Friday: Brawn GP puts all the odds on its side

Brawn GP made a very good start for this race weekend, which is so important for the team. Indeed, they are well on track to be at the forefront tomorrow and Sunday. It is Rubens Barrichello who has taken a slight lead over his teammate Jenson Button. The Brazilian is in the top 3 in both practice sessions in front of his home crowd. We can’t even imagine the atmosphere in the stands, considering that a year ago it was another Brazilian, Felipe Massa, who was setting the mood.

Jenson Button is slightly further back but the Briton has completed numerous laps and he knows he just needs to secure a minimum without aiming for victory on Sunday.

Rubens Barrichello – 2nd and 3rd:

« Our objective today was to evaluate our setup for the race and even though times in the past have not always been competitive, the data we collected will be very useful for studying all options tonight. The car performed better when we put on the soft tires at the end of the day and I was able to put in some good laps. It’s wonderful to be back on track today. I am satisfied with our progress and happy to participate in my home Grand Prix as the runner-up in the championship. »

Jenson Button – 7th and 5th:

« Today, we covered more kilometers than expected with just a few showers that disturbed us a bit. The car seems to perform well on hard tires, which is encouraging, and the pace was good. I struggled a bit with the balance on soft tires, but I hope we can resolve this issue by tomorrow to be ready for qualifying. »

Ross Brawn – Team Principal:

« We had two good practice sessions today and we are reasonably satisfied with our position at the end of the day. This afternoon, both our drivers, Rubens and Jenson, were quite comfortable with a setup planned for long distance. We still have work to do overnight and before the qualifying to achieve the best pace over one lap tomorrow. »