Schumacher was close to being disqualified

Michael Schumacher could have been disqualified during the Hungarian Grand Prix if there had been more time, steward Derek Warwick has said.

Schumacher was handed a 10-place grid penalty on Sunday after almost pushing Rubens Barrichello into the pit wall.
Ex-F1 driver Warwick told 5 live: "Throwing a black flag would have shown a better example to our young drivers.
"But by the time we got the video evidence we ran out of time and we had to do it retrospectively."

Mercedes driver Schumacher apologised to Williams driver Barrichello after initially defending the move which saw him almost edge his former Ferrari team-mate into the wall at 180mph during the closing stages of Sunday's race.
Warwick, whose 22-year-old brother died while driving a racing car, was on the stewards panel in Budapest as part of the FIA's move to introduce former drivers as race adjudicators this season.

The 55-year-old, who competed in 162 Grands Prix for the likes of Toleman, Renault, Arrows and Brabham, said Schumacher's handling of the race was "disappointing".
He said: "We interviewed Rubens and Michael and it was kind of disappointing how Michael handled it, and we had no option but to give him a 10-place penalty.
"If we had enough laps [we could have disqualified him] but you have to have video evidence and make sure all four stewards are in agreement."

But while he would have liked to have taken action during the race, Warwick believes that the penalty imposed retrospectively virtually rules Schumacher out of the running at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
"You have to view the evidence you have and you could disqualify him from the next Grand Prix, or two Grands Prix," he said.

"But we felt a 10-place penalty is a big penalty to carry for Spa. It kind of puts him out of the race at Spa, and hopefully he will learn from that and remember that the new stewards will not tolerate that driving."

After reviewing the incident, 41-year-old Schumacher said: "I have got to say that the stewards are right with their judgment: the manoeuvre against [Barrichello] was too severe.
"I obviously wanted to make it difficult for him to overtake me and I also showed him clearly that I did not want to let him past, but obviously I did not want to endanger him with my manoeuvre."

The penalty marks the latest disappointing episode in seven-times World Champion Schumacher's return to the sport after three years in retirement.

The German had high hopes of challenging for an eighth crown with Mercedes, but he has been off the pace and has failed to match team-mate Nico Rosberg.
Warwick, whose own glory days in the sport were in the 1980s and early 1990s, thinks that as a result the Mercedes man is already looking towards next season.
He added: "He has been disappointed with the Mercedes and its performance. He is a winner and all he cares about is winning races and winning the World Championship.
"I think his mindset is already looking to 2011 and winning his eighth."



Critics have said that Schumacher's move on Barrichello on Sunday has tainted his legacy as a champion in the sport.
But Warwick said: "Let's not forget he has won 91 races and seven world titles.

"He is a great champion, a legend, and is up there with the greatest and we need to give him time.
"He has been three years out of the car and come back alongside Nico Rosberg who has done a great job."

Barichello wins Italian GP.

Button back as Barrichello wins

Rubens Barrichello headed Jenson Button to a Brawn one-two in a tense Italian Grand Prix as the Englishman scored his first podium finish in six races.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who started on pole but was beaten on strategy, lost third place when he crashed on the last lap trying to chase down Button.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen took the place ahead of Force India's Adrian Sutil.
Brawn's title rivals Red Bull had a bad day as Mark Webber crashed on the first lap while Sebastian Vettel was eighth.
Button has had his championship lead cut by two points to 14 from second-placed Barrichello, while Vettel sits 12 points behind the Brazilian with Webber 2.5 points behind his team-mate in fourth.
Forty points remain available with four races remaining.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso pushed hard throughout the race to finish fifth, just ahead of McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen.

After starting back in 15th, Nick Heidfeld did well to score two points for struggling BMW Sauber with a seventh place.
Hamilton was eventually classified in 12th after crashing out on the exit kerb of the first Lesmo on the last lap having been breathing down Button's neck for the final third of the race as he desperately tried to get in a position to overtake his compatriot.
The 13th grand prix of 2009 was a tale of two races within a race - pole-sitter Hamilton trying to gain enough time to stay ahead of the Brawns knowing he needed to stop twice, while they competed against each other while making sure to keep Hamilton at bay.
In-form Barrichello - who claimed his second win in three races - made a brilliant start, jumping into fourth from fifth as Kovalainen slipped down the field before consolidating that with an aggressive first lap.
That period was also critical for Button who produced a clever manoeuvre on Kovalainen, whom he overtook on the inside of the second Lesmo to put him back in a position to challenge for a win throughout the rest of the race.

