS, but I think we will have a very fast car.

Since December the team knew we were going to have Mercedes engines and worked on that."

"Sometimes, some think that I'm one who want to give excuses, that I'm a crier"

luckily none of the members here ever said that!



btw, the Official F1 website has Rubens in #18, Jenson #19 - probably based on amount of points from last year as most teams seem to do it

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X (@ed24f1)

Yeah Ed, at least from the todays photos, it looks like the site's assumption is wrong:

ok, thanks - i hadn't seen that.

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X (@ed24f1)

I think the fact the team are carrying 18 and 19 is more of an indication of what Honda was like last year...i think the team will be more concerned about that rather than Button and Barrichello worrying about their individual numbers.

I remember Peter Sauber being really excited about seeing single digit numbers on his car one year!

Honda did stipulate that whomever took control of the team must show that they have the funds and the business model to ensure the team survives the season so surely Brawn must have sponsors/funding lined up to meet that stipulation.

That being said Brawn GP really missed the boat by not having sponsors in place for the day the team and car was launched. Let's get it right this was a launch. The team made it's official entry and then pictures of the car appeared on the teams website - that is a launch and it was on that day that Brawn GP received the most publicity and I guarantee the most hits on their website. For a sponsor that exposure is golden, to not be on the back of that is a piss poor job at marketing UNLESS the sponsors really aren't in place yet which is worrying.

I really do feel for the staff of this team. If Honda had simply collapsed the team then a good chunk of the long term employees would have been eligible for decent redundancy payouts from Honda, perhaps some would have found work in other areas of Honda yet if Brawn GP goes bust in a seasons time, what position are the staff left in? Well they certainly won't be receiving any of the benefits they were entitled to whilst being Honda employees.


I'm just hoping that this team can make a real go of it. They will be back markers this season, make no mistake about it - if they can score a few points at a few races then that will be a major achievement. I feel this spell at the back/rear middle of the pack doesn't finish them off. There are some really talented people at Honda including Ross Brawn, if they can make it through this season then I'm really confident that in 2010 they would most definitely be fighting for top six finishes if not more.

From AtlasF1. Post by Apollonius.

Makes some good points to support Bruno here.

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"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL

That being said Brawn GP really missed the boat by not having sponsors in place for the day the team and car was launched.

Lets be fair. The team was only formed a few days (maybe weeks) ago in a VERY short time. With the current financial situation, where are they going to get sponsors from, willing to pay millions, at short notice, for a team that hasn't even been launched, named after someone that nobody outside of F1 knows (everyone knows Ferrari, Mercedes, BMW, Toyota, who knows Brawn?), that are going to be running at the back of the grid? If there are no sponsors ready for the team, then this is because Honda had none lined up for them.

However they keep saying they are changing the colours at the start of the year to blue and silver. Why? Do they have sponsorship that requires it? Seems logical to me. When you are tight on time and cash, why paint the car up, make a website, and even the pit garage boards, in a scheme and then change it again.

However as stated, Honda said they have to be ready and prepared to run the full season if they are willing to sell. If Honda then sold the team like this then I'd say they have to be ready.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/2009 10:30PM by DaveEllis.

I fully agree, but some good points are raised.

Honda would only sell to someone who could be sure of them surviving the season.

Brawn does not have millions of millions, at least not enough to support an F1 team for a year.

So for Brawn to get the deal, a backer must have been mentioned to Honda, and been confirmed, otherwise Honda would not have sold on the persumption that they 'could' find someone. Someone must already have been found.

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"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL

It would be cheaper for Honda to fund a year of Brawn than it would to shut the team down. Don't rule out that Honda is partially funding this.

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If everyone is in agreement, the other Honda thread can be shut down?

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[www.mediafire.com] Some say you should click it, you know you want to. [www.gp4central.com] <----GP4 Central

DaveEllis Wrote:
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> It would be cheaper for Honda to fund a year of
> Brawn than it would to shut the team down. Don't
> rule out that Honda is partially funding this.


Oh yeah of course. But Honda would only sell the team providing some sort of financial backing was there. They would not fund the whole operation, (even scaled down). I understand they will simply support the backer.

For Honda to fund a season of F1 without any more financial backers would be abit odd considering the cars are mercedes badged.

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"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL

mortal Wrote:
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> If everyone is in agreement, the other Honda
> thread can be shut down?


Yeah definetly. Maybe change this thread's name to Brawn GP latest news?

apparently the betting website [www.bwin.com] could be the major sponsor of Brawn...

[en.f1-live.com]

they already sponsor MotoGP events, so it wouldn't be too much of a departure to sponsor a F1 team

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X (@ed24f1)

So far Brawn GP looks very promessing...Button is fastes at the moment in tests at Barcelona and have done time 1,21,140 that is over half a second faster than Kimi's poletime last year.

there could be some showboating going on here - appearing to be fast in testing wouldn't detract from any potential sponsors, would it...

btw, where can we find the live timing for testing?

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X (@ed24f1)

SchueyFan Wrote:
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> there could be some showboating going on here -
> appearing to be fast in testing wouldn't detract
> from any potential sponsors, would it...
>
> btw, where can we find the live timing for
> testing?


Most likely those are low fuel load runs but promesing anyway....you can find livetiming or sort of from these sites:

[www.sportlifepress.com]
[directo.thef1.es]
[www.f1today.nl]

vesuvius Wrote:
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> SchueyFan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > there could be some showboating going on here -
> > appearing to be fast in testing wouldn't
> detract
> > from any potential sponsors, would it...
> >
> > btw, where can we find the live timing for
> > testing?
>
>
> Most likely those are low fuel load runs but
> promesing anyway....

yeah, theres no way the others are that slow, but having said that, that isn't a bad time at all for a car that has hardly turned a wheel all winter.

vesuvius Wrote:
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> you can find livetiming or
> sort of from these sites:
>
> [www.sportlifepress.com]
> _moderatedchat&chatid=16
> [directo.thef1.es]
> [www.f1today.nl]
> it-de-catalunya/


thanks!

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X (@ed24f1)