Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, the reigning world champion and a near media recluse by Formula One's standards, appeared to voice his confidence in the prancing horse's progress prior to the opening race.
Browne was no doubt referring to last year's temporary closure of some operations at the Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska, delays to the opening of BP's Thunder Horse platform in the Gulf of Mexico, and problems stemming from the 2005 explosion at a Texas refinery that killed 15 BP employees.