Just before the Grand Prix in Bahrain, Andrew and I offer the perfect appetizer. Not really. But if you have nerves of steal, we dare you to risk your ears and listen.
Category Archives: Brawn GP
Brawn Flexes Muscle Down Under
What a difference a month can make. Thirty days ago, there were still very serious doubts about whether the former Honda F1 team would survive to utilize the chassis they spent the better part of 16 months developing. That was before Ross Brawn — former Honda team principal and long-time technical director of both Benetton and Ferrari — swooped in on March 6th to purchase the team, drop in a few Mercedes engines, and launch drivers Jensen Button and Rubens Barrichello into pole position for the 2009 F1 season.
After blistering test-runs and dominating performances in practice and qualifying, the news only got better for Brawn when Sir Richard Branson (of Virgin fame) committed to a financially lucrative sponsorship deal with the team on the eve of the 2009 season’s inaugural race in Australia. Brawn lined up 1-2 the next day, and despite a horrendous start from Barrichello — and thanks in large part to the colossal, collective fuck-up of Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica in the dying moments of the race — they finished 1-2 as well. No team had accomplished that feat in their debut race since Mercedes in 1954.
Of course, not all of the weekend’s good news belonged to Brawn. McLaren and 2008 Champion Lewis Hamilton seem to have lucked into nominal podium finish after Jarno Trulli’s then-3rd-placed Toyota went off-track under a safety car. In an apparent effort to avoid a penalty, Hamilton slowed to allow Trulli to overtake him, but while the Italian received his plaudits on the podium, his pass on Hamilton was adjudged by stewards to be illegal and resulted in a 25s penalty. The decision is still under appeal, but even the 4th-place finish that would represent the Briton’s worst case scenario must be regarded as a massive result given that Lewis started 18th on the grid.
While Hamilton’s success meant a fairly positive day at the track for a clearly underpowered McLaren team, perennial contenders Ferrari crumbled under the pressure with neither Kimi Raikkonen or 2008 runner-up Felipe Massa able to finish the race. Prospects for the Italian giants currently look dim. Red Bull and BMW, by comparison, seem well-positioned to stay in the title hunt this year after strong performances which would have seen each team take a spot on the podium if not for the collision which saw their top drivers forced to retire with 3 laps remaining. Neither should Toyota be discounted since, despite having to start both of their cars from the pit lane, Trulli’s penalty is all that kept them from claiming 2 of the top-5 spots.
Still, Brawn is currently the clear favorite, and statements from McLaren and Ferrari suggest that it will take a number of weeks before either team can hope to match the debutant team’s performance. Perpetual underachiever Jensen Button must meanwhile be regarded as a front-runner for the Driver’s World Championship, but nothing is written in stone. Some of us foresee a dark horse in the race, a ride with a history of pipping Button to the finish:
Speaking English 