Branson in Brawn negotiations

Richard Branson has made Brawn GP an offer to become principal sponsor, but finds himself in a battle for branding following the team’s remarkable success this season.

Branson and his Virgin Group forged a partnership with the team in Australia, since when the famous logo has adorned the cars of both Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello.

As the short-term deal was put together very quickly, he admitted in Melbourne his hopes were for a more longer-lasting relationship.

Branson then joined in the success savoured by the team when Button won in Australia, followed a week later by his triumph in Malaysia.

But with those wins, and with Button top of the drivers’ standings ahead of tomorrow’s Bahrain Grand Prix, Brawn GP have all of a sudden become a hot ticket.

Recognising that fact, Branson said: “The team have become very popular since the beginning of the season.

“At the moment we are negotiating, as are other people, and we may or may not end up doing a full-branding exercise.

“If we don’t do it we will obviously be the sponsor for this year and would be delighted with the way it has gone, and if we end up doing it, even better. Lets see how it goes.

“But someone could come in and pay a silly price. If that happens, we will bow out gracefully. At the moment we’ve made an offer we feel we can afford.”

Team principal Ross Brawn confirmed discussions were still ongoing, adding: “We are looking to try and develop a bigger, longer-term relationship.

“It is understanding what they want and what we want.

“In this particular (financial) environment, any team is looking for medium-term commitments, so it would be nice to have our principal funding in place for the next few years.”

Branson was in the paddock at the Sakhir circuit to promote his Virgin Galactic programme which Barrichello and Niki Lauda have already subscribed too, paying £136,000 for their ticket.

Branson revealed former three-times F1 champion Lauda, a fully-trained pilot after owning his own airline, will also learn to fly the Virgin Galactic plane.

“The mothership is now completed, finished and flying and doing its testing, whilst the spaceship will be completed at the end of the year,” added Branson.

“Then there will be another 18 months of testing. We will do more tests than NASA have flown missions before we take people up.

“Myself and my family will then go up on the first flight, and Niki when he is finished, will be capable of flying both.”

A thrilled Lauda said: “I have been a professional pilot for many years, and although I’ve flown Boeing and Airbuses, my only dream was to fly the Space Shuttle.

“I was always looking at that, but that was impossible because the Americans do that, so when I saw this project I was the first knocking on the door.”

Branson is planning to build one of three spaceports – the other two in America and Australasia – in either Bahrain, Qatar, Abu Dhabi or Saudi Arabia.