Button flies in first test!

[mattikake]

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/3/8998...

Well, comparatively at least, given this is their first competitive test. There's me thinking Brawn GP will be the whipping boys but sometimes a load of rule changes and a aback-to-basics approach, forced or not, can lead to interesting things...

I'm really starting to hope the Macca's are sandbagging too.

[Dr KT]

I think reliability will be there biggest problem for the first couple of races.

I hope it works out for the team.

[dpbird90]

Yeah it's looking great for them, when they were still Honda they got to work on the 2009 car pretty much as soon as Brawn walked through the door, and IIRC Button said post-Canada that they were near to finishing the 09 car. Let's hope the Merc engines are as reliable as they have been for Lewis, I can see BGP doing well this year.

[DSM2]

Today's times:

Pos. Team Driver Laps Time ToD

1 BrawnGP BAR 27 1'21.665 11:18
2 BMW Sauber HEI 69 1'21.965 11:22
3 Toyota TRU 28 1'21.986 11:32
4 Renault ALO 31 1'22.105 11:32
5 Ferrari RAI 24 1'22.227 10:26
6 Red Bull WEB 25 1'22.636 11:11
7 McLaren KOV 24 1'22.810 11:27
8 Williams NAK 27 1'22.893 10:50
9 Toro Rosso BOU 14 1'23.039 10:50
10 Force India SUT 18 1'23.308 11:32

[DSM2]

Pos. Team Driver Laps Time ToD
1 Ferrari RAI 44 1'20.314 12:06
2 BrawnGP BAR 52 1'20.966 12:52
3 Toyota TRU 49 1'21.326 12:20
4 Renault ALO 53 1'21.937 12:55
5 BMW Sauber HEI 82 1'21.965 11:22
6 Force India SUT 36 1'22.141 12:45
7 McLaren KOV 39 1'22.328 12:24
8 Red Bull WEB 28 1'22.517 11:34
9 Williams NAK 36 1'22.576 12:56
10 Toro Rosso BOU 14 1'23.039 10:50

[furtive]

Reubens has broken it

[FourWheelDrift]

I wonder if the years of struggling to sneak out every ounce of performance from the car due to the lack of Honda horses has meant once they put a powerful engine in they go a lot quicker than anyone else.

[Rude-boy]

You would like to think so but then you wouldn't have had a number of other drivers comment on what a pig of a car it looked to drive.

[Craig@CMR]

Rude-boy said:

You would like to think so but then you wouldn't have had a number of other drivers comment on what a pig of a car it looked to drive.

wheres that said fella?

[FourWheelDrift]

Looks fine to me in the video I have seen of it. A bad handling car would not be that quick or it would be so much quicker if it's handling was improved. In which case put all your bets on Brawn GP to win the titles this year.

[Scuffers]

FourWheelDrift said:

I wonder if the years of struggling to sneak out every ounce of performance from the car due to the lack of Honda horses has meant once they put a powerful engine in they go a lot quicker than anyone else.

can't really see this, the one think Honda as a company can do is build engines....

[Steamer]

Brilliant news - should help them get a few stickers on the car too!

[Rude-boy]

Craig@CMR said:

Rude-boy said:

You would like to think so but then you wouldn't have had a number of other drivers comment on what a pig of a car it looked to drive.

wheres that said fella?

Nowhere this year, I was talking about last year's car. It was quite common that you would hear comments about how uncomfortable RB and JB's cars looked

[ajprice]

Scuffers said:

FourWheelDrift said:

I wonder if the years of struggling to sneak out every ounce of performance from the car due to the lack of Honda horses has meant once they put a powerful engine in they go a lot quicker than anyone else.

can't really see this, the one think Honda as a company can do is build engines....

Their '09 Mercedes engine is apparently 60bhp up on the '08 Honda...

[FourWheelDrift]

Scuffers said:

FourWheelDrift said:

I wonder if the years of struggling to sneak out every ounce of performance from the car due to the lack of Honda horses has meant once they put a powerful engine in they go a lot quicker than anyone else.

can't really see this, the one think Honda as a company can do is build engines....

It's pretty well known they didn't have anywhere near the best engine in F1. They won't even sell their engines to other teams for money. What does that say about the engine?

[aeropilot]

FourWheelDrift said:

They won't even sell their engines to other teams for money. What does that say about the engine?

Don't you you mean they couldn't even sell their engine to another team.......

[Scuffers]

FourWheelDrift said:

Scuffers said:

FourWheelDrift said:

I wonder if the years of struggling to sneak out every ounce of performance from the car due to the lack of Honda horses has meant once they put a powerful engine in they go a lot quicker than anyone else.

can't really see this, the one think Honda as a company can do is build engines....

It's pretty well known they didn't have anywhere near the best engine in F1. They won't even sell their engines to other teams for money. What does that say about the engine?

I would guess they fell in the same hole Renault did with no engine development...

[DSM2]

aeropilot said:

FourWheelDrift said:

They won't even sell their engines to other teams for money. What does that say about the engine?

Don't you you mean they couldn't even sell their engine to another team.......

You could well be right, but the reasons would be the same..................

[stuttgartmetal]

I'd lovee to see the Honda CEO's face when Ross Brawns car hits the podium first time out.

His cars are always fast out of the box.

[skeggysteve]

stuttgartmetal said:

I'd lovee to see the Honda CEO's face when Ross Brawns car hits the podium first time out.

His cars are always fast out of the box.

I would really like that as well

Rubens 3rd quickest today times here

ETA that site is not quite work safe, their adverts are a bit more revealing than ITV

Edited by skeggysteve on Tuesday 10th March 17:52