New team Brawn GP takes F1 pole in Australia

Published 11:28 am Saturday, March 28, 2009

MELBOURNE, Australia — Brawn GP became the first Formula One team in 39 years to take the pole position in its debut race when Jenson Button secured the spot for Sunday’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Button’s time of 1 minute, 26.202 seconds Saturday edged teammate Rubens Barrichello by three tenths of a second, giving the F1 newcomers both positions on the front row.

It was the fourth pole of Button’s career and completed a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for the England-based team, which was threatened with extinction when former owner Honda pulled out of the sport after the 2008 season.

Before former Ferrari strategist and Honda team principal Ross Brawn took over the team from the Japanese automaker, Button and Barrichello faced the prospect of looking for new jobs and watching this weekend’s action on television.

“Going from not having a drive and no future in racing to putting it on pole here is just amazing,” Button said. “This is a great moment, not the most important of the weekend, but a great start.”

“This is where we deserve to be, after the difficult times we have had,” the 29-year-old British driver added. “Roll on the season, I am so excited about this year.”

The Brawn performance may be a welcome taste of novelty for F1 fans, but rival teams were less enthusiastic. The team is racing under appeal, with a protest over the design of its rear diffuser to be heard by the sport’s governing body FIA after the Malaysian Grand Prix, jeopardizing any points gained in the season’s first two GP races. Williams and Toyota are also subject to the appeal.

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel will start from third on the grid at Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit, ahead of BMW’s Robert Kubica and Williams’ Nico Rosberg. Toyota pair Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli qualified sixth and eighth respectively, but were sent to the back of the grid after stewards ruled the rear wings on their cars were too flexible.

None of the top six drivers are using the KERS power-boost system this year, illustrating how problematical the technology is proving for teams as they balance its power boost against its additional weight and effect on car design.

The highest of the KERS runners is Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, who will start from sixth, one place ahead of teammate Kimi Raikkonen, who had a hydraulic failure in pre-qualifying practice. Australia’s Mark Webber will start from eighth in his Red Bull.

Brawn’s achievement in taking the pole marked the first time a team debuted there since Jackie Stewart’s effort for Tyrell at the 1970 Canadian GP.

It had other teams fearing that Brawn may run away with the championship this season, unless its rear diffuser is deemed illegal.

“If they carry on like that, they will win the championship by the middle of the year,” Massa said.

“Its hard to believe a month ago they were sitting at home, now they are ready to fight for the world championship,” Renault’s Fernando Alonso said after qualifying 10th.

Another disappointment was reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton, who will start from 18th. The McLaren driver only scraped into second qualifying by five hundredths of a second and then elected to change his gearbox and not take part in the second session. The automatic penalty for the gearbox change means he will start from the back, with only the penalized Toyotas behind him.

In 2006, when he had the pole, Button eventually finished 10th, blowing his engine within sight of the finish.

“Hopefully it will go better than 2006, I’m sure it will,” he said.

It was the first time that one team had claimed both front-row positions for the Australian GP since Barrichello and his then Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher in 2004.

After Saturday qualifying; race Sunday

(y-grid penalty for excessive flexibility in rear wing)

1. (22) Jenson Button, Mercedes-Benz FO108W, 221.466.

2. (23) Rubens Barrichello, Mercedes-Benz FO108W, 220.69.

3. (15) Sebastian Vettel, Renault RS27, 219.864.

4. (5) Robert Kubica, BMW P86/9, 219.651.

5. (16) Nico Rosberg, Toyota RVX-09, 219.503.

6. (3) Felipe Massa, Ferrari 056, 219.351.

7. (4) Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 056, 219.024.

8. (14) Mark Webber, Renault RS27, 218.816.

9. (6) Nick Heidfeld, BMW P86/9, 223.274.

10. (7) Fernando Alonso, Renault RS27, 223.01.

11. (17) Kazuki Nakajima, Toyota RVX-09, 223.005.

12. (2) Heikki Kovalainen, Mercedes-Benz FO108W, 222.696.

13. (12) Sebastien Buemi, Ferrari 056, 220.695.

14. (8) Nelson Piquet Jr., Renault RS27, 220.453.

15. (21) Giancarlo Fisichella, Mercedes-Benz FO108W, 220.252.

16. (20) Adrian Sutil, Mercedes-Benz FO108W, 220.087.

17. (11) Sebastien Bourdais, Ferrari 056, 219.525.

18. (1) x-Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz FO108W.

19. (10) y-Timo Glock, Toyota RVX-09.

20. (9) y-Jarno Trulli, Toyota RVX-09.