MOTOR SPORT AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX:FORMULA ONE is bracing itself for the showdown predicted earlier this week by the FIA president, Max Mosley, with at least one other team expected to join Red Bull in protesting against the Brawn, Toyota and Williams teams over the legality of their diffusers in the run-up to Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.
It is understood that if, as expected, the Williams, Toyota and Brawn cars are declared legal by race stewards in scrutineering before the race, then protests will be lodged against them, although whether this will be before or after Sunday’s race is unclear.
Meanwhile Frank Williams fuelled speculation about the potential of Brawn by predicting Jenson Button or Rubens Barrichello would dominate Sunday’s race at Melbourne, the opening round of the 2009 World Championship.
Williams, whose cars last won a grand prix with Juan Pablo Montoya in Brazil five years ago, admitted that the Brawn team’s impressive pace in pre-season testing was an accurate reflection of their promise. “They are making the rest of us look like amateurs,” Williams said. “In Australia they will disappear on the basis of what we have seen in testing.”
Fernando Alonso, winner of the world championship in 2005 and 2006, echoed Williams’s sentiments. “The times set by the Brawn cars in testing are impressive and suggest they will be racing at the front in Melbourne,” he told the Herald Sun.
“However, testing is one thing and racing is another, and as with our other competitors there could be some surprises. The performance of Brawn GP is a big surprise and I think they will be strong.
“McLaren have not looked so competitive but until we get to Melbourne we won’t know how the teams really compare.”
The performance of the Mercedes-engined Brawn has been the talking point of pre-season testing as it is less than a month since the car, designed and developed by Honda before they sold out to the team principal, Ross Brawn, first turned a wheel.
Designed to be powered by a 2.4-litre Honda V8 engine it is ironic that the new car has displayed such impressive pre-season form powered by a Mercedes V8 identical to that propelling Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren MP4-24 which has seemingly struggled with aerodynamic problems.
Barrichello said he was thrilled with his car. “The driveability of the engine is a dream,” he said. “Finally, when I accelerate, I have the feeling of knowing what to expect.”
Guardian Service
