The new Brawn Grand Prix team will be the revelation of the Formula One season if the heirs to Honda are as fast on their race debut in Melbourne as they have been in testing.
Staring into the abyss only weeks ago, with the Japanese automaker pulling out in December and no serious buyers in sight other than the existing management, Brawn are suddenly looking like the team to beat.
“I think their lap time is just much quicker than everybody else can do,” said Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, the Brazilian who missed out on the title by a single point last year and whose own car has looked pretty quick. “They are really surprising.”
Led by new owner Ross Brawn, the Briton hailed as the tactical brains behind Michael Schumacher’s record seven world championships at Benetton and Ferrari, the Mercedes-powered team made their test debut last week.
The immediate effect was stunning, with some wondering whether they were really that quick or just running light to impress potential sponsors.
With the car lapping as if on rails, quick and reliable straight out of the box, British driver Jenson Button and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello were fastest on two of the four days in Barcelona.
They also started this week with the fastest time in Jerez.
Previously dismissed as has-beens and also-rans, the hugely experienced drivers head for Australia and next week’s season opener as potential winners.
“All I can say is that I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” said Barrichello, who spent years as Schumacher’s sidekick at Ferrari. “It is a good car, it is a good engine, it is a good group and I think we will be the surprise of the year.”
There has been a buzz around the testing paddock and a rare sense of anticipation that the pecking order could be shaken up.
Individuals such as Lewis Hamilton in 2007, Jacques Villeneuve in 1996 and Mario Andretti in 1968 have made astonishing debuts before, but teams usually take time to bed in.
Big-spending Toyota, who arrived in 2002, have yet to win a race, while BMW-Sauber took their first only last year.
Brawn are benefiting from the legacy of Honda’s massive investment, with the Japanese manufacturer starting work on the new car more than a year ago.
Honda wrote off last year very early on when it became apparent that their car was uncompetitive and focused on catching up with the radically-revised regulations.
“The truth is that they have a car that Honda began working on in 2007, to use in 2009,” Renault’s double world champion Fernando Alonso said. “You can see that in its design because it is a very detailed car with a different look to the others.”
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
Former Australian motorcycle gang member-turned-golfer Ryan Peake, who served a lengthy jail term for assault, yesterday produced a “life-changing” maiden win to qualify for The Open Championship. Peake held his nerve for a one-stroke victory at the New Zealand Open, earning him a berth at the major in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in July, pending clearance to travel as a convicted criminal. The 31-year-old from Perth celebrated animatedly and was showered with champagne by friends on the 18th green of the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown after a redemption story rarely seen in the refined sport of golf. Peake held back tears as he
MILWAUKEE PREVAIL: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points as the Bucks withstood Nikola Jokic’s 27th triple-double of the season to beat the Nuggets Golden State star Stephen Curry on Thursday drilled 12 three-pointers in a scintillating 56-point display that carried the Warriors to a 121-115 victory over the Orlando Magic. Curry’s explosive performance helped the Warriors dig themselves out of a 17-point hole, with the point guard signaling the start of the fightback with a three-pointer from beyond the half-court line to end the first half that pulled the Warriors within 66-52 at the break. In the third quarter, he single-handedly outscored the Magic with 22 points to Orlando’s 21. The four-time NBA champion finished two three-pointers shy of former teammate Klay Thompson’s record for most
RSS