Brawn team to debut new wings at Silverstone
With 96 points and a large gap of 39.5 to second-placed Red Bull Racing, it is likely that the ex-Honda team will mark a century on its tally at Silverstone this weekend. Round 7 was a bittersweet afternoon, however; Jenson Button dominated the race to clinch his sixth win of the season whereas team-mate Rubens Barrichello suffered from gearbox problems and an eventual first ever retirement for the team, breaking its 100% reliability record.
"Looking back to the last race in Turkey, I was extremely pleased with the performance of the team at Istanbul Park and the way in which we were able to maintain our competitive position," said team owner Ross Brawn, referring to struggles suffered in practice on Friday. "We worked very hard ahead of the race to identify any potential areas of weaknesses versus our competitors and the improvements that we saw over the weekend proved that the team is able to respond quickly and take the necessary steps forward. We have been quietly making progress over the past few weeks and have a series of upgrades to come, including new rear and front wings for the race this weekend.
As the emotional rollercoaster of 2009 continues, this weekend will also mark a special occasion for Ross as the team's factory workers – all of whom stood to be made redundant at the start of the year – will be enjoying an extra special Sunday. "We are holding a family day at our factory on Sunday for everyone who is not working at the track and it would be fantastic to head back there in the evening with a great result to celebrate what should be a very memorable weekend," Brawn continued. "Whilst it is very sad that this may be the last race at Silverstone, as it is such a wonderful race track, the most important thing is that we retain the British Grand Prix for the future."