It is confirmed!
After weeks of speculation about the future of the Honda F1 team, it is now been confirmed that the team will become Brawn GP Formula One team and the team will retain last year's driver lineup of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. The 2009 car will be called the BGP001 and will be powered by Mercedes.
Brawn GP will take part in the final two pre-season tests this month.
A press statement from Brawn GP read:
FUTURE OF THE HONDA RACING F1 TEAM SECURED
Honda Motor Company Limited and Ross Brawn are pleased to confirm that they have reached agreement to secure the future of the former Honda Racing F1 Team. With immediate effect, Honda will pass ownership to Ross Brawn, Team Principal of the new Brawn GP Formula One Team.
Brawn GP has agreed a partnership with Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines, Brixworth, UK to supply the team with its 2.4 litre Mercedes-Benz FO108W Formula One engines.
The team can confirm that its race driver line-up for the 2009 season will combine the talents of two of Formula One's most experienced drivers in Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. The race-winning drivers continue their partnership at the team for a fourth consecutive year, forming the most experienced driver partnership on the grid with 423 Grand Prix starts between the pair.
Brawn GP Team Principal, Ross Brawn, commented: "The past few months have been extremely challenging for the team but today's announcement is the very pleasing conclusion to the strenuous efforts that have been made to secure its future.
"Firstly, it is a great shame that having worked with Honda Motor Company for so long we can no longer continue together. I would like to thank Honda for the fantastic co-operation and support we have received throughout this process - particularly those members of the senior management who were closely involved with concluding our agreement - and for the faith they have demonstrated in myself and our team.
"I would also like to take this opportunity to pay due credit to our staff at Brackley. The levels of motivation and commitment that I have witnessed at the factory deserve the highest praise.
"I am delighted that Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello will form our race driver line-up for the 2009 season. The vast experience and knowledge that both drivers bring to our team will prove invaluable as we aim to get up to speed in the shortest possible time to be ready for the first race of the season in Melbourne on 29 March. In what will be their fourth season together, their experience with our team in Brackley, our systems and our engineers, will prove a real asset.
"It would be impossible to mention all of the people without whom today's announcement may not have been possible, however I would like to express particular appreciation for the support we have received from Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, the FIA (Fédération Internationale de L'Automobile), FOM (Formula One Management), FOTA (Formula One Teams Association), BERR (the UK's Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform), Bridgestone, our other team partners and our many fans the world over. The journey ahead will be challenging but exciting and we know we can count on their continued enthusiasm for our team and its ambitions."
Hiroshi Oshima, Managing Officer of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. responsible for Corporate Communications and Motor Sports, commented: "Since announcing our withdrawal from Formula One racing on December 5 of last year, we have conducted various studies and discussions so that the team can continue its activities as a new team. We are very pleased that we could sell the team to Ross Brawn, with whom we have been partaking in the challenges of F1 competition, and are grateful for his decision. We offer our sincerest wishes for the new team which will be led by Ross."
Brawn GP will now focus its efforts on the remaining pre-season tests, in Barcelona (9-12 March) and Jerez (15-17 March) prior to heading to Melbourne, Australia for the start of the 2009 Formula One season.
Honda F1 becomes Brawn GP Formula One Team
Moderators: cmlean, Ed, The Qualiflyer, The Heretic
Dear Ed:
Yes!
YES!! 
Y. E. S. !!!
Now this IS something to cheer about. Not only have the corporate suits from Honda taken their marbles and gone back to their bean counting,
but there will be ANOTHER real RACING 
team on the grid (to go along with Williams and RBR and Toro Rosso) to add to the excitement.
I've always said that Ferrari's main role must be that of target: something for the little guys to BEAT... and that it's not too satisfying (at least to me) when McLaren (stand ins for the Silver Teutons) or Renault (are they bigger, really, than FIAT?) beat them.
With BMW/Sauber I can get a little more excited, since Peter Sauber was such a game guy, but with Sir Frank (all my fingers are crossed this year) and with ex-minardi T.R. and now TWO RBR's [Red Bull and now ROSS BRAUN Racing!], there's a great chance for an even better season this year than last!!
Can't wait for Qualy's Down Under!
Jim Watt
Yes!
YES!! Y. E. S. !!! Now this IS something to cheer about. Not only have the corporate suits from Honda taken their marbles and gone back to their bean counting,
but there will be ANOTHER real RACING team on the grid (to go along with Williams and RBR and Toro Rosso) to add to the excitement. I've always said that Ferrari's main role must be that of target: something for the little guys to BEAT... and that it's not too satisfying (at least to me) when McLaren (stand ins for the Silver Teutons) or Renault (are they bigger, really, than FIAT?) beat them.
With BMW/Sauber I can get a little more excited, since Peter Sauber was such a game guy, but with Sir Frank (all my fingers are crossed this year) and with ex-minardi T.R. and now TWO RBR's [Red Bull and now ROSS BRAUN Racing!], there's a great chance for an even better season this year than last!!
Can't wait for Qualy's Down Under!
Jim Watt
My Racing Gods: Fangio, Vukovich; Senna & Mears --all racers all the time; graceful winners & generous in defeat, but never giving up!!
