Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Bruno Senna making into Formula 1


Bruno Senna hopes to quickly shake off the tag of being the nephew of one of the greatest grand prix drivers of all time when he makes his Formula One debut next season.

Senna, whose uncle Ayrton won 41 races and three world titles in a glittering F1 career, has signed for the new Spain-based Campos Meta team for 2010 and is determined to become his own man during the course of his debut season.

"I hope, in a short time, that everybody remembers me for being Bruno, myself, and not for my uncle's surname," Senna told reporters at his official presentation by Campos in Murcia.

"I've learned to live with it and although it helped me at the beginning to find sponsors and find contacts, to be a driver you need to have a natural talent."

The 26-year-old cut his teeth in Formula BMW and Formula Three before marking out his undoubted talent by finishing as runner-up in the GP2 series in 2008.

He was strongly linked with a seat at new world champions Brawn GP prior to the start of the 2009 season but lost out to fellow Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, and Senna is determined to make up for lost time by getting the Campos home in the points during his maiden campaign.

"I want to score points for my new team and to be the best of all the new teams," he said.

"Long term, I would like to be Formula One world champion, it's not enough just to get there."

Button demands too high - Ross Brawn


Jenson Button's contract negotiations have taken a new twist with team principal Ross Brawn suggesting they are unlikely to match his salary demands.

Newly crowned World Champion Button is looking for a big increase after taking a pay cut at the start of the year following the demise of Honda.

However, his bosses at Brawn are yet to match his demands and McLaren are reportedly ready to pounce should the negotiations end in deadlock.

Team boss Brawn, who recently stated that he is "99 percent certain" that the Englishman will stay, hinted that they will probably offer him more freedom to negotiate his own sponsorship deals instead of giving him a contract worth more than £6m a year.

"We can offer a higher proportion of driver freedom and that will probably be the route we will go," Brawn is quoted in The Guardian.

"Jenson has some freedom for his own endorsements but has a commitment to meet our obligations."