It’s with a certain relish that I tackle this week’s Thursday Thought as it is a sweet pickle of a question, jam packed with possibilites. Enough puns though, time to move on, if only to preserve everyone’s sanity…

“Do you think that Richard Branson regrets his decision to buy Manor instead of sticking with Brawn GP?”

Is Sir Richard a man who regrets decisions? I’m not sure to be honest, he’s probably missed out on bigger oportunities in his time but Brawn seemed to be there for the backing. In the end, while the Virgin logo did appear on the car throughout 2009, it eventually seemed a low-key affair. Compare that to the red liveried team now bearing the Virgin name and consider that the input might not be all that different considering the number of additional sponsors on board plus the size of the team’s budget. Clearly, the brand currently gets a better exposure out of Virgin Racing regardless of grid position but the question here is whether an opportunity was missed.

Looking back to 2009, following the Mercedes takeover Brawn GP has found itself in the unique position of having raced for just one season and taking both the drivers’ and constructors’ title in the process. It’s a remarkable record – people will always think of Brawn as a Championship winning team. Not for them the barren years that Ferrari suffered, nor the slow decline of Lotus, or the sad demise of Brabham. Virgin may have been fairly low key addition to the livery compared with the long stripes of highlighter yellow that adorned the car but they were there and part of that special piece of history.

However, could they realistically have continued that history? The BGP001 was built on the strong foundations of one of the largest budgets on the grid as the Honda RA109. Yes, Branson could have bought into Brawn relatively cheaply, but the real cost would be in keeping the team in the manner to which it had become accustomed.

Compare that to what the brand gets with Virgin Racing – big exposure, at minimal cost. It’s a philosophy Branson has stood by for many years. No, for me, Sir Richard Branson has exactly what he wants and good luck to them.