From GMM
On the basis of the Mercedes-powered BGP001's performance in Australia, Brawn is the overwhelming favourite to repeat victory at Sepang this weekend.
But the Malaysian event boasts several features that contrast starkly with that of the season opener, and not all of them bode well for the newly rebranded Brackley based team.
"It's probably going to be wet, isn't it?" said Jenson Button in Kuala Lumpur.
"That's a pity in a way. I'd rather it was dry because although Rubens and I are both good in the wet, we haven't driven this car in those conditions yet," he added.
Also, the Brawn car does not feature a KERS system, the power-boost technology that is expected to be more of an advantage than at Albert Park on Malaysia's long straights.
The pit stops last Sunday also revealed that the former Honda crew, having sat out most of the winter, is slightly rusty.
Team boss Ross Brawn also admitted to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport that he is concerned about reliability, with Button and Rubens Barrichello's cars needing to feature the same gearbox this weekend as was raced in Melbourne.
Referring to the transmission, which after the switch from Honda to Mercedes power for 2009 had to be tweaked, he said: "For the moment that is our Achilles heel.
Brawn is expecting the other teams, including powerful rivals like Ferrari and McLaren, to make big and rapid steps forward in the next races.
On the financial side of things, Nick Fry began to field numerous calls from potential sponsors of the Brawn team.
A pending full Virgin sponsorship is now worth many millions of euros, and team chief executive Fry admits other brands are also lining up to be associated with Brawn's success.
He told the Times newspaper that many of those interested are British household names, buoyed by Brawn's link with its Brackley base.
photo:Brawn GP
On the basis of the Mercedes-powered BGP001's performance in Australia, Brawn is the overwhelming favourite to repeat victory at Sepang this weekend.
But the Malaysian event boasts several features that contrast starkly with that of the season opener, and not all of them bode well for the newly rebranded Brackley based team.
"It's probably going to be wet, isn't it?" said Jenson Button in Kuala Lumpur.
"That's a pity in a way. I'd rather it was dry because although Rubens and I are both good in the wet, we haven't driven this car in those conditions yet," he added.
Also, the Brawn car does not feature a KERS system, the power-boost technology that is expected to be more of an advantage than at Albert Park on Malaysia's long straights.
The pit stops last Sunday also revealed that the former Honda crew, having sat out most of the winter, is slightly rusty.
Team boss Ross Brawn also admitted to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport that he is concerned about reliability, with Button and Rubens Barrichello's cars needing to feature the same gearbox this weekend as was raced in Melbourne.
Referring to the transmission, which after the switch from Honda to Mercedes power for 2009 had to be tweaked, he said: "For the moment that is our Achilles heel.
Brawn is expecting the other teams, including powerful rivals like Ferrari and McLaren, to make big and rapid steps forward in the next races.
On the financial side of things, Nick Fry began to field numerous calls from potential sponsors of the Brawn team.
A pending full Virgin sponsorship is now worth many millions of euros, and team chief executive Fry admits other brands are also lining up to be associated with Brawn's success.
He told the Times newspaper that many of those interested are British household names, buoyed by Brawn's link with its Brackley base.
photo:Brawn GP