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 special Formula One racing team. They competed in the 2009 Formula One World Championship with drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. The team started in 2009 when Ross Brawn and other managers bought the Honda Racing F1 Team. Honda had decided to leave Formula One in late 2008.
Even though Honda left, the team kept working on their new car for 2009. Honda gave them some money to help, and Mercedes provided the engines. In their very first race, the 2009 Australian Grand Prix, Brawn GP surprised everyone. Their drivers took the top two spots in qualifying and then finished first and second in the race!
Jenson Button won six of the first seven races that season. At the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix in October, he won the 2009 Drivers' Championship. The team also won the Constructors' Championship. Rubens Barrichello won two races and finished third in the Drivers' Championship. Brawn GP won eight of the seventeen races that year. They won both championships in their only year of racing.
In November 2009, Mercedes-Benz bought most of Brawn GP. The team was then renamed Mercedes GP for the 2010 season. Many of the people who worked for Brawn GP stayed with the new Mercedes team.
Contents
History of Brawn GP
How Brawn GP Started
Brawn GP's story began with a team called Tyrrell Racing Organisation. This team was started by Ken Tyrrell in 1958. They raced in different types of single-seater championships. Tyrrell joined Formula One in 1968. They won the Constructors' Championship and three Drivers' Championships in the 1970s with Jackie Stewart.
Tyrrell raced in F1 until 1998. Then, the team was sold to British American Tobacco (BAT). BAT created a new team called British American Racing (BAR) in a new factory in Brackley. BAR raced for six years and finished second in the championship in 2004.
Later, Honda, who supplied engines to BAR, took full control of the team in 2005. The team was then called Honda Racing F1. Brawn GP was officially formed on March 6, 2009. This happened when Ross Brawn, a very experienced technical director, bought the team from Honda. Honda had decided to leave the sport in December 2008.
On March 17, 2009, the FIA (the main racing authority) agreed to change the team's name from Honda Racing F1 Team to Brawn GP. Even though Ross Brawn bought the team's assets and staff, the FIA saw Brawn GP as a brand new team. They even waived the usual entry fee because of the team's difficult situation.
When choosing a name, they thought about bringing back the Tyrrell name or using "Pure Racing." But Mercedes, their engine supplier, didn't want "Pure Racing" because it might make people think it was Mercedes' own factory team. At that time, McLaren was Mercedes' main team.
Ross Brawn said that many engine makers offered to help. But Mercedes-Benz engines were the best fit for their car. Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, who had been Honda's drivers, stayed with the new Brawn GP team.
Honda had finished ninth out of eleven teams in 2008. That year, they focused on developing their car for the 2009 season. Brawn GP didn't have time to add a special energy recovery system called KERS to their car. On March 20, it was confirmed that Brawn GP would get the last pit-lane spot. This was because the FIA considered them a new entry due to the name change.
Brawn GP's Amazing 2009 Season
The team started the 2009 season very well. In practice for the 2009 Australian Grand Prix, their cars were among the fastest. In qualifying, Jenson Button took the top spot, and Rubens Barrichello was second. Button then won the race, leading from start to finish. Barrichello finished second, giving Brawn GP a fantastic one-two finish in their very first race. This was the first time a new team achieved a one-two finish on debut since Mercedes in 1954.
Button also won the rain-shortened 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix from pole position. With this win, Brawn GP became the only new team to win their first two races since Alfa Romeo did it in 1950. At the 2009 Chinese Grand Prix, Barrichello qualified ahead of Button. In a rainy race, Button finished third, and Barrichello was fourth.
Button won again at the 2009 Bahrain Grand Prix from fourth place. Barrichello finished fifth. This was the first time their car seemed a bit slower compared to others. At the 2009 Spanish Grand Prix, Brawn GP had another one-two finish, with Button leading Barrichello. This was Brawn's fourth win, meaning they had more wins than Honda ever did.
At the 2009 Monaco Grand Prix, Button was on pole position again. He led Barrichello for most of the race. Button secured Brawn's third one-two finish and his first "hat trick" of wins (pole, win, and fastest lap). At the 2009 Turkish Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel took pole position ahead of the Brawns. But Button got a great start and took the lead when Vettel went wide. Button calmly led the race to win. Barrichello had problems and had to retire from the race.
At their home race, the 2009 British Grand Prix, both drivers struggled. The car couldn't heat its tires enough, causing balance issues. Button had his worst qualifying of the season in sixth, while Barrichello was second. In the race, Button finished sixth and Barrichello third. At the 2009 German Grand Prix, they faced similar tire temperature problems. Barrichello finished sixth, and Button finished fifth.
At the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, Brawn had their worst qualifying of the season. Button was eighth, and Barrichello was thirteenth. Barrichello's car had a suspension problem. Button's car was also checked for safety. In the race, Button finished seventh, and Barrichello was tenth.
