Brawn again denies any favoritism

Ross Brawn denies Button (L) is shown any favoritism over Barrichello (R)

Following the Spanish GP, which saw Rubens Barrichello lose to Jenson Button after the Brit was swapped to a two-stop strategy, the subject of team orders came to the fore with Barrichello threatening to quit should he ever feel as if he's being made to play second fiddle to his team-mate.

The Brawn team, though, were quick to deny that team orders had come into play at Barcelona, stating that they did not, and would not, favor one driver over the other.

And now, building up Monaco, team boss Brawn has once again clarified his outfit's position on driver status.

"We do not have a number one driver and we do not intend to have one. Jenson and Rubens are on equal terms and conditions and they both get exactly the same equipment as best as we can," Brawn told his team's website.

"Jenson and Rubens have been with the team for a few years now and they are fully integrated. Both are great team players.

"One of the key factors in creating such a good atmosphere comes from complete honesty. We have been, and will continue to be, completely honest with the drivers. They know the situation, their engineers know the situation, the team knows the situation.

"There is no favoritism." PlanetF1.com