#37; Everyone’s a Winner

There’s just 4 more races to go in the Formula 1 championship and, unless you’ve been living under a rock or not following the sport, the current title contenders at the moment are the two Brawn GP drivers, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. If you know me, then you’ll know how for many years I’ve stuck by not only Rubens as an F1 driver but Honda/Brawn as a team, not to mention supporting Jenson Button of course. It still seems extremely surreal to myself that after a few years of absolute struggle and despair with a car performing worse than Luca Badoer circus act, that these two good friends have found their way to the top of the mountain in the sport and look set to finish 2009’s season with a fantastic battle for the championship. the question I’m posing here though is… should I be happy or sad at this? 

It seems a stupid question I know, but let me explain. If Barrichello goes on to become champion, it will probably be the most wonderful moment for me as a massive fan of his, the biggest moment for him in his career especially as it’s currently in it’s twilight years, and many fans can surely agree how wonderful it will be to see him champion after all the years of dedication he’s given to the sport not to mention how absolutely lovely the man is both as a treasure to Formula 1 and as a normal bloke who loves to race. The thing is, it would be an absolute shame to see Jenson not win the championship because I feel he absolutely deserves it, and I fear that this opportunity may not come to Jenson’s grasp again (I’m not saying it won’t at all, but as many people say, you take whatever opportunity you can) so seeing Jenson missing out on the championship would definitely be a gutting feeling alongside the sheer unmatched joy of simply knowing Rubens is a F1 world champion.

Of course, on the other side of this double edged sword, like I say seeing Jenson Button becoming champion would be absolutely wonderful and I hope it certainly happens just as much as Rubens getting there. No pun intended here but Jenson it absolutely in the drivers seat for the championship at the moment and I feel that  he can do it – the ridiculous statements from the press of losing his mind and cracking under the pressure for me are ludicrous and simply trying to make it worse for him when I feel that it is simply was a run of unlucky form; look at Rubens at the start of 2009 for example and yet he continued with the words of positivity knowing that his time would arrive with success and it certainly has right now. Once more I find with such positivity of wondering about Jenson being champion comes the negativity of being absolutely gutted about Rubens missing out on what should definitely be his last shot at being Champion. It’s surely undisputable that Jenson Button being world champion for Brawn would be more beneficial for the teams image, sponsors and future with Jenson’s youth being far more beneficial financially for the future of his career than Rubens upcoming retirement in the next few years (surely). However, Ross Brawn promises a fair fight for both drivers going into the end of the season, just as he has done all season despite absolutely stupid media comments and accusations, and I for one can’t wait to see how it all turns out.

Barrichello made an absolutely lovely comment this past weekend at Monza that I couldn’t agree with more - “I think it is a winning year whatever happens.”. At the end of the day, I’m a fan of Brawn GP as much as I am a fan of Jenson and Rubens. One driver will surely prevail out of the two with the championship, but even though it’ll be a shame for the opposite, the team will have won immensely this season no matter what outcomes. The fans who have stuck with Honda and moved onto Brawn will win no matter what. even if Jenson or Rubens manage not to win the championship, it still remains a winning year to me and one year that will stick in my mind as a F1 fan for many years to come. Considering the fact that in January, both drivers seemed set to be losing their future with much speculation and disappointment over the Honda pullout, and no resolution or team in sight for them, it’s an absolute miracle that 9 months later Jenson has snagged 6 wins, Rubens 2 wins, the team are miles ahead in the Constructors Championship having not dropped below 1st place all season, and even though the Red Bull cars can still cause a fight-back out of nowhere, it seems increasingly likely that this team of nothing it seemed are set to snag a double World Championship. again, pinch me please because it still seems massively unreal, and I try not to take it all for granted because I absolutely love this team and seeing them grabbing success in such a fantastic manner gives me much privilege and pleasure after following their trials and tribulations for years.

So bring on the championship fight I say! These two men who have constantly had to prove themselves throughout their respective careers at different times stand up above the rest of the grid with a team that I wouldn’t swap for the world. Both Rubens and Jenson have stuck with the team through thick and thin, and have had their horrible times of failures and disappointments, so let’s enjoy the success and unrivalled achievements of the Brawn GP success this year whilst it lasts. Long live Brawn GP!