Report: Strategic Double for Brawn

Brawn GP achieved a fantastic double this weekend, something they hadn’t done since Monaco. Rubens Barichello took the victory ahead of his teammate Jenson Button. This double allows the team and the two drivers to extend their lead in both championships with four races remaining in the season.

The two drivers had a relatively calm race, focusing on their own pace. This one-two finish is more the result of Ross Brawn, demonstrating that he remains the finest strategist and tactician. Ross Brawn, having considered that starting at the front against the KERS cars was futile, opted for a single stop during the race. The team worked on this strategy starting Friday, and the drivers executed it perfectly. The demonstration by Brawn GP at Monza this Sunday is the result.

Rubens Barrichello – 1st:

Monza has always been a great circuit for me and it feels wonderful to win here again. We made some great decisions this weekend and the work we did on Friday was key to our results today. We had to think strategically for qualifying because of the KERS cars and it really paid off. I got a good start to overtake Heikki and maintained the race pace we needed to beat the two-stop cars that started ahead of us. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone at the factory, here and the Mercedes-Benz engine factory in Brixworth for designing, building, and developing such a great car and engine. I’m driving a fantastic car with a fantastic Mercedes-Benz engine and the team is doing a fantastic job! It’s going to be a fair and healthy fight for the championship for the few remaining races and I’m really looking forward to it. Two wins out of three races that I ultimately want to dedicate to my two children Eduardo and Fernando who both had their birthdays this month.

Jenson Button – 2nd:

I really had a good race today and it’s a fantastic feeling to be on the podium again. The team and Rubens did a great job this weekend and congratulations to Rubens for his second win of the season. The car worked very well all weekend and the balance was good during the race which allowed me to do fast lap series when it really mattered. The strategy we chose on Saturday for qualifying was perfect for us, and I was able to get ahead of Heikki in the first laps which was absolutely crucial for my race. Lewis was pushing hard behind me for the final part of the race, but I was confident that I could keep him at bay, and it’s a very difficult track to overtake on, even with the KERS. We showed that the Brawn-Mercedes is a very good car and credit to the team for the efforts made in improving the car over the past few months. It’s going to be a very exciting end of the season and a challenge we are all looking forward to.

Ross Brawn – Team Principal:

« We are all delighted with our result this weekend after two very strong performances by Rubens and Jenson to achieve our fourth one-two of the season. We have many talented people in the team who made this result possible, and I am very pleased with how our race weekend here in Monza was planned and executed. The car was performing well with low aerodynamic downforce, and the Mercedes-Benz engine provided us with the power required for this high-speed circuit. This weekend was a great result for Brawn GP but the work is far from over. Four crucial races are coming up that will decide the outcome of the championship and we will be back at the Brackley factory tomorrow looking ahead to the next challenge in Singapore. »