Brawn celebrates 'very special day'

Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello confirmed the pace showed in testing was no fluke, with the Briton securing pole position ahead of the Brazilian, and with rival teams admitting Brawn GP's cars were simply out of reach.

After months of speculation and doubt about the team's future, Brawn was a delighted man on Saturday afternoon.

"It's a very, very special day. It still hasn't sunk in - we're all still exhausted after the winter, which is usually a time to regroup," said Brawn.

"We've had a pretty difficult winter and the way people have worked, with such uncertainty hanging over them, was sensational.

"For the team to have produced the car they have, when from the beginning of December they didn't know whether they would have a job, is a fantastic credit to them. It's a special day - but it will soon be forgotten tomorrow. I hope we can have a strong race."

Despite the team's impressive speed, Brawn said that, after so little testing, reliability was a worry for the race.

"Let's see what happens tomorrow. Reliability is obviously still a concern after so little running, but obviously we're delighted with our performance," he said.

The Briton said the speed of his car was no surprise, although he conceded he was unable to tell how strong it will be against the competition.

"The car is running at the pace we expected given the simulations, modelling and data we had," he said.

"The speed of the car per se is no surprise, but with new regulations some teams have probably had different priorities. We had the luxury of 15 months in which to develop the best car we could for the new regs. Not everyone was able to do that.

"Given the circumstances we had over the winter, it is a surprise that we've ended up in such a strong position. Where we ended up is where we were predicted to be, so perhaps some of the others haven't made as much progress as we have."

He added: "The drivers were so enthusiastic about the car's characteristics that we knew it was working well. The fact that it's predictable and consistent... I don't think they've been off the track, although Rubens has strayed across the grass.

"Since we introduced the car I don't think either of them has had a spin or any major excursion. That tells you the car is predictable and responds well, but you never know where you are until final qualifying."