Brawn upbeat about F1 future despite Toyota withdrawal

Published on Monday 9 November 2009 21:28

ROSS Brawn believes the future of Formula 1 remains bright despite the decision by Toyota to pull out of next year’s championship.

The Englishman led his Brawn GP team to both the drivers’ and constructors’ World Championships this year at the first attempt, less than a year after he salvaged the team when Honda decided not to race.

BMW and Toyota have since joined the list of manufacturers pulling the plug on their Formula 1 adventure, while question marks hang over the future of Renault. But Brawn believes the arrival of the Lotus, US F1, Campos and Manor teams on the grid in 2010 prove that the sport has a long-term future.

He said: “The economic situation has not been good for car manufacturers, but it seems to have turned the corner now and most of them are reporting increased sales.

“There are lots of encouraging signs but there is a lag in time for companies to react as it takes a lot of money and time to commit to an F1 team so we may not see them return for a while. But there has always been a core group. Ferrari and Mercedes have ridden a few storms over the years, but have always been involved and I don’t see that changing. Some teams are leaving but they are being replaced and we still have a queue of smaller teams wanting to come in.”