Ferrari will keep winning - Brawn - 13th March 18:04pm GMT

Former Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn says the team can remain Formula One pace-setters despite his departure and that of Michael Schumacher.

Brawn, on a year's sabbatical, told BBC Sport he expected Ferrari to be title contenders with drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa this year.

"We had good and bad years when I was there. You can't always be in front.

"But the people who design the car are still there, so there's no reason why they can't just carry on," Brawn said.

He said he was confident the team would not fall back into the political in-fighting that bedevilled it in the pre-Schumacher era.

"It's down to how the individuals work," said Brawn, who was centrally involved in preparing the team for his departure.

"We were, in the period I was there, able to implement and instil certain philosophies and all the people involved are still mindful of that and will instil them into the team.

"They are all very sensible people.

"Ferrari is very strongly in the focus of the media and it can be very difficult not to be distracted by some of the things that are said.

"But you just have to have the strength and conviction in what you're doing and see it through.

"The car looks quite good, so if the results flow that will instil confidence."

But Brawn, who has talked only to the BBC since leaving Ferrari at the end of last season, believes the Finn will prove a good choice.

"I don't know Kimi. I've never worked with him and until you have worked with someone it is difficult to judge what they're like," said the Englishman.

"He's probably not as forthright as Michael was when he joined Ferrari, but Michael was a double world champion.

"They are different people. Kimi is a quieter person. But the thing to do with people like that is to listen very carefully to them because they often have an awful lot to say, you just have to give them a chance to say it.

"It will [require a cultural shift]. But he has strong people around him. The key thing about Kimi is that he is quick, and he makes very few mistakes.

"It can be quite exciting for the team. It's a new challenge and that can be quite stimulating."