Saturday: Brawn GP in a very good position for the race

Brawn GP’s domination of the 2009 championship continues in Spain! Following the introduction of new parts on the car, driver reactions have been mixed, with Jenson Button notably struggling to optimize the overall performance. With good teamwork, Brawn GP returned to the top on this Saturday, securing their third pole position of the season.

Jenson Button therefore takes pole position in Spain while his teammate Barrichello, who dominated in Q2, qualifies third. Hopes are high for the 66 laps of the race tomorrow.

Jenson Button – 3rd and 1st

« An unexpected but really very pleasing pole position today, and it’s probably my most satisfying pole of the season. Rubens was really fast all weekend, and I was able to take advantage by looking at his setup to overcome some issues we faced yesterday in free practice. »

« My last lap in Q3 was by far the best I achieved this weekend, but it was very tight since I crossed the line just 2 seconds before the end of the session! The upgrades brought to the car here are working well and it is certainly a good step forward for us, even though we don’t have most of the parts of the package yet. »

« The team has done a very good job with the developments and I hope that everyone at the factory in Brackley and at the Mercedes Benz performance center in Brixworth appreciates the pole position today. It is really important to start at the front here because it is difficult to overtake; we have Felipe [Massa] behind us with KERS so a good start will be crucial tomorrow. »

Rubens Barrichello – 4th and 3rd:

« We had a very good weekend so far here in Spain, and I am happy to be starting from the third position on the grid tomorrow. Of course, it’s a bit disappointing not to be on pole after a good performance in Q2 and considering my last lap in Q3 was good. We might have gone out too early for the final run and missed an opportunity. »

« However, I am satisfied with our strategy, and we are well-positioned for the race. We will need to get off to a clean start and stay ahead of the Ferrari at the first corner to maximize our potential. »

Ross Brawn – Director:

Congratulations to Jenson for his third pole position of the season and another very good job by Rubens with third position. After a very hard night’s work by the team, we were able to resolve the issues Jenson faced with the package updates yesterday, and we were greatly helped in this task by Rubens’ data. The developments on the car have allowed us to make good progress this weekend and although we are still in the process of maximizing their impact on performance, the signs are encouraging.

« Rubens was very quick in the first two sessions with low fuel today when Jenson was on top with fuel onboard in Q3. Today’s results put us in a good position and we are eager for a race that promises to be exciting. »