Brawn plays down deadline talk

Honda team boss Ross Brawn has denied that the team has been set a deadline for success.

Ross Brawn has denied that Honda have set a deadline for success, saying the Japanese carmaker understands that time is needed to resolve the team's problems. Last season Honda suffered one of their worst campaigns to date, struggling at the back of the field with an ill-handling car and a lack of pace. It was in sharp contrast to the previous season when Jenson Button clinched the team's first grand prix win. Honda, though, have taken steps to reverse the damage, the most notable being the appointment of former Ferrari tech guru Brawn as their new team boss. But while Brawn reckons he can pull the team out of their slump, he says it will take time and that Honda's senior management understands this. "As long as there's a sensible argument, they will support the right strategy for the future," Brawn said. "They're not interested in short-term face-saving solutions. "Honda's a strong company and are obviously very disappointed about what happened in 2007 and want to see some progress in 2008. "But from my discussions they want to see step-by-step progress and the team going in the right direction. "There's no deadline. We'll change things and if they see progress over the next few years they'll be happy." The team's CEO Nick Fry has also denied that the team is under pressure from management to perform. He told Autosport: "Honda are determined to succeed. There is and has never been a timeframe associated with Honda's involvement. "They assume to be going on ad infinitum, as far as we can tell."