Seven out of last 10 Italian Grands Prix have been won from pole position but, while Hamilton opened up a decent gap before his first stop of the race using his Kers power-boost button on the long straights, the Brawns stayed in touch as they ran solidly in fourth and fifth place.
Hamilton's car did not ultimately have the pace of the Brawns whose strategy - fuelling heavier in qualifying to use just one stop in the race itself - proved to be a shrewd move.
When he made his quick second pit stop on lap 34 he came out behind Button still in contention, with Barrichello leading, but - despite making up four tenths of a second on the championship leader during some laps - he could not get close enough.
The veteran Brazilian, meanwhile, was firmly in control in the latter stages with a relatively safe gap between himself and Button - while his decision to stick with an engine which had briefly caught fire at the last race in Belgium was fully vindicated.
"It feels great. I have no words," he said.
"I had a tough night, we didn't know if the gearbox would be OK and there are some concerns. But it should last

"It was great to have such a good start. The first lap made my race. There will be times when we don't have to worry about the Kers [energy power-boost button] cars, but with the straight lines here you do."
The championship battle now looks to be a two-man battle between two team-mates - a rare thing in a sport where one driver is usually favoured over the over as the season pans out - after a poor race seemed to blow any title hopes for struggling Red Bull.
Webber, who started 10th, went off at the Della Roggia turn after tangling with BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica in what the Australian described as a 'racing incident' - meaning it was not the Pole's fault as he was genuinely challenging for position.
"This gives my championship chances a blow, for sure," said Webber. "I haven't scored points in three races, though this is my first DNF of the season.
"We've still had a great middle run in the championship but we need to bounce back from this. We need to finish the season as strongly as we can but it's been a tough period for us."

Button's finish, with clinched Brawn's fourth one-two of the year, was a decent response to critics who have been constantly questioning whether he has been struggling to deal with the pressure of leading the championship after a relatively barren recent run.
"It's nice to be back up here," he said.
"I'd like to be where Rubens is sat but he did a better job today. I've lost two points to Rubens but gained seven on Vettel.
"We're going to take it I'm sure right down to the wire...for me it was a great result."
German driver Sutil collected his first points of the season by finishing fourth while also handing increasingly-impressive Force India a consecutive second place over the past two races.

Brawn Dominates Monaco Grand Prix

After achieving pole position on Saturday, Jenson led the race from the front to secure his fifth win of the 2009 Formula One season with team-mate Rubens Barrichello taking second place for the team's third one-two finish of the year. Rubens made an excellent start from third on the grid to take second place from Kimi Raikkonen before the first corner.

"I had a really good start on the option tyre and was able to get ahead of Kimi before the first corner which put me in a great position to challenge Jenson" said Rubens.

Both starting on the softer option tyre, Jenson and Rubens drove composed two-stop strategies, using the prime tyre for their second and third stints.

"Rubens had a great start to get ahead of Raikkonen and was showing excellent pace before his first set of rear tyres began to grain heavily as a result of following Jenson so closely" confirmed Ross Brawn regarding the first stint of the race.

Rubens put up a strong fight to hold off the Ferrari of Raikkonen and maintain his second position whilst Jenson took the chequered flag at the end of the 78-lap race for his first victory around the streets of Monte Carlo, a dream come true for the British driver. "Wow! Winning the Monaco Grand Prix is something that you dream about as a child and as a racing driver and the reality of taking that victory just feels awesome.

With Rubens taking a superb second place, a one-two finish for the Brawn-Mercedes team in Monaco is fantastic. The race felt like it went on forever and you feel that the barriers are getting closer and closer as the end of the race approaches. But for the last couple of laps, I was able to relax and really enjoy the moment. It's been an unbelievable day, capped with my impromptu sprint down the pit straight to the podium. I can tell you it's a very long way but it was amazing to get such a fantastic reception from the crowd and I hope the fans enjoyed what was a great race for the team. The car felt good today but we didn't have the best of starts to the weekend so it makes this victory even more of an achievement. For the team, for Mercedes-Benz and for my family who were here in Monaco watching the race this weekend, today has to be the high-point of what has been an exceptional season.

" After six rounds of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship, Brawn GP leads the Constructors' Championship with 86 points with Jenson leading the Drivers' Championship with 51 points and Rubens in second place with 35 points.

"Fantastic drives from Jenson and Rubens, outstanding pit stops from the team and the performance of our Mercedes-Benz engine secured an amazing one-two victory for Brawn GP here in Monaco" declared Ross Brawn.

"The Monaco Grand Prix is an incredibly special race and to win here means so much to everyone here at the track, at the factory in Brackley and at Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines in Brixworth. Special congratulations to Mercedes-Benz for supplying an engine that has now won three Grands Prix, a modern day record in Formula One."

BRAWN GP PARTNER WITH TERMINATOR SALVATION AT SPANISH GRAND PRIX


In advance of the worldwide release of the highly anticipated motion picture Terminator Salvation, Brawn GP will join Sony Pictures Releasing International to feature imagery from the film on the team’s Formula One cars over the Spanish Grand Prix weekend. Terminator Salvation will be released in the US on 21 May and globally from 27 May.

