March 30, 2009

Less than 24 hours after their Australian Grand Prix fairytale, Formula One newcomers Brawn GP have sacked more than 270 workers.

Brawn GP chief executive Nick Fry confirmed one-third of the F1 team's workforce would be cut - announcing the mass sackings at their factory in England amid the euphoria of Briton Jenson Button's victory in Melbourne.

"It's about 270 (job losses)," Fry told the BBC.

"We are about 700 people at the moment and we talked to the staff about going down to about 430, which is where we were in 2004.

"It's very unfortunate that we've got to do that but it's the change of technical regulations and obviously we are now a private team."

Brawn GP arose from the ashes of the now-defunct Honda - the team's spot on the F1 grid saved at the last minute by a management buyout.

But after inheriting a huge staff and needing fewer workers because of this year's change in F1 rules banning mid-season testing, Fry said the job cuts were inevitable.

It has shattered the feel-good factor around the team's remarkable one-two finish in their debut Grand Prix, with Button leading home Brazilian Rubens Barrichello.

The team also signed Richard Branson's Virgin Group as a major sponsor in Melbourne at the weekend.

Despite their Albert Park win and the promise of a new world order in the sport as Ferrari and McLaren struggled to keep pace with them, Brawn GP will also have to sweat it out until April 14 to find out if their controversial rear diffusers are legal.

F1's governing body, the FIA, will hear appeals from Ferrari, Red Bull and Renault over the diffusers used by Brawn, Williams and Toyota.

Stewards in Melbourne ruled they were legal ahead of the season-opening Grand Prix, allowing their use until the appeal is heard.

But if the FIA appeals court rules against the technology, Brawn face having their Australian GP victory struck out, as well as losing any points they earn at the Malaysian GP this weekend.

Not that it bothers Button, who believes his car is legal.

"That's nothing we can change as drivers," Button said.

"We're here to put on a show, and also to get the best out of the equipment on offer, which is exactly what we did over the weekend.

"We will continue to do so over the next few races or for the whole of the season, and we have to see what happens.

"At the moment, I'm enjoying this victory because it is a victory, and I think it should stand."

Honda, which quit the sport in December, also joined in the congratulations for Brawn GP's debut win.

"We are incredibly delighted that our teammates, with whom we worked until last season, have started from extremely difficult circumstances to earn this victory," Honda said in a statement.

Mark Webber's Red Bull team head to Malaysia licking their wounds after a tough start to the year.

Webber was caught in a multi-car shunt on the first corner in Melbourne, putting him a lap down, though he kept circling to trail the field in 13th place.

And young gun Sebastian Vettel faces a 10-place penalty on the Malaysian grid for causing the late-race collision with BMW-Sauber's Robert Kubica as the pair duelled for podium finishes.

He also was fined $72,000.