Brawn-Mercedes

The act of making the first race is an achievement in itself for Brawn GP, following the winter of uncertainty caused by Honda quitting Formula 1. Yet despite this, the early indications are that the Mercedes-powered BGP 001 could become a genuine contender for race victories and maybe even titles.

The car has certainly been a long time coming, with Honda having abandoned development of its 2008 machine early last season to focus on this year's challenger. The early difficulty for the team will be in getting on top of reliability, having missed the early winter tests.