Brawn GP Racing Team

With the exception of the FIA vs FOTA battle F1 news has been a little thin on the ground. This should all change over the next few days with F1 arriving in Turkey for the Istanbul Park GP.

Istanbul Park is another Hermann Tilke design that features many high speed corners. The team have been working hard to bring additional updates to the BGP001 for Istanbul due to these demands Updates are coming in the form of a new front wing design and additional aero upgrades tied in with some suspension updates.

ROSS BRAWN, TEAM PRINCIPAL

Q. How is the team feeling after the fantastic result in Monaco and now looking ahead to Turkey

“After a week back at the factory in Brackley to reflect on our successes in Monaco, the team is now looking forward to our next challenge at the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul this weekend. The Monaco Grand Prix was a wonderful weekend with Jenson and Rubens, the team and our engine partner Mercedes-Benz, performing at the top of their game to bring home our third one-two finish of the season. However Monaco is a unique track and we know that our competitors will be very strong in Turkey this weekend. Development work on the BGP 001 car has continued apace at the factory and we will be bringing a new front wing to Turkey along with some aerodynamic updates and new rear suspension elements. Istanbul Park is a thoroughly modern race track which presents an interesting engineering challenge to get the best out of the car through the high-speed sections and the slower turns at the end of the lap. It’s hard to believe that we are already over a third of the way through this season and it’s been a very intense but immensely rewarding start for the Brawn GP team.”

JENSON BUTTON

Q. What do you enjoy about the Turkish Grand Prix

“The Turkish Grand Prix is always a race that I look forward to as I really enjoy driving the Istanbul Park circuit and have been quite competitive there in the past. Hermann Tilke did a great job with the layout of the track here and the changes in gradient are great fun and quite challenging for the drivers. We’ve seen some excellent racing at Istanbul Park with good overtaking opportunities at turns one and three. You can also pass down the hill into turn nine and at turns twelve and thirteen if you brake late enough and get it just right. Turn eight is obviously the corner that everyone talks about and it’s probably the longest corner that I’ve ever driven. It’s quite high G-force, up to 5G for seven seconds, which puts a lot of stress on your neck. You have to be as smooth as possible through the triple apex and if you get it right and take it flat, then it is one of those corners where you exit with a huge smile having made up a lot of time.”

RUBENS BARRICHELLO

Q. What are the particular characteristics of the Istanbul Park circuit

“Istanbul Park is quite a challenging circuit as it is one of very few tracks which runs anti-clockwise, just like my home circuit of Interlagos in Sao Paulo. It’s tough driving an anti-clockwise track as the muscles on that side of your neck aren’t used as much throughout the year so we do some extra training to prepare as some of the quickest corners at Istanbul Park are also left-handers. The lap itself has a nice flow allowing you to find a good rhythm and the highlight is the high-speed turn eight which is a quick and blind triple apex corner with the additional challenge of some very bumpy tarmac. The circuit is one of the best modern tracks on the calendar and I have been very impressed since we started racing here in 2005. The facilities are fantastic but most importantly from a drivers’ point of view the track has produced some really good races.”

Istanbul Park Stats

Circuit Length: 5.338km
Race Distance: 309.396km
Number of Laps: 58

Full Throttle: 62
Brake Wear: Medium
Tyre Compounds: Soft / Hard
Downforce Level: Medium 6/10
Tyre Usage: Medium / Hard
Average Speed: 220kph 137mph

Brawn GP like the rest of FOTA have submitted their entry to Formula One for 2010 season. They did however put some coniditions in with their submission, which are highlighted as follows:

"The renewal of the Concorde Agreement will provide security for the future of the sport by binding all parties in a formal relationship that will ensure stability via sound governance," said FOTA in a statement.

The teams' body also said that the entries were conditional on the regulations being based on 2009 rules, "identical for all competitors and amended in accordance with proposals that FOTA has submitted to the FIA."

"All FOTA teams' entries for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship have been submitted today on the understanding that (a) all FOTA teams will be permitted to compete during the 2010 Formula One season on an identical regulatory basis and (b) that they may only be accepted as a whole," added the statement.

"All FOTA teams now look forward with optimism to collaborating proactively and productively with the FIA, with a view to establishing a solid foundation on which the future of a healthy and successful Formula One can be built, providing lasting stability and sound governance."

Jeson has a 3 year deal with the BGP outfit which he amended taking a major pay cut when Honda decided to bow out. Jensons contract with Honda was rumoured to be in the region 8-10 Million. When Honda bowed out Jenson decided it only fair to help the team and take a pay cut helping to safe guard the teams future. Brawn GP obviously realise that Jenson is a fantastic asset to the team and have decided to renegotiate his contract which is currently muted to be around 5 Million per year. The team are eager to fend off any larger teams and also reward Jenson for the work he has done for the team thus far.