Virgin money gives Brawn future

(GMM) Prior to the signing of Virgin as a major sponsor, Brawn might have been facing "a problem" later in 2009, Rubens Barrichello revealed in Australia on Saturday.

The former Honda team continued to stun the formula one world with its pace by locking out the front row of the Melbourne grid, with Barrichello's teammate Jenson Button on pole position.

But speed aside, the most significant news of the day was the presence of Sir Richard Branson in the paddock, having signed off a deal to plaster his brand's logos on the BGP001.

"It means we have the attitude in the team to carry on, because that could have been a problem during the year," the 36-year-old told reporters in Melbourne.

Barrichello insists that with even more money, the Brackley based camp will be able to compete with its bigger rivals later this season.

"I think this car will be very, very good for the first four races but we definitely need to have things coming through to keep on going," he added.