Jenson Button has been told he will receive no help from team orders in his bid to claim a maiden world title.
It means the Briton must engage in a head-to-head duel with Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello, whose emotional victory in the European Grand Prix at Valencia has pitched the Brazilian right into the title chase.
Before Valencia, Button’s closest pursuers were the Red Bull pairing of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel. Neither of them scored yesterday, but Red Bull are expected to make an immediate recovery in next Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, where forecasted cooler temperatures should suit their cars more than the temperamental Brawn GPs.
However, that will not affect a determination within Brawn GP to give Barrichello an even chance against Button even though the distraction of an internal team fight could lend Red Bull an added advantage. Clear said: “There is no reason to call team orders at this stage. To be honest, you’re not going to hold back a guy like Rubens.” This is London
After their strong showing again in Spain where defending champion Briton Lewis Hamilton was unlucky not to win, McLaren’s team boss Martin Whitmarsh said he is expecting another good performance in Belgium this weekend.
“I think we have some down-force now, which is quite handy in high-speed corners. I can’t honestly predict where we will be, but we will be much more competitive than we would have been (earlier in the season).”
McLaren’s resurgence, added to Brawn’s revival of form and Red Bull’s need to bounce back from a hugely-disappointing weekend in Valencia signals that this Sunday’s race has all the prospects of being a closely-contested and thrilling event on the calendar’s most classic circuit.
Another dose of something similar will be sufficient to make sure that everyone is kept on the edge of their seats again with Ferrari’s Raikkonen, a bit of a Spa specialist, capable of upsetting the odds to grab his first win this year. Times of India
Pos Team Points 1 Brawn-Mercedes 126 2 RBR-Renault 98.5 3 Ferrari 46 4 McLaren-Mercedes41 5 Toyota 38.5 6 Williams-Toyota 29.5 7 Renault 16 8 BMW Sauber 9 9 STR-Ferrari 5 10 Force India-Mercedes0
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