Official: Brawn joins Honda as Team principal

Following a period of strengthening across its entire team, the Honda Racing F1 Team is delighted to announce a further key appointment. Ross Brawn is to join Honda where he will take up the position of Team Principal with full responsibility for designing, manufacturing, engineering and racing Honda’s Formula One car.

Ross will work alongside Nick Fry who continues as Chief Executive of the team. This appointment reaffirms Honda’s absolute commitment to success in F1.

Ross spent ten years with the Ferrari team where, in the position of Technical Director, he helped them regain glory in the form of six consecutive constructors’ championship titles from 1999. Prior to joining Ferrari, Ross held the position of Technical Director with the Benetton F1 Team, helping them win back-to-back World Drivers’ Championships in 1994 and 1995 with Michael Schumacher and take the Constructors’ Championship in 1995. In the course of his 30 year career in motorsport he has worked with a number of Formula One teams and in sports car racing.

Commenting on the appointment of Ross Brawn, Nick Fry said: “One of my main tasks over the past six months has been to attract new talent to the Honda Racing F1 Team and we have made a number of key appointments in the areas of aerodynamics, design, engineering, marketing and on the racing team. Today’s announcement that Ross Brawn is to join our team is a very satisfying conclusion to the process of refreshing and revitalising a strong and determined team. Ross obviously needs no introduction. His experience of winning world championships in Formula One will be crucial as we seek to put Honda back into championship contention and I am delighted that we will be working together to achieve that.”

Ross Brawn commented: “I am very excited to be joining the Honda Racing F1 Team. Honda has a proud heritage in Formula One and the opportunity to help the team to realise its potential represents a fantastic new challenge for me in the sport. The team has already done a great job of giving due consideration to its future and has spent a good deal of time putting in place both people and first class engineering resources to achieve its ambitions. I look forward to working alongside what I know to be some very talented people and helping Honda to rediscover its winning ways.”

Hiroshi Oshima, Operating Officer, Honda Motor Co., Ltd (Corporate Communications, Motor Sports) said: “I am pleased with the structure we have put in place for the future success of our Formula One team. A great deal of consideration has been given to the areas in which we need to develop and I am encouraged that we have a strong basis for the future. The appointment of Ross Brawn will bring World Championship winning experience and technical vision to our team and I expect Ross and Nick Fry, who will now be able to concentrate fully on running the commercial and business aspects of our company, to work closely together to bring success to Honda in Formula One. Shuhei Nakamoto will now take up the role of Deputy MD (Technical) in which he will work for Ross whilst ensuring that the F1 team gains maximum benefit from our Honda R&D operation in Tochigi. We look forward to a successful season ahead.”

Ross Brawn will start work with the Honda Racing F1 Team on 26 November 2007.