I'd say so, but I realize that the full partnership intended by MB will take place only in 2011, if AMuS reports are correct.

It could happen, I think they are waiting for Jenson.
According to Motorsport-Total Button's contract is already signed.

I can imagine this......Ross continues but Norbert Haug is his joint colleague, slowly over time Mercedes for their shareholding want a German leading the team, Ross is sidelined. If Ferrari aren't winning, Luca will have to swallow his pride and hire Ross again, who likes the challenge of restoring Ferrari back to the former glory.

Don't think so.

It's Brawn's team, now. He's shown he can lead the team. Mercedes would be foolish if they wanted to nudge him aside just so a compatriot who has never held a team leadership position could get the job.

Then again, Mercedes for some reason seem to be pushing Rosberg heavily when he really isn't all that good. So if Merc pushes Ross aside, then screw them.

Very

Mercedes would be foolish to get rid of Brawn, they didn't do that to Dennis so there's nearly zero chance to do it to Ross, Haug will remain the head of all the motorsport activities, and the link between the daimler board and the F1 team, the one i am not sure about his position in the future team is Fry.

I can't see Merc ditching Ross to be fair - we've seen historically what happens when manufacturers come in and think that a corporate type can run a racing team. Toyota or Honda anyone?

Merc have been around long enough now to see what works, and the future's looking bright for the Brackley team.

Look at the plate

KM09 = Kimi 2009
ZFN = ? [Ze figli der Norbie]

Look at the person behind the steering wheel... isn't her Kimi's blonde bomb ?

I think skill counts and I think this year was the Ross Brawn effect. He knows how it should be done and will deliver next year as well. I think Red Bull might be fastest and then McLaren - but I think Brawn still will be strong. But difficult to say.

I think Nick's position in the team is rock solid.

He may be annoying to some here on the BB, but, while Ross has been primarily engaged on the day to day running of the team, it is my opinion that Nick has been working on the relationship twixt Mercedes, Brawn and to some extent, McLaren.

What?

90% of the design team have been working on the car since July, and with the knowledge of 2009, I wouldn't be surprised if they are top dog in 2010.

No Jenson in that parade through Brackley.

Not sure how to interpret that, shame though.

F1 Complete

According to his Twitter, Jenson is in Japan now training.
The Jenson contract thing is a non-issue as far as I'm concerned. Pretty certain he will drive for Brawn.

Oh god, I just sicked up in my mouth.

Taken from this site http://sundayafternoonclub.blogs.topgear.c...9/ballsy-brawn/



Probably one of the reasons why he dropped off the pace after that win

If anything, that move just reaffirms his reputation as the sport's mster tactician.

Or covering up the real issue of lacking the substantial funds. What about Sponsor front of Brawn? I read that Merc will completely buyout the outfit and pain the car in Silver, Which I assume unlikely as Ross and Nick drove on a WHITE Merc...

They were talking with Richard Branson around the time of the Spanish Grand Prix, but nothing came about. Apparetly Branson wanted title sposorship and Brawn was asking a ridiculously high price for it because he wanted to keep the team name as "Brawn GP". He didn't want sponsorship involvement there. After that, they started opening lines of communication with potential new sponsors, but those sponsors were unwilling to commit to the team because the future of the sport was in jeopardy wih the breakaway. Brawn's hands were tied until the new Concorde Agreement was negotiated. They are getting major sponsors for next season, and they say the sponsor might surprise people. This was at the time of the European Grand Prix, and it was decided that the new sponsors would not appear on the car until the BGP-002 was unveiled. The sponsors apparently agreed to this because the team was heavily associated with Virgin, a very difficult brand to compete with, though that is speculation on my part. They knew the Virgin-Brawn relationship was probably going to end with 2009, so they could then come along and get their name - and their name alone - taking pride of place for next year.

I can't imagine it would be difficult to start designing a car. All you have to do is sit your designers down and have them start doing up drawings. You only need the money - aside from what it costs to pay their salaries - once you start building an actual, physical version of the car. Money was an issue for Brawn because their upgrade for Silvertone worked against them, and they had to eat into their limited budget to find a solution in time for Valencia, which they did.

Might need to rename this thread Mercedes / W2010 :-)

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2009/11/braw...ws-next-season/

I don't think many of you here appreciate just how much I adore Merc. It's just their betrothal to McLaren is too much to bear. The thought of pukka Silver Arrows pounding around Grand Prix circuits once more is very, very nice.

Will that be enough to convert you from the reds?

It would be a shame. Brawn should keep BrawnGP name for next season as well...

Nah, but I would love to see die Rückkehr der Silberpfeile. As a pukka team, not just as an engine supplier.

