Eventful race for BrawnGP with almost two DNF's
An eventful Belgian Grand Prix for Brawn GP saw Rubens Barrichello finish in seventh position at the end of the 44-lap race to score two points for the team's championship challenge, with team-mate Jenson Button retiring from the race on the first lap.
Rubens had a slow getaway from fourth place on the grid due to a clutch problem which dropped him back into the field. The team therefore took advantage of the safety car on the first lap to bring Rubens into the pits and change his strategy. He then drove a determined race to charge through the field and be challenging Heikki Kovalainen for sixth position before an oil leak just two laps from the end put paid to his battle, requiring Rubens to back off and manage the pace to guide the car home.
Jenson had a good start progressing up to 11th position before the rear wheel of his car was struck from behind by Romain Grosjean at turn five on the first lap, an incident which took out four cars and brought out the safety car, ending Jenson's race.
Jenson Button 22 BGP 001-02 DNF :
"I had a really good start and had made up a few places in the first few corners to be ahead of Lewis and Rubens. I had a good run going down the straight to turn five just after Eau Rouge. I was on the outside of Heikki and turned in for the corner but quite simply Romain outbraked himself and hit my back wheel. That was it for my race today. It's frustrating as I was in a reasonable position having made up some places and with a lot of fuel on board but it's better to have my first retirement here where I haven't been so competitive than when I'm running at the front. We're determined get back on the track at the next race and be more competitive there at a track which should be quite good for our car."
Rubens Barrichello 23 BGP 001-03 P7 :
"I have to be happy with seventh place and the two points really after such an eventful race. We should have had far more from today but the problem with the clutch at the start took away any chance of a podium which is frustrating for me and the team. We changed my strategy at the end of the first lap to fuel longer for the first stint which was a good move and gave me the chance to get into the points. I had fun in the race from then on and the move on Mark Webber at the Blanchimont bend was definitely one of the highlights. The oil leak gave us some worrying laps but I was able to manage the pace and bring the car safely home which was a big relief."
Ross Brawn "It was a very disappointing race for us today when there was potential for more. Rubens' car went into anti-stall at the start which left him stranded on the grid which was very frustrating for the whole team. It was a technical problem on the car and we have to get on top of that quickly as it has caught us out too many times this season. When the safety car came out, we took advantage to switch Rubens onto what was effectively a one-stop strategy and he drove extremely well from there. His car had an oil leak with two laps to go therefore we asked him to back off from chasing Heikki Kovalainen and manage the car to the end of the race. Jenson had a really good start from 14th and gained a few places before he was hit from behind at turn five which ended his race. There are important lessons which we can take from this weekend and some hard work to be done back at the factory before the final five races of the season."
