We now know that Honda spent ~700 million on development last year.
I'll speculate that ol' Ross' wallet can't sustain that kind of development budget this year.

One of the elements that defines F1 is the ongoing development throughout the year.

Ferrari has found speed along with Mclaren and Newey has been reworking the Red Bulls.

So is it time to ask, is BGP done? will they continue to drift back through the pack?

 

that's a bold statement

i think it's just everyone else is catching up, ferrari is starting to come around finally, and we all seen what happen at the start with hamilton,
i think if his suspension wouldn't have broken he'd have been on the podium, or at least in the points, as for brawn anyone can run away in a car thats faster then the rest of the pack, now they're having problems catching updated cars

 

Don't think BGP is done, but I have always said they will not be able to keep pace on development and now we see that:

RBR has overtaken them.
Ferrari are very near, if not even.
Williams are right behind.
McLaren are still an unknown as LH did not have a chance to show what their new package can do (although he was light for qualifying).
Renault - if FA can get the pace he showed at the end of the race, Renault will be challenging for podiums soon...

 

Blunders on Rubens car and his frustration with his team definitely aren't helping..

 

cold temperatures at the nurburgring didnt help brawn at all. i mean, if button is trying to warm his tires in the race and during his hot lap in qualifying, its not a good sign.

plus massa really helped red bull win this week by "holding up" barrichello. if not for KERS i really think RB woulda passed him.

 

BGP was running light at the Ring. Dont know if this was because of the colder temps necessarily, but the others have stepped up as well. There could be truth to the fact that Brawn may not have the budget to keep pace with in-season testing, but whatever may be the case I hope this will be a fight to the finish.

 

Button needs Barrichello (bless him) to keep fluffing up races! And I think probably in the next 2-3 races, Red Bull will have to pick Vettel or Webber to hunt for the driver's title - if Red Bull can keep the pace and car advantage they have on Brawn. If they don't...then Button will 'just' need to keep up with decent points finishes (although probably better than 5th, more like consistent podiums) to win the driver's title a la Alonso '05.

It's almost a re-enactment of that season, save that the Red Bull drivers are much more evenly matched, and hence a decision has to be made. I think probably whoever between Vettel and Webber are further ahead in the next 2-3 races will swing that decision. Tough pill for either one of them to take. So that story is just as interesting as the overall picture, and hopefully will make it a much more interesting second half of the season, as compared to Button walking over everyone in the first half.

 

Way too premature to say that (although I'm sure some of you are hoping they are).

We'll see how they fare in a warm race. The Brawn is easy on its tires which is good for warm races and soft tires but has trouble in cooler races keeping enough heat in. That being said, the Redbull is the only car currently faster than them. Far from done.

 

I think it's still early... I think the questions still remain in the '09 season..

Brawn come back from a few less-than-stellar showings?
Can RBR continue this torrid pace?
Ferrari and McLaren creeping back up and making this into a potential 4 team scramble.. I think Ferrari and McLaren won't contend for the championship but they will start to disrupt the Brawn 1-2 finishes as well as the RBR 1-2 finishes
Toyota rebound after a strong start and then an utter collapse mid-season?
Force India
More Nico in the 2nd half as he auditions for a potential McLaren seat in '10?

Still early to say Brawn is done ... I think they need to improve Rubens ride.. He seems to be continually getting the short end of the stick. Luck is not on his side..


Good season so far

 

What?
You say Brawn might not be able to keep up with the development of other teams?
Wow!
Who would have thought...





Brawn showed amazing strength at the start of the season, no doubt, but this turn of events does not come as a huge surprise. Ferrari is not destined to become a backmarker, it's only a matter of time, and seeing red on the podium in Germany means good things, for Ferrari, but not so much for Brawn.