Saturday: Brawn GP or the Internal Struggle

Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button set the 5th and 7th fastest times in today’s qualifying, but they will start from 10th and 12th on the grid for tomorrow’s race. Both drivers, like Sutil and Alonso, were penalized with a 5-place grid drop for setting their best time in Q2 while the track was under yellow flag conditions. Sébastien Buemi, who caused the yellow flags due to continuing to drive slowly on the track after contact with a wall, received the same penalty.

Rubens Barrichello is satisfied because he qualified ahead of his teammate and title rival, with a slightly higher fuel load. Barrichello’s goal is, of course, to finish ahead of Button in order to continue narrowing the gap between them in the championship. Jenson Button, on the other hand, will evidently continue to do what he’s been doing so well for a few races now, namely, damage limitation. The Englishman still has a 14-point lead over his teammate despite the latter having already clawed back 12 points in the last few races. As for the constructors’ championship that Brawn GP has led since the beginning of the season, the men from Brackley don’t have much to fear because, if one Red Bull is indeed on pole position, the other will start from the pits. Moreover, Brawn GP has a 40.5-point lead over its rival, Red Bull Racing, with three races to go before the end of the season.

Rubens Barrichello – 7th and 5th:

I am happy with my qualification today considering the speed we have here in Suzuka. We were not particularly competitive in Q1 and Q2 and it was difficult to predict what position we could finish. No matter, my car worked very well with the fuel load planned for the race and, in terms of the championship, I’m pleased to be ahead of Jenson [Button] with comparable fuel loads. It was tough today and you have to maintain your concentration despite the incidents and delays due to interruptions. Suzuka is a fantastic track, one of the best circuits we race on, but today demonstrated how difficult it is to maneuver.

Jenson Button – 9th and 7th:

It wasn’t the easiest of qualifying sessions since I didn’t run much yesterday and especially because of the interruptions. Three red flags during the session is really unusual, and I hope all the drivers involved are okay. It wasn’t too stressful because we had all the information we needed and we just had to stay calm and focus on our next run. The car worked well in the first two parts and it definitely behaves better with little fuel. With the fuel load planned for the race in Q3, I struggled with rear grip in the first sector and that’s where I lost time during my fastest lap. The car was working perfectly on the rest of the lap. We expected this and had to do our best with the situation.

Ross Brawn – Team Principal:

Today’s qualifying session was chaotic with long interruptions in the last two parts, and I am pleased with how the team reacted to the changing circumstances and how well they kept their composure. We were realistic about our expectations for qualifying, and it is clear that the thing that concerns us the most is the first sector where our car seems to struggle with the direction changes required by the esses. Both our drivers did a good job of limiting the issue.