It is indeed great news for everyone that we will have 10 teams on the grid in Melbourne and I think that with Ross Brawn, this team has a better chance of survival than other teams. Perhaps they'll even surprise us with their results and do something Honda (as a team) couldn't do for the last 3 or so years.
Q & A with Ross Brawn (courtesty Brawn GP)
ROSS BRAWN INTRODUCES THE NEW BRAWN GP FORMULA ONE TEAM
Q. Congratulations Ross on your acquisition of the former Honda Racing F1 Team and a positive outcome after the uncertainty of the past few months.
A. It has been a challenging few months for the team, certainly, but I am very pleased that we have finally reached a successful conclusion and the future of the team has been secured.
Q. Tell us about the Brawn GP Formula One Team. Who owns the team and how will it be structured?
A. I would like to start by saying that it is a great shame that we are no longer able to continue with Honda Motor Company, having worked together for so long. Following Honda’s decision to withdraw, we needed to find a way to secure as many jobs as possible, ensure the team’s continued participation in Formula One and make best use of the state of the art facilities that we are fortunate to have here in Brackley.
Quite simply, I have purchased the team from Honda. As the owner I will continue to be supported by the incumbent management team, who have worked closely with me throughout the sale process and will continue to do so in the future.
Q. It appears that there were a number of options available to Honda, from closing the team down to accepting an offer from one of the various
third parties who have been mentioned. Why did Honda choose this route?
A. Honda wanted to make every effort possible to secure the future of the team. Closing down the team was always a last resort. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment on the options available to Honda.
Suffice to say that the Honda board recommended and approved this route and I’m obviously very pleased that they reached that conclusion.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Honda for their fantastic co-operation and support - particularly those members of the senior management who were closely involved with concluding our agreement - and for the faith they have demonstrated in myself and our team.
Q. As you say it has been a challenging period. How is team morale?
A. There is no denying this has been a difficult time for everyone at our Brackley base, but I am immensely proud of the great spirit and fortitude that I have witnessed in the factory over the course of the past few months. The process of designing and manufacturing our new car, which has continued concurrent with the efforts being made to secure the team, has been reasonably straightforward. That is particularly pleasing given that our car was designed around a different engine and both the chassis and gearbox have been modified to accommodate the new engine. Our first test with the new car, though much later than we would have liked, will be an emotional moment for everyone in the team I’m sure.
Q. Tell us about your new partnership with Mercedes-Benz.
A. We are very fortunate to have secured an engine supply agreement with Mercedes-Benz and our new car, the BGP 001, will be powered by the 2.4 litre Mercedes-Benz FO108W Formula One engine. I would like to express our appreciation for their support over the past few months and we look forward to working with them as we seek to maximise the development and testing of the BGP 001 car in advance of the first race.
Q. Your driver line-up remains unchanged. Presumably continuity of drivers is going to be crucial to you with such limited time with which to prepare for the new season?
A. We are very fortunate to have two experienced drivers in Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. They will enable us to hit the ground running when we test for the first time in Barcelona next week. After four years as team-mates, their experience with our team in Brackley, our systems and our engineers, will prove a real asset. Jenson and Rubens have always had a great relationship and we expect to see them pushing each other hard over the season to get the best performance from the car and drive forward its development.
Both drivers are extremely motivated having trained hard over the winter to ensure that they were in the best possible physical condition. We look forward to their first thoughts on the BGP 001 at next week’s Barcelona Test.
Q. Tell us about your testing programme in advance of the first race of the season?
A. We have conducted an initial shakedown of the car at Silverstone today and both the car and team are now heading to Barcelona where we will participate in the full team test at the Circuit de Catalunya on 9-12 March. Later next week we will head down to Jerez in Spain for a further three day test on 15-17 March. We obviously have a significant test programme to work through and this will require our full focus.
Q. Realistically, how tough is it going to be getting up to speed given that the other teams have had a substantial head start?
A. The biggest hurdle we faced was being in a position to race in Melbourne and we will now be able to achieve that target. Initially we may experience some reliability issues resulting from the lack of track
testing but we feel we have a good car and we hope that our performance will be respectable. We are confident in the fundamental design principle of our car and look forward to the opportunity to develop it further as the season progresses.
Q. What are your expectations for Melbourne in three weeks’ time?
A. The debut race weekend with 20 brand new cars is always difficult to predict and on this occasion I’m not even going to try. What I know we can take away from Melbourne is an enormous sense of pride and chievement at having already met and overcome our biggest challenge.
Q. Finally, what can you tell us about the striking new livery of the BGP 001?
A. We are very pleased with the new livery, which was designed for simplicity to reflect our current position at the inception of Brawn GP. Black and white seemed a natural place to start and the fluorescent yellow gves it a more striking touch of visibility. It’s very different to any other car on the grid.
ROSS BRAWN INTRODUCES THE NEW BRAWN GP FORMULA ONE TEAM
Q. Congratulations Ross on your acquisition of the former Honda Racing F1 Team and a positive outcome after the uncertainty of the past few months.
A. It has been a challenging few months for the team, certainly, but I am very pleased that we have finally reached a successful conclusion and the future of the team has been secured.
