Assessment: New title for Brawn GP but

Jenson Button and his team Brawn GP are starting to frustrate their rivals as winning a race seems so easy for them. On this Sunday, June 7th, the Briton won the sixth trophy of the season in seven races after the sweltering Turkish Grand Prix. Button and Ross Brawn let their joy burst forth while another looks gloomy…

It concerns Rubens Barrichello since, for the first time this year, the BGP001 suffered a reliability issue, specifically a gearbox problem. The team doesn’t want to take any risks and decides to stop the Brazilian.

Jenson Button – 1st:

« I would have liked to have the whole team up there on the podium with me today! It’s a victory for all of us, everyone on track, at the Brackley factory, and at Mercedes-Benz. Today, we really showed what this car and the engine can do. Beating our competitors in this way means a lot. »

« I made a good start from the dirty side of the grid and it was really important to maintain this second position in the first corner. I took my chance on the first lap when Sebastian went wide. From there, we controlled the race. Once we knew Sebastian switched to a three-stop strategy, we fueled my car at my first stop, and I tried to be as consistent as possible to keep him behind me.

It is not pleasant to see a car catching up to you so quickly, even when you know it has a low fuel level, I was able to push even harder. I had a smile on my face almost every lap today. It’s the first time the car is absolutely perfect for me. Going to Silverstone for our race as the Championship leader is a wonderful feeling, but we know we must maintain the pressure to keep our advantage.

Rubens Barrichello – Retirement:

« It was difficult and very frustrating for me today. We had a problem with the clutch at the start, and I got stuck on the track. That made things complicated. I then pushed hard in the first half of the race. I had a few incidents with other cars. My gearbox started to deteriorate, and that’s why the team asked me to retire. It’s tough on a day like this because the pace of the car was fantastic, but we will bounce back. Silverstone is one of my favorite circuits, I’m staying positive. »

Ross Brawn – Team Principal:

« I’m running out of superlatives to describe our season! Jenson delivered an outstanding race today and showcased the level of his talent. Once again, the team here on track, as well as in Brackley, worked extremely hard this weekend to improve the car and achieve the perfect setup we had for today’s race. My sincere thanks to everyone for their commitment and enthusiasm. »

« With Rubens, we had a problem with his clutch at the start, similar to the one we experienced at the season opener in Melbourne. As his race progressed, it became increasingly clear that this caused serious issues with his gearbox. It is extremely frustrating for everyone involved since the car was well balanced. »

« We will investigate the cause of the problem to ensure it is corrected. We can now look forward to Silverstone, right next to our Brackley factory. It is a great pride to be the leader in the constructors and drivers’ championship. »