Formula One news

Brawn needed Honda challenge

Ross Brawn said he needed the challenge of transforming Honda into a front-runner and the responsibility of being a team principal rather than return to Ferrari. The former Ferrari technical director will start work for Honda at the end of the month.

"The fact Ferrari wasn't in crisis made it less attractive to me," Brawn told Reuters. "They've done well and will continue to do so because they've got a good structure there to go forward with. My new job is to beat them."

Brawn was a key part of Ferrari's operations and helped them win six constructors' titles from 1999-2004.

"The twelve months away helped me focus a bit on what I enjoyed about racing," he added. "I had a wonderful year but you can only indulge yourself for so long. I just wasn't getting a feeling that there was a strong enough challenge for me at Ferrari and there are some personal considerations having been based in the UK for a year and got to know my family again, it would have taken quite a special set of circumstances to go back to Ferrari."

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