Brawn GP facts for kids
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| Full name | Brawn GP Formula One Team |
|---|---|
| Base | Brackley, Northamptonshire, England |
| Founder(s) | Ross Brawn |
| Noted staff | Ross Brawn Nick Fry Loïc Bigois Jörg Zander Ron Meadows Andrew Shovlin James Vowles Jock Clear Matt Deane |
| Noted drivers |  Jenson Button Rubens Barrichello |
| Previous name | Honda Racing F1 Team |
| Next name | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| First entry | 2009 Australian Grand Prix |
| Races entered | 17 |
| Engines | Mercedes |
| Constructors' Championships |
1 (2009) |
| Drivers' Championships |
1 (2009) |
| Race victories | 8 |
| Podiums | 15 |
| Points | 172 |
| Pole positions | 5 |
| Fastest laps | 4 |
| Final entry | 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
Brawn GP was a Formula One racing team. It competed in the 2009 Formula One World Championship. The team had two main drivers: Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello.
Brawn GP was created in 2009 by Ross Brawn. He bought the team from Honda Racing F1 Team. Honda had decided to leave Formula One in late 2008. This was due to a big worldwide money problem. Even though Honda left, they still helped the team with money for 2009. Mercedes also provided the engines.
The team had an amazing start. In their very first race, the 2009 Australian Grand Prix, they took the top two spots in qualifying. Then, they finished first and second in the race! Jenson Button won six of the first seven races. At the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix, Button won the 2009 Drivers' Championship. The team also won the Constructors' Championship. Rubens Barrichello won two races and finished third overall. Brawn GP won eight of the seventeen races that season. They are the only team ever to win both championships in their only year of racing.
On November 16, 2009, Mercedes-Benz bought most of Brawn GP. The team was then renamed Mercedes GP for the 2010 season. Many of the Brawn GP staff stayed with the new Mercedes team.
Contents
The Story of Brawn GP: From Honda to Champions
How Brawn GP Started
Brawn GP's story began with a much older racing team called Tyrrell Racing. This team started in 1958. It raced in Formula One from 1968 and won championships in the 1970s. Over time, the team changed hands. In 1998, it became British American Racing (BAR). Then, in 2005, Honda took full control and renamed it Honda Racing F1.
In December 2008, Honda announced they were leaving Formula One. This was a big shock. But Ross Brawn, who was a top technical director, stepped in. On March 6, 2009, he bought the team for a very small amount of money. This was how Brawn GP was born!
The FIA, which runs Formula One, agreed to the name change. They saw Brawn GP as a brand new team. They even waived the usual entry fee because of the team's tough situation. Ross Brawn chose Mercedes-Benz engines for the cars. These engines fit the car design best. Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, who had been Honda's drivers, stayed with the new team.
Honda had struggled in 2008, finishing ninth. But they had already started designing the car for 2009. This car became the Brawn GP car. The team was given the last spot in the pit lane. Their car numbers were 22 and 23.
The Amazing 2009 Race Season
Brawn GP started the 2009 season incredibly well. In practice for the 2009 Australian Grand Prix, their cars were very fast. In qualifying, Jenson Button took the top spot, and Rubens Barrichello was second. Then, in the race, Button led from start to finish. Barrichello came in second, giving Brawn GP a one-two finish on their very first race! This was a rare achievement.
Button also won the next race, the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix. This made Brawn GP the only new team to win their first two races since Alfa Romeo in 1950. At the 2009 Chinese Grand Prix, Button finished third and Barrichello fourth in a rainy race.
Button won again at the 2009 Bahrain Grand Prix. He started fourth but managed to take the lead and win. This was the first time their car seemed a bit slower, but Button still won. At the 2009 Spanish Grand Prix, Brawn GP had another one-two finish, with Button winning again. This was Brawn's fourth win.
At the 2009 Monaco Grand Prix, Button got pole position and led another one-two finish for Brawn. This was his third win in a row! In Turkey, Button won again, even though his teammate Barrichello had to stop early.
The team faced some challenges in their home race, the 2009 British Grand Prix. Both drivers struggled with their tires. Button finished sixth and Barrichello third. In Germany, they also had trouble with tire temperatures. Barrichello finished sixth and Button fifth.
At the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, the team had their worst qualifying of the season. Button was eighth and Barrichello thirteenth. But as the track got hotter, Button showed great speed and finished seventh.
Rubens Barrichello finally won a race at the 2009 European Grand Prix. This was his first win in five years! Button finished seventh. At the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix, Button crashed out early. Barrichello finished seventh, but his engine caught fire at the end.
At the 2009 Italian Grand Prix, Brawn GP had their final one-two finish of the season. Barrichello won, and Button was second. In Singapore, both drivers had issues in qualifying but finished fifth and sixth in the race.
