But Brawn says fact court ruled team acted in good faith was "critical"
Monday 24 June 2013 12:22, UK
Ross Brawn has insisted there were never any discussions over what impact any heavy sanction against Mercedes in the Testgate case would have on his future as Team Principal and that the board had been "very supportive" of him throughout the affair.
"Formula 1 is a very, very competitive business and we know that but I think acting in good faith was a very important point for me and that's why I was keen that we actually presented the facts in front of an independent tribunal in order to establish what had happened so that that judgement could be made." And while the tribunal's punishments took into account the mitigating factors present in the case, Brawn insists the ban from the young driver test is a proper sanction. Ferrari, via their irreverent Horse Whisperer blogger, have already heavily criticised the outcome while Red Bull chief Christian Horner suggested prior to the verdict being announced that a ban from the young driver test "isn't much of a sanction". "I think the young driver test is a penalty, any perception that it's not significant is not correct," Brawn insisted. "We had quite a comprehensive programme planned for the young driver test so it will be a blow to the team and things that we were hoping to try or develop with the young drivers we will lose."
