2009 World Champions

The Brawn team celebrate their championship success in Brazil. Button finished fourth, with a storming drive from 14th, picking up sufficient points compared to his rivals to win the title. Brawn only needed a minimum points finish to secure the constructor’s title, and thus, they did the double.

Credit: Brawn GP

Brawn GP and Itaipava Team up for Brazilian Grand Prix Sponsorship

Brawn GP is pleased to confirm the agreement of a special one-race partnership with Brazilian brewing company Cervejaria Petrópolis for the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix to be held at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo on 18 October.

Cervejaria Petrópolis has a strong sponsorship portfolio in Brazilian motorsport with their Itaipava beer brand and the partnership with Brawn GP sees the company take Itaipava into the high-profile world of Formula One for the first time.

The Brazilian Grand Prix will bring a global audience to Cervejaria Petrópolis who currently have a presence in every main racing category in Brazil including Stock Car, Copa Vicar, Stock Jr, Formula Truck and the Itaipava GT Brazil events of GT3, Trofeo Maserati and Copa Renault Clio.

The Itaipava brand will feature on the nose and sidepods of the Brawn GP cars throughout the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend along with branding on the helmets of Brazilian driver Rubens Barrichello and his team-mate Jenson Button. Cervejaria Petrópolis will also activate several sponsorship events in Brazil in the weeks leading up to the race.

Nick Fry, Chief Executive Officer at Brawn GP said: “Brawn GP is delighted to welcome Cervejaria Petrópolis and their Itaipava brand to the team and to Formula One for the very first time. The Brazilian Grand Prix is always a great event with a fantastic atmosphere and we are very proud to be associated with a prestigious Brazilian company for their home race. Our new partnership should prove to be very exciting as the season and the battle for the championship reaches its climax.”

Douglas Costa, Corporate Marketing Manager at Cervejaria Petrópolis commented: “We are very pleased to have agreed the partnership between Cervejaria Petrópolis and Brawn GP for the Brazilian Grand Prix. Raising awareness of the Itaipava brand and our responsible driving message through our involvement in motorsport is extremely important to our company strategy and our first venture in Formula One is designed to take this awareness to a wider audience through the global reach of the sport. We look forward to using the opportunity and prestige of working with the current Formula One World Championship leaders for our Itaipava brand.”

03-Nov-08: Contract Extensions, Launch Dates, and Testing News

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You’re listening to F1 Minute and it’s the 3rd November 2008.

Here are some of the news stories we might have missed this weekend.

Firstly, after such an amazing race, the good news is Interlagos has had it’s F1 contract extended, and will now feature on the calendar until 2014.

Toyota have confirmed that they intend to launch their KERS package in the middle of 2009, and not from the outset. Team President John Howett said they are working flat out on the device, but people “underestimate some of the major challenges.” Toyota announced the launch of their car a while ago, and now BMW have become the second team to confirm a launch date. Their 2009 car will be unveiled in Valencia on January 20th.

And finally, in testing news, Bruno Senna will have a go in the Honda in the hopes of a race seat for next year at the Barcelona test this month. Also, Red Bull will be testing with five-times world rally champ Sebastien Loeb, proving that the Red Bull empire really does have a thing for drivers called Sebastien.

That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

20-Mar-08: BBC Secure F1 Rights From 2009

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Hi everyone, it’s the 20^th March and this is F1 Minute.

News that has made a lot of fans in the UK happy today, the BBC have secured the rights to broadcast F1 from 2009. The deal cuts short ITV’s current contract, and extends for five years including TV, radio, mobile and online deals. However, the move has been questioned by a Labour MP saying the sport is wealthy enough and doesn’t need BBC licence payer’s money.

In other contract news, Brazil track Interlagos has secured a deal to keep F1 until 2015. Supposedly organisers had to promise Bernie they would build a new pit complex and revamp the paddock and grandstands.

Part owner of Toro Rosso, Gerhard Berger, says he understands the decision to sell the team, but that he still wants to be involved, if possible. He says: “For me, it is not a question of making some money. My passion is racing. I want to stay in Formula One with the team.” He also said that Red Bull were his dream partner but he is supportive of the decision.

That’s all for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.