The Brawn-Mercedes cars of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello will carry the distinctive Terminator Salvation imagery on the rear wing throughout the Spanish Grand Prix weekend at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. The unique one-race sponsorship builds anticipation for the red-carpet European premiere of the film on 28 May in Paris, France.

The partnership reunites Sony Pictures Releasing International and Formula One following Arnold Schwarzenegger’s famous appearance at the 2003 British Grand Prix to promote T3 Rise of the Machines.

Nick Fry, Chief Executive Officer of Brawn GP, said: “We are thrilled to be supporting Sony Pictures Releasing International with the launch of Terminator Salvation at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix. Our promotional partnership will see our race cars and our garage branded with the famous Terminator imagery as we help launch one of Hollywood’s biggest movies of the year to over 580 million Formula One viewers in over 90 countries. The Terminator brand promises exciting action and high drama as machines and human ingenuity battle for supremacy. It’s a perfect match for Brawn GP and Formula One.”

McG, Director of Terminator Salvation, added: “The Terminator franchise has a long standing relationship with Formula One and we are thrilled to be partnering with the Brawn GP team. Formula One represents the best of mechanical engineering and is a true trial of human spirit, themes that perfectly parallel Terminator Salvation.”

Sal Ladestro, Executive Vice President of Sony Pictures Releasing International, said: “Formula One is one of the most popular sports in the world and there are no bigger stars right now than the Brawn GP team. With all eyes on Spain this weekend, we can think of no better partner to build anticipation for the international launch of Terminator Salvation than Brawn GP and the global sport of Formula One.”

Brawn signs up another sponsor

Brawn GP has announced a new three-year partnership with Swiss foreign exchange trading company, M I G Investments.
Based in Neuchatel, M I G Investments is a leading Forex broker founded and managed by the Mansour family. The company has experienced strong growth since its foundation in 2003, with 70 employees providing specialised FX services to clients in over 120 countries. In December 2008, M I G Investments submitted its application for a Swiss banking license.M I G Investments' branding will appear from today on the front wing and nose of Brawn GP's championship-leading BGP 001 car as it takes to the track for the first of the practice sessions ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix which takes place this weekend at the Shanghai International Circuit. The M I G Investments logo will feature on the racesuits of drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, and on the overalls of the Brawn GP race team, from the Spanish Grand Prix in May.
"We are delighted to welcome M I G Investments to Formula One and to the Brawn GP team," said Ross Brawn. "Our team has had a great start to the 2009 Formula One season and we are very pleased to have secured our third new partnership. In a difficult economic climate, it is a positive sign that the appeal of Formula One continues to attract new companies to invest in our sport. We look forward to working closely with M I G Investments to help drive global awareness of their brand through the powerful communications platform of Formula One."
We are extremely proud to be joining ranks with Formula One's newest sensation, the Brawn GP team," added Hisham Mansour, CEO of M I G Investments. "This collaboration marks an important synergy between two young, innovative and ambitious teams, both leaders in our respective fields.
We share parallel formulas for success and believe strongly in the power of innovation, teamwork and dedication. Our partnership with Brawn GP is further testimony to our strong industry position and confidence. We look forward to a fruitful and rewarding relationship together."

Exclusive: Honda will be at Mebourne GP 2009

The Honda Formula One team will be on the grid for the start of the 2009 season after a management buyout. Jenson Button will spearhead the team on the track after two months of intense work on a rescue package by senior managers.

Sources close to the Brackley-based outfit confirmed last night that the deal is going ahead and that the team will conduct a “shakedown” test of their new car at Silverstone next Thursday, which will be Button’s first outing in the new machine.
The management buyout is being led by Ross Brawn, the team principal and former Ferrari technical director, and will be funded by a combination of money from Honda itself for this year, funds from Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One commercial rights-holder, and commercial sponsorship. Recent reports suggested that Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group could be a backer but this was being ruled out by informed sources last night.

It is not yet known under what name the team will operate or in what livery their cars will race. Under independent management, with a chassis designed by Honda and powered by a Mercedes-Benz engine under a supply deal with McLaren Mercedes, the “old” Honda team will be something of a hybrid that is likely to take some time to forge a new identity.

