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Atom Date: November 16 2009
Currently: Reading F1 Racing (August 2009 edition)
Mood: Proud
Word has come out that Mercedes has bought a 75.1% controlling stake in Brawn. The wording implies that Ross Brawn and his co-purchasers still hold part of their team, but it means that the Brawn name will be seen no more on the grid.
Mercedes will be the name of the Brackley-based team now; a name with a fearsome reputation in F1 as a constructor. It's only done two seasons and they were in 1954 and 1955. It won both championships and then left in response to the Le Mans disaster that also resulted in Switzerland's long-standing ban on motor racing. It is a serious organisation with serious intent; its engines have powered two champions (2008 and 2009) and been significantly involved in two other championship fights (2005 and 2007) in the past five years.
Brawn will not lack funding for a long time because a works engine arrangement, added to the funds Brawn already said it had guaranteed for the future from elsewhere, equals a lot of money at a time when funding requirements are supposed to be going down. Brawn is in a very good place and if Button declines a Brawn seat in 2010 then I think he would be... ...foolish.
McLaren worries me more. I imagine that Mercedes will still supply McLaren if it can, but I can't shake the feeling that total divorce is on the cards for 2015. It must be hoping that the recession will cease to affect the business world by then because otherwise the choice of replacement units is limited.
Hamilton's team-mate may be affected by these changes, but the striking thing to me is that Kimi Raikkonen doesn't seem to be featuring in the rumoured driver line-ups, despite several versions floating around. It may be that Kimi's managment are quietly revising their offer to McLaren, but if not, this is likely to spell the end of Kimi's F1 career in the most pathetic way possible. Two years ago, Kimi Raikkonen was world champion. Now he can't seem to get into any team that he wants because of the champions that succeeded him, plus some psuedopolitics and paddock doubts.
It just goes to show how quickly things move in F1 and how insecure any driver's position ultimately is. If this can happen to Kimi, it can happen (with variations) to any driver...
Today, however, let's look on the bright side: this makes Brawn the only F1 team ever with a 100% record of winning world championships in F1 apart from Mercedes. By 2011 it could hold that honour alone. That is an incredible statistic and deserves great respect.
It also means that Ross has decisively succeeded in his mission to save the ex-Honda, ex-BAR, ex-Tyrrell team. While it looked likely for a long time due to Brawn's great success on-track and assurances it had its budget for three years secured, the success is sealed and can never be taken from him. Well done to Ross and all his colleagues - Mercedes may take the headlines, but this is really your day.