I think F1 needs teams with gravitas. McLaren have it. Ferrari have it. Williams have it. Bringing back a true name from the pioneering past of F1 would help balance out the influx of these largely irrelevant new-entrants.

Silver Arrows for Brawn would be really excellent.

I'm a little concerned about the implications for McLaren though.

I don't see the reason. If it's not called 'Mercedes' why would "Silver Arrows" better? It should remain BrawnGP until at least 2011. This man wrote history with his own team. Maybe they could retain the titles next year... I would agree a Brawn-Mercedes name, with some Mercedes-logos on the car.

Yes, but I think they want the Mercedes name to feature very prominently.

Recently Norbert Haug said that the most (cost-)effective way for advertising the Mercedes brand is through F1, and that it is the main reason why they remain fully committed to the sport.

I don't think the silver arrows name will be used anywhere officially. It'll just be like a descriptive term.

Although it's interesting how in the german media you hardly see McLaren mentioned but a lot of silverpfeiles everywhere :-)

The word Brawn has quite a 'silver' feeling to it anyway if you follow.

Brawn GP launch wind-tunnel website

Brawn have 2 tunnels on site.
This is the older of the two tunnels, which they're obviously renting out to 3rd parties.

Do they really want to get some money with this? OK, tipical private team, but this is the Wind Tunnel #1? Is there any other?

See post #80.

Please a sig

Please keep the discussion to thing Brawn - there is a McLaren thread here http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=118274

Why not try and make money with it? Otherwise it's just going to sit there unused.

I can't imagine Brawn would have the resoruces to keep three wind tunnels going ...

Three? They have 2 on site. That's it.

This measure is possibibly part of the Resource Restriction agreement which also limits tunnel use.

I seem to recall reading that Honda had built three at Brackley.

My mistake, then.

There are two on site. One was being hired out to private parties last yr anyway, sports car teams and cyclists aparently.

Expect some pretty trick bits on nxt years car, nose similar to red bull, with the lumpy bits on chassis. Some inrersting sidepod leading edges, no other team has this inovation as yet, very hard to crash test, worth around three tenths in aero performance. Also chopping the chassis last yearay have helped rather than hindered as it made the whole thing more rigid, something which Honda had trouble with and was the main reason the 08 car was shizzle in the dry but great in the wet.

didn't they have a wind tunnel for rear end stuff in Hondas factory in Japan?? they used that for some developments when they were involved in F1

The Brawn team is unlikely to simply agree to Jenson Button's demands for a higher retainer next year, according to reports.

The two parties have been deadlocked in their negotiations about a new contract for next season, with Button wanting to revert to his retainer of the Honda days having agreed to slash his pay amid the management buyout last winter.

"We can offer a higher proportion of driver freedom and that will probably be the route we will go," Brawn told the Guardian. "Jenson has some freedom for his own endorsements but has a commitment to meet our obligations.

Meanwhile, Auto Motor und Sport claims that the team could be re-branded as ‘Mercedes-Benz’ next year, should the German car-maker buy into the team as expected.

"We are looking at all opportunities for the future but it is too early to announce anything yet," Brawn told PA Sport.



FROM F1-LIVE .COM

It would be a shame if they could not find the solution.

Button wont be the first world champion dumped, because of being unable to agree a a pay deal, coupled with the owner believing he can find a better driver. Does Damon Hill and Williams ring a bell?

Yes, I agree, but if Jenson is clever, he will stay. He is a rich man, I really don't understand these guys. It's like in football. Honestly I don't see too much difference between 5 and 6 millions... 5 would be so good for me...

Frank wanted Fretzen; dumping Hill had nothing to do with pay demands.

Are you a team insider? But the question left begging is, you don't know if any other team as this innovation as no one precisly knows what other teams are doing.

Not an insider as such. All of that info is available elsewhere online if you look.

If Mercedes buy into Brawn, Brawn will be swimming in cash anyway. So, what's the big deal about a couple million difference?

Assume for a moment that Brawn has no money for next season. They've landed a serious sponsorship arrangement with a company, and the going rate on major or title sponsorship is between thirty and fifty million Euros. Adrian Campos has amassed forty-eight million Euros for his budget, and apparently the team has complained about the lack of a budget cap. So there you're got Brawn, a championship winning team, with one of the smallest budgets on the grid. Mercedes would inject a little extra cash, but there's no way they're going to pour so much in that the team is swimming in it. They may not be able to afford a few extra million for Button's services.

It's funny how different sources are reporting the suggestion that Button would be free to pursue his own endorsements. The Guardian is making out that it will drive Button away. Pitpass suggests it will actually be what keeps Button at Brawn, whilst F1 Live is totally neutral on the matter.

I think they are all peeing into the wind to see what comes back.

We don't know any facts about the salary negotiations and I am sure it will all be resolved with both parties being happy in the end.