Those aren't Matchbox cars?

The future of the former Honda Formula One team has been secured after the Japanese manufacturer agreed to pass ownership of the operation to Ross Brawn, who becomes team principal of the new Brawn GP outfit.

The deal secures the future of British driver Jenson Button, who has been confirmed at the team alongside veteran Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, who saw off the challenge of compatriot Bruno Senna for the second seat.

Brawn GP has agreed a deal with Mercedes for a supply of engines in the 2009 F1 season, which gets under way in Australia on March 29.

The future of the Brackley-based outfit had been up in the air since early December when Honda confirmed they were ending their involvement in F1 due to the global economic downturn.

Today's management buyout secures the jobs of hundreds of staff at the team's Northamptonshire headquarters, and Brawn admitted the agreement has brought an end to a difficult period of negotiations.

"The past few months have been extremely challenging for the team but today's announcement is the very pleasing conclusion to the strenuous efforts that have been made to secure its future," said Brawn.

"Firstly, it is a great shame that having worked with Honda Motor Company for so long we can no longer continue together.

"I would like to thank Honda for the fantastic co-operation and support we have received throughout this process - particularly those members of the senior management who were closely involved with concluding our agreement - and for the faith they have demonstrated in myself and our team.

"I would also like to take this opportunity to pay due credit to our staff at Brackley. The levels of motivation and commitment that I have witnessed at the factory deserve the highest praise."

Brawn, who served as Ferrari's technical director for a decade before moving to Honda at the start of last season, added that he was happy to see the partnership of Button and Barrichello continue for another season.

"I am delighted that Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello will form our race driver line-up for the 2009 season," he said.

"The vast experience and knowledge that both drivers bring to our team will prove invaluable as we aim to get up to speed in the shortest possible time to be ready for the first race of the season in Melbourne on 29 March.

"In what will be their fourth season together, their experience with our team in Brackley, our systems and our engineers, will prove a real asset."

Today we're where we thought we would be before the start at Melbourne," Massa continued. "As far as the performance is concerned I'm really satisfied with our competitiveness compared to all the others, except obviously Brawn GP, who were unreachable for all of us. - Massa

The driver with the most wins will be crowned the 2009 World Champion, the FIA have announced.

In a statement, the governing body declared: "The WMSC accepted the proposal from Formula One Management to award the Drivers' Championship to the driver who has won the most races during the season.

"If two or more drivers finish the season with the same number of wins, the title will be awarded to the driver with the most points, the allocation of points being based on the current 10, 8, 6 etc. system."

The proposal of a medals system was put forward by F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone but it was slammed by many F1 personalities.

"I think it's a nonsense," former team boss Eddie Jordan told BBC Radio Five Live last year when the idea was first thrown around. "The focus of everyone in Formula One at the moment must be on the current situation with costs and cost cutting, and nothing else. The rest is just dressing it up.

"The points are necessary. I was one of the team principals in the team principals' meetings who advocated that the points should go down to eighth place, because one point to a team down there is as important as a win is to the likes of McLaren and Ferrari, and we must never forget that.

"I can promise you, having been in that position, two points against no points is a huge difference."

Had this medals system been used in 2008 then Felipe Massa, and not Lewis Hamilton, would have been crowned Champion as the Ferrari driver clinched six victories to Hamilton's five.

The WMSC rejected an alternative option from the Formula One Teams' Association to change the points awarded to drivers finishing first, second and third to 12, nine and seven points respectively.

The FIA have averted a potential row with the Formula One Teams' Association by agreeing to defer their controversial new 'winner-takes-all' system until 2010.

Just two hours after FOTA voiced an official protest to the plan, whereby the driver with most race wins becomes F1 champion, motor sport's world governing body reacted swiftly.

A FIA statement read: "On March 17, the FIA World Motor Sport Council unanimously rejected FOTA's proposed amendment to the points system for the Formula One Drivers' Championship.

"The 'winner-takes-all' proposal made by the commercial rights holder (Bernie Ecclestone, who had been told the teams were in favour) was then approved.

"If, for any reason, the Formula One teams do not now agree with the new system, its implementation will be deferred until 2010."