Information about Honda Brawn GP

History of Brawn GP in F1

Honda has been taken over by the Brawn GP team and has secured their place in the starting line-up for 2009. Honda made their debut into Formula One in 1964 and won their first Grand Prix the following year. 1967 saw Honda finish in fourth place in the constructors’ title race and scored their maiden pole in 1968 in Italy, before the team bow out of F1 racing after a fatal accident in the French Grand Prix, which resulted in the death of Joe Schlesser. Honda successfully supplied engines to various teams throughout the 80’s and 90’s before making a comeback in 2006 as a works team, which saw them finish fourth in the constructors’ championship. 2007 was a disappointing year as the team finish with 80 points fewer than the previous year due to reliability and aerodynamic issues. Last year saw another substandard performance when they finished ninth in the constructors’ standings. Honda withdrew from Formula One in 2008 and Ross Brawn bought the team and renamed them Brawn GP for the 2009 season.

Brawn GP information

Ross Brawn is the team principal and the team is based in Brackley, England. They use the Bridgestone Potenza tyres and this year they will be looking to add to their three Grand Prix wins and two pole positions, with veteran driver Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button taking the drivers seats for 2009.

Technical details and statistics

Before Brawn took over the Honda team, they had made a few modifications to improve the technical abilities of the car. The team replaced the flat camera housings with curved ones to use the airflow at the rear of the car and added a vertical fin to connect the winglet in front of the sidepods to the rear most edge of the barge board to add stiffness, which will reduce destructive vibration. To improve the balance of the car, the team added two central wide winglets to the engine cover, which also reduces load transfers from the front to the rear upon acceleration and braking.

Base: Brackley, England
Team principal: Ross Brawn
Main drivers: Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button
Engine: TBC
Chassis: TBC
Tyres: Bridgestone Potenza
Debut F1 season: 1964 (Honda) 2009 (Brawn GP)
World Championship titles: 0
Highest race finish: 1st (x3)
Pole positions: 2
Fastest lap times: 2

Driver no.1: Rubens Barrichello

Rubens Barrichello was born in Sao Paulo and has been competing in Formula One since 1993, when he made his debut for Jordon, making him the most experienced driver to race this season. He switched teams in 1997, when he joined Stewart and finishes 13th two seasons in a row before claiming seventh spot in 1999. The Brazilian moved to Ferrari in 2000 where he notched a fourth then third place in the drivers’ championship. 2002 saw his most impressive finish to date in second, followed by fourth, then second again in 2004, playing a vital role in Michael Schumacher and Ferraris dominance since he joined the team. Barrichello moved to Honda in 2006 after a disappointing final year with Ferrari and claims seventh spot before enduring his worst F1 season in 2007 when he failed to score but secured 11 points last year, after a podium finish at Silverstone.

Statistics
Nationality: Brazilian
Date of birth: 23/05/1972
World Championship titles: 0
Number of Grands Prix won: 9
Pole positions: 13
Career points: 530
Podiums: 62

Driver no.2: Jenson Button

Jenson Button was born in Somerset, England, and became the British Super Prix champion at the tender age of 9. In 1997, Button became the youngest winner of the European Super A Championship and also won the Ayrton Senna Memorial Cup at Suzuka. After various successes in the British Formula Ford Championship, the European Formula Ford Championship and the British Formula Three Championship, Button made his F1 debut in 2000 for Williams. The Brit moved to Benetton the following year and finished the season with only 2 points. 2002 saw Benetton change to Renault and Button stepped up to seventh in the drivers’ standings. He moved to BAR in 2003 and claimed ninth spot before his best performance yet in 2004, when he finished third only to the dominant Ferrari drivers. He signed for Honda in 2006 and since claiming sixth spot in his first season, he only scored six points in 2007 followed by three points last year, mainly down to an underperforming Honda.

Statistics
Nationality: British
Date of birth: 19/01/1980
World Championship titles: 0
Number of Grands Prix won: 1
Pole positions: 3
Career points: 232
Podiums: 15