At Silverstone, the new car is expected to run in neutral colours. That outing will be followed by the team’s first full test in Barcelona, starting on March 9, which is the last official run-out before the first grand prix of the season in Melbourne on March 29.
While Button is confirmed in one race seat, no decision has been taken on his team-mate. This will be either Rubens Barrichello, the Brazilian, who has been with Honda for the past three seasons, or his compatriot and Formula One rookie, Bruno Senna, 25, the nephew of the great Ayrton Senna.
The buyout is expected to safeguard the jobs of “the majority” of the team’s 700 employees and was approved at a board meeting of the Honda Motor Co Ltd in Tokyo last Monday. After that meeting, Takeo Fukui, the company’s chief executive, was quoted as saying that no “serious buyer” had come forward and the company was finding the sale process “difficult”.
His comments were taken at the time as a sign that winding up the team was still a likely outcome, but it now seems that these remarks were misinterpreted.
The decision by Honda to approve and support the buyout which is regarded as highly unorthodox by senior managers in Tokyo, is a sensitive matter for a company that had made clear to its shareholders that it was withdrawing from a sport that was costing it more than £200 million a year.
While Button will be relieved to have a drive in his tenth season in Formula One, it looks likely to be another frustrating year in a car that has had a difficult birth and is unlikely to be competitive, at least in the early races.

Elsewhere yesterday, Sir Frank Williams dismissed reports that his team were in financial trouble as a result of the decision by RBS to end its sponsorship of the team in 2010. Williams said that RBS contributes only 10 per cent of the team’s budget and there was plenty of time to find a replacement sponsor from 2011 onwards.
“Don’t worry, there’s hundreds of trillions of cash in the world — something will turn up,” quipped Williams, who added that he was dismayed by a story that suggested his team, and the sport as a whole, is in difficulty. “It was presented as though it was the end of the world for Formula One, which is totally, totally untrue,” he said.

Rubens Barrichello : The Most Experienced Driver In Formula 1

As the Formula 1 circus hits Istanbul in Turkey, a landmark will be reached in this race. Rubens Barrichello will become the most experienced driver in Formula 1 with 257 Grand Prix starts, surpassing Riccardo Patrese's record of 256.

The 35 year-old from São Paulo, Brazil has been in Formula 1 for 15 years and has won 9 Grand Prix and been on the podium 61 times with 13 poles, 16 fastest laps and 519 career points in what has been an up-and-down career for the plucky Brazilian.

He started his career with Jordan in 1993 and continued there until 1996. His first year at the team turned out to be a very effective rookie year for him.He made a big impression in his 3rd Grand Prix, running as high as 2nd before retiring, and outpacing his three team-mates that season, Ivan Capelli, Thierry Boutsen and Eddie Irvine. He scored a 5th place at the Japanese Grand Prix in is only points finish that season.

1994 started well for Rubens with a 4th and 3rd place in the first two races. However, at the disastrous San Marino Grand Prix, Rubens was involved in a high-speed accident during Friday's practice. The impact at Variante Bassa turned him upside down. This accident knocked him unconscious and threatened his life, with his tongue blocking the airway. He owed his life to some quick action by the officials. He recovered strongly from the crash and at Belgium secured his first pole position. He finished sixth in the Drivers' Standings.

1995 and 1996 were disappointing seasons for Rubens, as he struggled with an uncompetitive car and as his relationship with team boss Eddie Jordan soured. He jumped ship to the new Stewart team for 1997.

1997 and 1998 were difficult seasons for Stewart and Barrichello. The best results he could manage was two fifth places in 1998, but he consistently outperformed his team-mates Jan Magnussen and Jos Verstappen.

1999 was much better for Barrichello as he recorded three podium finishes and led the Brazilian Grand Prix until his engine blew up. His podium at the European Grand Prix came as his team-mate Johnny Herbert won the race. He caught the eye of Ferrari and was snapped up for 2000.

In 2000, Barrichello secured his first Formula 1 win at the German Grand Prix and was consistent with scoring points and podium finishes, but he was often outclassed by the two McLarens and his team-mate Michael Schumacher. He was a reliable number two as he helped Schumi to the world title, beating Mika Hakkinen.

2001 saw Rubens finishing 3rd in the Drivers' standings as he was again a reliable second fiddle to Schumacher, with 10 podium finishes.

From 2002 to 2004, Barrichello was a consistent podium finisher and race winner, and in these three years he finished runner-up to Schumacher in the driver's championship and contributed to Ferrari's increasing dominance of the Constructers' title.

2005 was a sour year as Ferrari struggled with a car on uncompetitive tyres. Barrichello could only muster two second places as he finished 8th in the drivers' standings. But he hopped ship to Honda after becoming frustrated at playing number two to Schumacher.

In 2006, Barrichello and his team-mate Jenson Button were consistent points scorers as Honda enjoyed a good season. Barrichello ended up 7th with 30 points in the Table, 26 behind Button.

Null points were the order of the day in 2007 as Barrichello endured a torrid season as he struggled with an uncompetitive car. His best result was a 9th place as he finished 20th in the drivers' table. However, he pledged another year to Honda in the process.

I can't think of anyone who has been a good servant to F1 more over the years than Rubens has. He's always been there or there-abouts, whether good or bad seasons. This is a tribute to Barrichello as he prepares for his record-braking race.