Q. Tell us about the Brawn GP Formula One Team. Who owns the team and how will it be structured?
A. I would like to start by saying that it is a great shame that we are no longer able to continue with Honda Motor Company, having worked together for so long. Following Honda’s decision to withdraw, we needed to find a way to secure as many jobs as possible, ensure the team’s continued participation in Formula One and make best use of the state of the art facilities that we are fortunate to have here in Brackley.
Quite simply, I have purchased the team from Honda. As the owner I will continue to be supported by the incumbent management team, who have worked closely with me throughout the sale process and will continue to do so in the future.
Q. It appears that there were a number of options available to Honda, from closing the team down to accepting an offer from one of the various
third parties who have been mentioned. Why did Honda choose this route?
A. Honda wanted to make every effort possible to secure the future of the team. Closing down the team was always a last resort. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment on the options available to Honda.
Suffice to say that the Honda board recommended and approved this route and I’m obviously very pleased that they reached that conclusion.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Honda for their fantastic co-operation and support - particularly those members of the senior management who were closely involved with concluding our agreement - and for the faith they have demonstrated in myself and our team.
Q. As you say it has been a challenging period. How is team morale?
A. There is no denying this has been a difficult time for everyone at our Brackley base, but I am immensely proud of the great spirit and fortitude that I have witnessed in the factory over the course of the past few months. The process of designing and manufacturing our new car, which has continued concurrent with the efforts being made to secure the team, has been reasonably straightforward. That is particularly pleasing given that our car was designed around a different engine and both the chassis and gearbox have been modified to accommodate the new engine. Our first test with the new car, though much later than we would have liked, will be an emotional moment for everyone in the team I’m sure.
Q. Tell us about your new partnership with Mercedes-Benz.
A. We are very fortunate to have secured an engine supply agreement with Mercedes-Benz and our new car, the BGP 001, will be powered by the 2.4 litre Mercedes-Benz FO108W Formula One engine. I would like to express our appreciation for their support over the past few months and we look forward to working with them as we seek to maximise the development and testing of the BGP 001 car in advance of the first race.
Q. Your driver line-up remains unchanged. Presumably continuity of drivers is going to be crucial to you with such limited time with which to prepare for the new season?
A. We are very fortunate to have two experienced drivers in Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. They will enable us to hit the ground running when we test for the first time in Barcelona next week. After four years as team-mates, their experience with our team in Brackley, our systems and our engineers, will prove a real asset. Jenson and Rubens have always had a great relationship and we expect to see them pushing each other hard over the season to get the best performance from the car and drive forward its development.
Both drivers are extremely motivated having trained hard over the winter to ensure that they were in the best possible physical condition. We look forward to their first thoughts on the BGP 001 at next week’s Barcelona Test.
Q. Tell us about your testing programme in advance of the first race of the season?
A. We have conducted an initial shakedown of the car at Silverstone today and both the car and team are now heading to Barcelona where we will participate in the full team test at the Circuit de Catalunya on 9-12 March. Later next week we will head down to Jerez in Spain for a further three day test on 15-17 March. We obviously have a significant test programme to work through and this will require our full focus.
Q. Realistically, how tough is it going to be getting up to speed given that the other teams have had a substantial head start?
A. The biggest hurdle we faced was being in a position to race in Melbourne and we will now be able to achieve that target. Initially we may experience some reliability issues resulting from the lack of track
testing but we feel we have a good car and we hope that our performance will be respectable. We are confident in the fundamental design principle of our car and look forward to the opportunity to develop it further as the season progresses.
Q. What are your expectations for Melbourne in three weeks’ time?
A. The debut race weekend with 20 brand new cars is always difficult to predict and on this occasion I’m not even going to try. What I know we can take away from Melbourne is an enormous sense of pride and chievement at having already met and overcome our biggest challenge.
Q. Finally, what can you tell us about the striking new livery of the BGP 001?
A. We are very pleased with the new livery, which was designed for simplicity to reflect our current position at the inception of Brawn GP. Black and white seemed a natural place to start and the fluorescent yellow gves it a more striking touch of visibility. It’s very different to any other car on the grid.
Hooray, Ross! It looks like actual RACE car livery! Now, if we could just get someone at Toyota to wake up and realize how cheesy their livery is!
Looking forward to next week; would love to see the Braun in the top half of the time sheets!
Jim Watt
My Racing Gods: Fangio, Vukovich; Senna & Mears --all racers all the time; graceful winners & generous in defeat, but never giving up!!
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JayVee
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Although I hated his team order tactics at Ferrari, I congratulate Ross Brawn on becoming a Formula 1 team owner.
He must be an inspiration to many, from his early days as a mechanic all the way to F1 team owner.
Good luck to Brawn GP and I hope they will last for many years. Pity they didn't get Senna as I think their drivers are past their use by date
He must be an inspiration to many, from his early days as a mechanic all the way to F1 team owner.
Good luck to Brawn GP and I hope they will last for many years. Pity they didn't get Senna as I think their drivers are past their use by date
I'm back and yes supporting Alonso "The Cute" in the Ferrari!