Ross Brawn manages the tension between his two drivers

Ross Brawn asserts that he is doing everything possible to keep the tension between his drivers, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, under control as the championship reaches its climax. With only two races left in the season, the English driver is ahead by 14 points from the Brazilian, who will both be looking to win the next race in Interlagos, and perhaps the drivers’ title will be decided in Abu Dhabi. If Barrichello wins his home race, the English driver will need to finish in third position to secure the title.

Ross Brawn recognizes that there are a limited number of things to do to ease the tension between his drivers, but he says he is working smartly to ensure that the problems are minimized and that the negative tension does not affect the team.

« I think you do what you can to reduce tension and pressure when you’re in this position if I want to work diligently, smartly, and carefully. But the whole team ensures there are no tensions by avoiding anything negative, and if there are any, then you face the problem. But that’s all you can do. Work as much as you can, as precisely as you can. »

« There have been very high highs and lows this season, and it has been very difficult to predict how things would go in each race. We had some races where we thought Red Bull would be very strong, and they weren’t, and other races where we thought we could be strong, and we weren’t. It’s a difficult season to predict. So, in every race, you go in, and you never really know how the competition will be, if you will be competitive, and how the other cars will perform, so it’s difficult in that regard, » states the team boss.

Ross Brawn also acknowledged that there is a certain concern about having to focus on this year’s car. As long as there are things to do to win the title, it will pose a development problem for next season, especially with some teams that have already focused all their attention on 2010.

« It’s true that to a certain extent, we have become aware of the need to take charge of next year’s development. I think that the car won’t be so different, but without refueling, the fuel capacity will be higher and the tires will react differently. But the things we are doing right now on the aerodynamic level, we can carry them over to next year, so it’s not such a dramatic change. I also think that everyone knows where they need to focus, » adds Ross Brawn.

The team boss admitted that the fight for the two titles has radically changed the morale of his staff over the past year. The Brackley team, previously known as Honda, had a dismal 2008 season, and its future was in doubt when the Japanese car manufacturer announced it was withdrawing from F1.

It is evident that if you are in a company and you have results, it is a great source of motivation. The team performed very well last year. They worked very hard and were very motivated, but when you win races and fight for the championship, it gives extra energy. This is natural and human. It is a very good team; I have worked with several great teams in the past, and I can say that this is an excellent team I have by my side. It’s a good group, with people who work well together, and there is a good spirit. Inevitably, this year is more enjoyable for the guys than last year, where they were also working hard and diligently, but nothing came, concluded the boss of the Brackley team.