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At the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix, Brawn GP almost won the Constructors' Championship. They finished seventh and eighth, leaving them just half a point short. But at the next race, the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix, Jenson Button secured the Drivers' Championship by finishing fifth. With Barrichello finishing eighth, Brawn GP also won the Constructors' Championship!
In the final race, the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, they finished third and fourth. Button was the world champion, and Barrichello finished third in the championship. Brawn GP won 8 out of 17 races, meaning they won 47% of the races they entered. They are the only team to win both championships in their only year of racing.
Brawn GP Becomes Mercedes-Benz
On November 16, 2009, it was officially announced that Daimler AG (the company that owns Mercedes-Benz) bought 75.1% of Brawn GP. They paid about £110 million. Brawn GP made a profit of £98.5 million in its single year. The team was renamed Mercedes GP for the 2010 season. Ross Brawn stayed on as the team principal until the end of 2013.
The BGP 001 Race Car
The BGP 001 was the only car Brawn GP used. It was first designed to be the Honda RA109. Honda had started designing it early in 2008. When Honda left, the car's development continued, hoping a new owner would come along. When Brawn GP took over, they changed the car to fit a Mercedes-Benz engine.
The team's CEO, Nick Fry, said the Mercedes engine was a big reason for the team's success. The car was white, bright yellow, and black. It was first tested on March 9, 2009, at Circuit de Catalunya. It quickly showed how fast it was.
During testing, the BGP 001 kept setting the fastest times. Ross Brawn said the car was the result of 15 months of hard work. Before the first race, some teams complained about the car's rear diffuser. They thought it didn't follow the rules. But after checking, the race officials said the car was legal. This ruling was later confirmed after an appeal.
The BGP 001 got its first upgrades in Spain. These changes were mostly for the Mercedes engine's cooling needs. Jenson Button used the same BGP 001 car (chassis "BGP 001-02") for the entire 2009 season. This made it one of the most successful Formula One cars ever! Ross Brawn kept this championship-winning car. Rubens Barrichello used chassis "BGP 001-01" and later "BGP 001-03."
Team Sponsors
Many sponsors who were with Honda stayed with Brawn GP. These included Bridgestone. On March 26, 2009, Brawn GP announced a partnership with Henri Lloyd, a clothing company. Their brand appeared on the BGP 001 car.
Just before the first race, Richard Branson announced that Virgin would be a major sponsor. Later, MIG Investments and Ray-Ban (sunglasses) also joined. At the Bahrain Grand Prix, the cars showed the Virgin Galactic logo. Other sponsors included Endless Advance, NCE Corporation, and Willans.
For the Spanish Grand Prix, Sony Pictures sponsored the team. The cars had pictures from the movie Terminator Salvation. At the Monaco Grand Prix, there were rumors that Google co-founder Larry Page might sponsor the team. Other sponsors included Wuppertal, Graham-London, and Menna Casting. Monster Energy also put its logo on Jenson Button's helmet.
For the European Grand Prix, the cars showed the Virgin Active logo. For the Italian Grand Prix, the Italian zipper company Raccagni and Virgin Active were featured. At the Singapore Grand Prix, Canon and Virgin Media were sponsors. For the Japanese Grand Prix, a Japanese shampoo company called Angfa Co. Ltd. sponsored the team. The Virgin Atlantic logo also appeared.
For the Brazilian Grand Prix, where they won the championships, Brawn GP had deals with Banco do Brasil and Petrópolis brewery. Their beer brand Itaipava and TNT energy drink were on the cars. Mapfre insurance also sponsored them. For the final race in Abu Dhabi, Virgin Galactic and Qatar Telecom were sponsors.
Brawn GP's Legacy
Brawn GP's story is often called "Formula One's last great fairy-tale." It's about a team that almost didn't exist, but then went on to win everything. A four-part TV show about the team's success was released in 2023. It stars Keanu Reeves and features people who worked at Brawn GP.
Complete Formula One Results
(key)
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | BGP 001 | Mercedes FO 108W 2.4 V8 | B | AUS | MAL | CHN | BHR | ESP | MON | TUR | GBR | GER | HUN | EUR | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN | BRA | ABU | 172 | 1st | |
| Jenson Button |
1P | 1PF‡ | 3 | 1 | 1P | 1P | 1F | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | Ret | 2 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 3 | ||||||
| Rubens Barrichello |
2 | 5‡ | 4F | 5 | 2F | 2 | Ret | 3 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 8P | 4 | ||||||
| Sources: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed
Images for kids
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The Brawn BGP 001 during testing at Circuit de Catalunya.
See also
In Spanish: Brawn GP para niños
