Zoom Belated updates for the BGP 001 in Germany

For just the second time in eight races, Brawn GP found themselves out-raced last time out at Silverstone, and comprehensively so. Rubens Barrichello salvaged third position for the team while run-away championship leader Jenson Button could just finish sixth after a difficult home Grand Prix.

Part of the problem for the Brackley-based squad – apart from the raw pace of the updated Red Bull Renault package – were tyre temperature issues which resulted in the team opting not to fit scheduled development parts to the BGP 001 as planned.

“Whilst coming away with third and sixth placed finishes from Silverstone was still a good outcome from our home Grand Prix, we would be the first to admit that the result did not meet our expectations,” admitted Team Principal Ross Brawn. “However we have always said that we would have a fight on our hands to maintain our excellent run of results at the start of the season.”

“We have several new aerodynamic parts from Silverstone which were not used in qualifying and the race due to the issues that we faced there, along with additional improvements scheduled for the Nurburgring, which should position us well going into the weekend,” Brawn added.

With 64 points on the board from a maximum possible of 75, Button’s championship challenge remains firmly on track. The British racer expects to be back challenging for the victory a week tomorrow.

“It is a relatively slow circuit with a lot of medium-speed corners which are one of the strengths of the BGP 001,” Button began. “With the extra week's break, everyone has been working extremely hard in preparation for the German Grand Prix to get the best package for the race and we're looking forward to showing what the car can do at the Nurburgring after a disappointing weekend by our standards at the British Grand Prix.”

“My last stint at Silverstone showed that the pace of the car is really competitive so we're confident that we can turn it around at this race. I'm sure we will see a really intense fight with our closest competitors and hopefully a great race for the fans."

While Barrichello led the way for Brawn GP at the British Grand Prix, the Brazilian veteran has seen his points advantage over third placed Sebastian Vettel slashed to just two points.

Barrichello has yet to win a race this year and now 23 points behind his team-mate, needs to take a large chunk of points from Button if he is to remain a serious title contender.

Earl ALEXANDER
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