So Jenson WILL be in the 2009 F1 season. Hallelujah!
After months of speculation about the future of the team, Nick Fry and Ross Brawn will conduct a management buyout for the team. Numbers of staff will be cut, wages of the drivers cut and the potential of the car will most likely be a far distance behind that of its competitors (from what was claimed to be a "likely top-3 team"), but the fact of the matter is Jenson Button - my favourite of all on the F1 grid - is still going to be on the grid in Melbourne.
To top it all off, we could see the arrival of F1's most anticipated driver in ages.
Nephew of the late, great, Ayrton Senna, Bruno is potentially going to join the F1 circus with a huge eye of expectation watching over him. Maybe unfairly, too. He is indeed a fantastic driver, and were it not for some unfortunate incidents in the past GP2 season with dogs in Turkey or running out of fuel in the final lap of the Valencian GP race, he would probably be arriving as the GP2 champion. Instead, the current champion is Giorgio Pantano - who already has had a season in F1 and impressed nil. Point is however, Senna may be that magnificent star with the legendary name, but it would be harsh to compare him to the likes of Ayrton so suddenly.
We have to remember that he will start his career at Honda, who - in the past 2 seasons combined, scored just over a quarter of the points they gained in 2006. For whatever reason, the past two cars have been major disappointments, and still to this day they have no clue what made the B.A.R. of 2004 so successful. Expecting Bruno Senna to do a Hamilton in his debut season is as likely as this current recession ending tomorrow. Only time will tell as to how good the Honda challenger will be, but with little testing being done on 2009-spec wings and absolutely no running at all for a genuine 2009 car, it'll be hard to see Honda pushing their way back up the field as had been expected prior to the Honda quitting decision.
If Senna can put in the performances however, expect him to climb up to the top teams at a fast rate. The number of challengers for the World Title in future years is already shaping up to be something fantastic - Already in the hat are Hamilton, Kubica, Vettel and now Senna to boot, not to mention F1 veterans with years still left in for them such as Massa and Alonso, together with more rules to make closer racing - it's going to be an incredible few seasons coming up.
Left out in the shadow of all this news, sadly, is Rubens Barrichello.
The Brazilian, who currently holds the record for most GP starts in F1 history with 270 races under his belt, is more than likely outsed for the season. A veteran in the wets indeed, and a great all-round driver, but in these hard financial times it's becoming more evident that a cash-strapped Honda team needs money input. Cue Senna advantage number 1 - he has PLENTY of sponsors that will be of no end of assistance to Honda, and, whilst not enough to cover Honda's 2009 season alone, it is still money that Honda desperately need nonetheless. Senna advantage number 2 is the youth - Barrichello's experience is the best in the world, but with only 9 GP wins in the 16 seasons he's already competed in, his legacy may not go down as much of a success - when you're a teammate to Michael Schumacher for 6 years though, it's little surprise. Senna has the youth and, as such, means that with success when in the car comes plenty of years for Bruno to live up to Uncle Ayrton's legacy. The last Senna advantage is the Brazilian Fanbase - as soon as Barrichello went to Honda and Massa went to Ferrari, the Brazilians virtually disowned Rubens. When it came to Brazil, it was evident - the crowd went nuts for Massa when, in his first serious attempt, took the win at his home race. The closest Barrichello ever got to the same kind of reception was his pole position in 2004. The Brazilians will love their new found hero in Bruno, just for the name - as no one can ever forget what kind of a career Ayrton left behind, cut tragically short by that crash in 1994.
The future is far from concrete for Honda, but for 2009 at least, it is secure.