F109 Countdown: Brawn Grand Prix

Day of the F109 Countdown looks at Brawn Grand Prix. After a season of uncertainty, pundits claim the former Honda team could be about to make a big splash.

Brawn GP Fact File:
2008 Results (as Honda Racing)
Best Finish: 3rd (Rubens Barrichello at the British Grand Prix)
Points Scored: 14
Championship Position: 9th
2009 Drivers: Jenson Button & Rubens Barrichello

Where Brawn GP stand is likely to remain a mystery until we get to Melbourne. So far, they have been more than happy to make a big splash. Their debut week of playing with others saw them rule the roost.

I just don’t believe we will see that when the real racing starts.

Testing, even Friday practice, always has to be taken with a pinch of salt. When it comes to this team, even more so. How many pre-season tests have we seen this time in its former guises shoot to the top of the standings and set the pace, only to disappear when the real racing started? It has happened enough times that their results definitely warrant questioning.

A number of observers have guessed that Brawn is running low fuel and ballast in their cars in an attempt to attract attention of sponsors. On the bright side, at least Brawn has the sense not to look for a gimmicky sponsor like the failed ‘Earth Dream’ concept.

Others have decided to talk up Brawn’s pace, which is a bit of a strange tactic. Maybe they are setting the team up for a bigger fall and deflecting the attention away from their own work.

If the car was going to be that good, I don’t think Honda would have pulled the plug. After investing so much time, effort and most importantly, money in the development of this car, it would just be a piss poor business decision. You give up half way through the year and work on this car, only to pull out. Don’t forget, this was the team that seriously tried to court Fernando Alonso to join their ranks for this season. To me, the Honda pull-out screamed that the car wasn’t right and they wanted to cut their losses.

Imagine if Brawn went on and were competitive. I think that would be a serious case of eggs on the face for Honda. Sure, we are in a recession, but everyone is affected by it. I would definitely think there was less to lose on a potentially championship contending campaign, than one rooted to the rear.

That been said, I raised my eyebrows with others at the speed of the car in the past few tests. I never thought it would be that easy for an engine power plant to fit in another car. For all the song and dance about manufacturers concerning standardised engines, I find it somewhat ironic.

The team retains both Button and Barrichello. Strangely enough, it was the Brazilian’s seat on the line over the winter. While both had a season to forget about, I always found it strange that it wasn’t Button on the chopping block. Given the Brit’s sizable wage packet, he was poor value for money against the veteran Barrichello last year.

Rubens came home with eleven of the teams fourteen points. Button has suffered a landslide fall from grace. With the arrival of Lewis Hamilton, the spotlight if off him, which given recent seasons, probably isn’t a bad thing!

I think, if given the right car, Button can still deliver. I’m surprised there wasn’t more talk about him moving when Honda pulled the plug. The lack of talk perhaps an indicator of just how far his stock has fallen in recent years.

The decision to retain both was the best decision for the team. While they don’t have the financial clout as they have had previously, running a rookie driver who would pay for a drive would be detrimental for a team that needs to get the most out of their car. The delay in the driver decision left Bruno Senna the odd man out, scrambling for a competitive drive in a series.

As I said at the start, gauging Brawn can only be done once we get the season started. Who knows, the pace might actually be credible.

Brains or Brawn?

After weeks of haggling and false reports that a deal was done, a solution is finally official. Brawn GP is born.

I am shaking my head at this one and as to why Ross Brawn is jumping into the deep end. No doubt, the man is intelligence. But this decision is anything but. I get the feeling that all his years of fine work with Schumacher are going to go down the drain, leaving his reputation in tatters.

This new team have all the hallmarks of being the ‘Super Aguri’ of 2009. All that time and money spent on developing a ‘contender’ for 2009 is out the window. They have zero testing done. I’m sure there are going to be design issues with switching out a Honda power plant for a Mercedes. Sponsors are needed. In short, it is going to be another year of struggle.

The whole situation has disaster written all over it. Many may be lamenting that Bruno Senna has been given the short shift, losing out to Barrichello for the second seat. It may be a blessing in disguise for the nephew of the legendary Ayrton. His reputation and confidence won’t plummet by driving for an ailing team.

Logically, it would have made more sense for a big time investor to come in. Short term, the team will struggle but long term, there is potential. The biggest question that will be answered in time is whether Brawn can survive short-term to reap any benefits.