At the 2009 European Grand Prix, Barrichello won his first race in five years. He started third and drove a strong race. Button finished seventh. At the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix, Button was taken out of the race on the first lap. Barrichello finished seventh, but his engine caught fire as he entered the pits. At the 2009 Italian Grand Prix, both Brawn cars were fueled heavily. They finished first and second, with Barrichello winning and Button in second. This was their final one-two finish of the season.
At the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix, both drivers had problems in qualifying. Button started eleventh, and Barrichello started fifth. They finished fifth and sixth in the race. At the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix, Brawn had a chance to win the Constructors' Championship. They finished seventh and eighth, which left them just half a point short of winning the title.
Finally, at 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 standings. Brawn GP won both titles in their only year of competition. This means they had a 100% championship success rate, which is amazing!
Brawn GP Becomes Mercedes GP
On November 16, 2009, it was announced that Daimler AG (the company that owns Mercedes-Benz) and Aabar Investments bought 75.1% of Brawn GP. The team was then renamed Mercedes GP for the 2010 Formula One season. The Brawn GP base in Brackley continued to be used for the team's operations. Ross Brawn stayed on as the team principal until the end of the 2013 season.
The BGP 001 Car
The BGP 001 was originally designed to be the Honda RA109. Because Honda's performance was not good in 2008, they started designing the 2009 car quite early. After Honda left, work on the car continued, hoping the team would be saved. The car was then used by the new Brawn GP team. It was changed to fit a Mercedes-Benz engine instead of the Honda engine it was designed for.
According to Nick Fry, the team's CEO, they would not have won the championship with Honda engines. He said the Mercedes engine was responsible for half of the team's improved performance. Jenson Button was the first to drive the car. It had white, bright yellow, and black colors. The BGP 001 had its first test at Circuit de Catalunya on March 9, 2009. It often set the fastest times during testing.
During testing at Circuito de Jerez, Brawn GP continued to be very fast. Ross Brawn said that the BGP 001 car was the result of 15 months of hard work. He praised the team's dedication. At the first race, some teams complained about the rear diffusers on the Brawn BGP 001. They thought the diffusers were not allowed by the rules. But after checking, the race officials said the cars were legal. This decision was later confirmed after an appeal.
In Spain, the car received its first updates. These changes were mostly to help with the cooling needs of the Mercedes engine. These updates helped Brawn achieve another one-two finish, just like in Australia. Jenson Button used one Brawn BGP 001 car for the entire 2009 season. This car, called "BGP 001-02," became one of the most successful Formula One cars ever. Rubens Barrichello used "BGP 001-01" until it was damaged. He then used "BGP 001-03" for the rest of the season.
Ross Brawn kept the BGP 001-02 car. It was later restored and shown at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Jenson Button received the BGP 001-01 car as part of his contract if he won the championship. The BGP 001-03 car was kept by Mercedes after they bought the team.
Sponsors of Brawn GP
Some sponsors who were with the Honda team in 2008, like Bridgestone, stayed with Brawn GP for the 2009 season. On March 26, 2009, Brawn GP announced a partnership with British clothing company Henri Lloyd. They became the "Official Supplier of Clothing and Footwear Technology" and their brand appeared on the BGP 001 car.
On March 28, 2009, during the Australian Grand Prix weekend, Richard Branson announced that Virgin would be a major sponsor for the team. Later, Brawn announced deals with MIG Investments and Ray-Ban sunglasses. At the Bahrain Grand Prix, the cars showed the Virgin Galactic logo. The team also re-signed Endless Advance and NCE Corporation, and made a new deal with safety harness supplier Willans.
For the Spanish Grand Prix, Sony Pictures joined the team. The cars featured pictures promoting the film Terminator Salvation. At the Monaco Grand Prix, there were rumors that Google co-founder Larry Page might sponsor the team. They also got a one-race sponsorship with Wuppertal. Before the British Grand Prix, the team partnered with Graham-London watches and Menna Casting. Monster Energy also added its logo to Jenson Button's helmet. Richard Branson hinted that Virgin might not continue sponsoring next season because of the cost.
For the European Grand Prix, the cars showed the Virgin Active logo. For the Italian Grand Prix, the BGP 001 had the Raccagni zipper company logo and the Virgin Active logo again. For the Singapore Grand Prix, Brawn GP made a deal with Canon, and the cars also showed the Virgin Media logo.
For the Japanese Grand Prix, Brawn GP had a one-race sponsorship with Angfa Co. Ltd., a Japanese shampoo maker. The Virgin Atlantic logo also appeared. For the Brazilian Grand Prix, where they won the Constructors' Championship, Brawn GP had deals with Banco do Brasil and Petrópolis brewery for their beer brand Itaipava and TNT energy drink. They also had a one-race partnership with Spanish insurance company Mapfre, and the Virgin Galactic logo reappeared. For the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the cars showed the Virgin Galactic logo again, as the team had a deal with Qatar Telecom.
Brawn GP's Lasting Impact
Brawn GP's story is often called "Formula One's last great fairy-tale." A four-part documentary about the team's success, starring Keanu Reeves, was released in November 2023. It tells the amazing story of how the team achieved so much in such a short time.
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
See also
In Spanish: Brawn GP para niños
