Branson to unveil Brawn plans in Spain

Virgin has been in discussions with Brawn about expanding its backing of the team, with it potentially becoming title sponsor of the outfit as part of a full rebranding exercise.

But with AUTOSPORT understanding that Brawn's on-track success has resulted in several major corporations now expressing an interest in taking title sponsorship deals, Virgin is now locked in a battle to come up with the best deal.

Branson said in Bahrain last weekend that he had made an offer to the team, and made it clear that if that financial pledge was bettered by another company then he would accept it and move away.

Speaking to AUTOSPORT after the Bahrain GP, Branson admitted that the team's third victory in four races was making it more likely that his Virgin offer would be bettered by someone else.

"We will talk again in Barcelona and let you know," said Branson about the latest state of play with the negotiations. "Obviously a win here makes it all the more difficult, as they will be all the more popular."