Formula One news

Brawn unruffled over title chances

Ross Brawn is refusing to become over-optimistic in thinking of championship chances for 2009, despite his team currently holding a healthy lead in both the drivers' and constructors' standings. Having not directly celebrated a title win for five years, however, the Englishman is keen to monitor progress as smoothly as possible.

The success of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari in 2004 was the last time engineer Ross Brawn, then technical director for the team, has fully contributed to a championship win (having taken a sabbatical whilst contracted to Ferrari in Kimi Räikkönen's championship-winning season of 2007). With this year's ex-Honda team carrying his own name and dominating in both title races, however, Ross is remaining collected.

"It's not difficult not to start thinking about it," he said. "You never do - you never engage in those thoughts, because you know that just around the corner something can happen - it can be a retirement or it can be some other factor. Having had three seasons at Ferrari where we didn't do it, and we got very close to doing it, I know that you simply don't engage in those thoughts until they're done. I've been lucky enough to win world championships and perhaps winning it in a certain way is more important to me."

A first one-two in Melbourne was only the beginning of the 2009 Brawn GP fairytale

Brawn driver Jenson Button, now in his tenth season, has commandingly taken victory in six of the seven races so far this year, equalling that record with Jim Clark and Schumacher from 1965 and 2004. Now 26 points ahead of second-placed man and team-mate Rubens Barrichello, will the Brackley squad arrange team orders this year in order to assist the Englishman? "I think there's phases," team principal Ross continued. "I think there's phases early in the season where you can't identify one driver one way or the other, and I think you should let the season run; undoubtedly you may reach a phase towards the end where you have to make decisions, and we'll make those decisions if we have to, but at this stage there's no need and no wish to make those decisions."

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