Assessment: Who can now beat Button and Brawn GP?

New seamless domination from Brawn GP for this race weekend in Spain. The arrival in Europe, considered as another start to the season, could have changed the game, but the Brackley team is heading straight for the constructors’ title, having scored 68 out of 81 available points. And for good reason, today they secured 18 new points with a Barcelona one-two finish.

Jenson Button is getting closer to the driver’s title as he now has 41 points out of a possible 45 at the start of the season. His teammate, Rubens Barrichello, is in 2nd place and is still waiting for his moment for a race victory, which will likely come in a few weeks.

The single-seater reaches an exceptional level of reliability, not a hint of a problem or uncertainty. Apart from Red Bull, no one else currently seems capable of competing, so this should be accompanied by new victories in the future.

Jenson Button – 1st:

« We thought that three stops would be the best in terms of strategy after our qualifying yesterday. I made a good start, but Rubens Barrichello was better and I couldn’t oppose him. Having lost the lead and facing the prospect of being stuck behind Rosberg, we decided to switch to a two-stop strategy. The car was very heavy after my first stop, but I worked very hard. Finishing with a victory is a bit unexpected, but it means a lot to continue towards the title. »

« Of course, Rubens is disappointed not to have won today and he was immense over the weekend in helping me overcome my problems on Friday. There is a tremendous feeling of dominance within our team and I am very proud of it. »

Rubens Barrichello – 2nd:

« The race started very well for me and I made good overtakes on Sebastian Vettel and Jenson to find myself leading the race. The car made a good impression on me during the first stint. After my pit stop, I came out ahead of Nico Rosberg. From then on, I knew I had to drive fast to make my strategy work. »

« However, I struggled with my third set of tires and was unable to achieve the expected times. Jenson had an excellent result, but I am disappointed not to have won the race after having a good weekend. I am a positive person and I am convinced that my victory will come soon. »

Ross Brawn – Director:

« A fantastic result for the team today after hard work to maximize the performance of our new developments this weekend. Rubens got a great start and was leading, and we asked both our drivers to do their utmost to build a solid lead over the pack.

« With the first pit stop, it became clear that Jenson would end up directly behind Nico Rosberg, so we changed our strategy. Rubens was very fast and his three-stop strategy was clearly the fastest option for him. Unfortunately, his tires failed after his second stop, which compromised his pace. In the end, it cost him the race. It is largely thanks to him that we were able to maximize our pace and achieve the success we know today. »