Ross Brawn, an icon of Formula One and one of the people most responsible for the successes of Michael Schumacher, has announced that he's officially retiring from the world of motorsport. Following the return of Ron Dennis to
Back in the day, one team dominated Formula One like no other before it and none since. Michael Schumacher was driving, Ross Brawn was running the team and Aldo Costa was designing the cars. It was a winning combination, to say the least, one that yielded seven world championships. That was at
To the victor go the spoils. It's an age-old adage, and with good reason. But after winning the world championship last year, Jenson Button had another battle on his hands.
With a rapidly expanding grid and only four engine suppliers left in the series, the burden on each is getting mighty heavy. Renault only supplies its own team and Red Bull, but four teams are running under Cosworth power, three under Ferrari and another three run Mercedes engines.
2010 Mercedes GP W01 – Click above for high-res image gallery
Brawn Grand Prix officially announced this morning that Daimler AG and Aabar Investments PJSC has bought a 75-percent stake in the team that won the world championship in its first year of existence. The team run by ex-Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn was born just under a year ago out of the ashes of the former Honda F1 team after that automaker pulled out of the sport. With Brawn taking over the reigns, the team secured a supply of engines from Mercedes and went on to win numerous races i
The Daily Telegraph reports Mercedes-Benz is considering purchainsg a stake in the Brawn GP team. The Brawn team was born out of the ashes of Honda F1 at the end of 2008 when the Japanese automaker decided to withdraw. At the time, Brawn was able to strike a deal with Mercedes for a supply of engines for 2009. Team principal Ross Brawn quickly demonstrated what his team could do by firing off a string of victories. According to the Telegraph, Mercedes actually considered buying
Are Formula One legends above the law when it comes to driving on public roads? No and that belief hasn't stopped a handful of drivers from getting into their fair share of trouble. Lewis Hamilton, for example, had his license revoked in France. Michael Schumacher, on the other hand, has gotten into an array of Noah Joseph
Things could hardly have played out worse for Honda. It has poured what surely amounted to billions of dollars for years into its Formula One team with little effect. Then it brought in Ross Brawn, only to withdrew its support from the squad, then it sold the entire operation to Brawn while paying out big bucks to avoid an even bigger severance bill. And only then did Brawn turn the F1 team into a winner. That'd be enough to send some automakers scurrying to get back in the game, but not Honda.
2009 Monaco Grand Prix - Click above for high-res image gallery
At this past weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, the Brawn cars didn't just beat McLaren – they lapped them. With both teams running the same Mercedes engines, and reigning champion Lewis Hamilton piloting the lapped McLaren, it was clear that Brawn is simply running a better car. Anyone watching the race had to be wondering what the corporate big-wigs at Mercedes were thinking as the Brawn cars crossed the finish line a full lap ahead of the McLaren. But we can stop wondering now.
2009 Chinese Grand Prix - Click above for a high-res image gallery
Brawn GP diffuser as seen by the competition
Formula 1 so far this year has probably provided a lot more excitement than anyone expected, and in a change from the usual, this time a lot of it is good. The two races so far have seen a heap of on-track passing – and not just of backmarkers – as well as an inversion of the standings: McLaren and Ferrari near at the bottom, Brawn (née Honda) and Toyota are at the top.
2009 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix – Click above for high-res gallery
F1 teams change hands all the time, but when a major manufacturer pulls out of the sport, it's bound to trigger a rumor mill of tsunamic proportions. And that's exactly what's been going on in the motorsport press following Honda's announcement to cancel its F1 program.
