Honda to continue as 'Brawn GP'

Eurosport - Sat, 07 Mar 16:18:00 2009

The former Honda Formula One team has been saved and will race this season as Brawn GP under team principal and new owner Ross Brawn.

FORMULA 1 Ross Brawn Honda F1 08 - 0

Britain's Jenson Button and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, last year's Honda line-up, will continue to drive for the British-based team with the first race in Australia little more than three weeks away on March 29.

Brawn GP, whose change of name is subject to the agreement of the governing FIA, will use Mercedes engines under a deal with McLaren's partners.

No financial details were given.

"Honda Motor Company Limited and Ross Brawn are pleased to confirm that they have reached agreement to secure the future of the former Honda Racing F1 Team," the statement said.

"With immediate effect, Honda will pass ownership to Ross Brawn, team principal of the new Brawn GP Formula One Team."

Brawn, a former Ferrari technical director, looked forward to the new season after months of doubt about the team's survival following Honda's announcement in December they were pulling out due to the credit crunch.

"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," he said.

"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."

The team said Nick Fry, the former Honda Racing chief executive who attended a news conference held by the Formula One Teams' Association in Geneva on Thursday, will remain as part of Brawn's senior management team.

However the Brackley-based team, formerly the sport's biggest spenders, are likely to shed a considerable number of their 700 employees.

They are due to hold a private shakedown of the new car at the Silverstone circuit in England on Friday before travelling to Spain for their first test of the year in Barcelona on Monday.

They will also hold a final pre-season test in Jerez.

Barrichello is F1's most experienced driver with a record 270 starts and his partnership with Button, reported in the British media to have taken a significant pay cut, represents a combined total of 423 grands prix.

Brawn's move, effectively a management buy-out, rescued both men's careers with 36-year-old Barrichello out of contract while Button was facing a year on the sidelines with all other teams completing their line-ups.

With the team's survival, Formula One will start the season with 10 teams - one fewer than at the beginning of 2008 before Super Aguri folded.

Reuters

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  1. Hi Donald been watching the lastest series of your­ alter ego (ie Rab) and it's been brilliant, when­ you can understand what they are saying.

    From B Mackenzie, on Mon 9 Mar 4:26PM

  2. In fairness, he's a special kind of idiot.

    From Donald D, on Mon 9 Mar 4:24PM

  3. It's great Donald, I made a comment about one of­ his names (loadofb....) and they all changed to another­ Bill Mac, which just shows how upset he is getting. He­ is brightening my day up no end lmao.
    I thought I had­ met some idiots in the past but I hadn't lived had­ I?

    From B Mackenzie, on Mon 9 Mar 4:09PM

  4. Real Bill Mac - it must be nice to know you have got­ under the idiot's skin to such an extent!

    From Donald D, on Mon 9 Mar 3:10PM

  5. Gosh it scrambled the word H-A-R-D - but i gues i can­ see why.

    From B Mackenzie, on Mon 9 Mar 1:52PM

  6. I would imagine they have and will be working very @#$%­ that littlee.69123, I don't think it will be a­ straight swap and maybe it just won't migrate to­ the McLaren lump. Good point though because there had­ been a lot of talk on how good the Honda KERS package­ was.

    From B Mackenzie, on Mon 9 Mar 1:52PM

  7. will it be the car designed last year with mods for the­ Merc engine? And will it be able to use the Honda KERS­ system which was supposed to be quite advanced?

    From littlee.69123, on Mon 9 Mar 12:24AM

  8. Well you didn't come here very quickly then did you­ as this is yesterdays story and its been talked to­ death, by most people here hence the chit chat and­ banter. Join in you might like it :-)

    From Mike, on Sun 8 Mar 5:50PM

  9. calm down thewook, there's no harm in being­ friendly with people is there?

    From SixOneSix, on Sun 8 Mar 5:27PM

  10. Good luck to Ross and his team for the new F1 season,­ and I hope the cars work well in testing

    From thewook, on Sun 8 Mar 5:19PM
  11. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    m.e.: I love how the different colour cars go really­ fast, and it's all exciting, and different people­ win, and they go all round the world to different­ places. Yeah, you sure can't beat a good spot of­ Formula 1.

    From Adam L, on Sun 8 Mar 5:17PM

  12. For those of you that think this is a form of­ "msn" well it is NOT !!!
    So please take your­ "chat" elsewhere as I for one and alot of­ other people come here to read about F1.

    From thewook, on Sun 8 Mar 5:16PM

  13. Evil idiot - not the real Chitty.

    From m.e.jenner, on Sun 8 Mar 4:25PM

  14. Adam,you need to learn not to be a baby and not to be­ baited by mike q.

    From teatotaller, on Sun 8 Mar 4:05PM

  15. Well,im back,
    Ive changed my picture because i was­ given a hard time about it.

    From teatotaller, on Sun 8 Mar 4:03PM

  16. Well,im back,
    Ive changed my picture because i was­ given a hard time about it.

    From teatotaller, on Sun 8 Mar 4:02PM

  17. Sigh..... yes, Adam, it's fantastic !!

    From m.e.jenner, on Sun 8 Mar 4:02PM

  18. Well,im back,
    Ive changed my picture because i was­ given a hard time about it.

    From teatotaller, on Sun 8 Mar 4:01PM

  19. Why am I baby with a lot to learn, pray tell? What­ exactly do I need to learn?

    Well, for starters­ there's no 'r' in following. As for the­ article, the only correction as far as I can see is to­ change "it's" to "its".

    So,­ Formula 1, huh? Ain't it great there's a new­ team?

    From Adam L, on Sun 8 Mar 3:46PM

  20. Honda won 14 points last year. I think Brawn had some­ input into that spectacular total.

    From Frank, on Sun 8 Mar 3:25PM
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