Ross Brawn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ross Brawn
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Brawn at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed in the clothes of his own team Brawn GP
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Ross James Brawn
23 November 1954 Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England
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| Occupation | Formula One managing director, motor sports and technical director (2017–2022) Formula One team technical director/team principal (1991–2006, 2008–2013) |
| Employer | Formula One Group |
| Spouse(s) | Jean Brawn |
Ross James Brawn (born 23 November 1954) is a British expert in Formula One racing. He has been a managing director, motor sports director, and technical director. He used to be a motorsport engineer and a team boss in Formula One.
Teams where Ross Brawn played a key role have won eight team championships and eight driver championships. He became famous as the "mastermind" behind Michael Schumacher's seven world titles. This was when Brawn was the technical director for the Benetton and Ferrari teams.
After taking a break in 2007, he came back to F1 in 2008. He became the team boss for Honda. In 2009, Brawn bought the Honda team and renamed it Brawn GP. His team then won both the Formula One team and driver championships that same year.
Later, Mercedes bought into the team. Brawn stayed on as team boss and co-owner. He left Mercedes in 2013 and announced his retirement from Formula One in 2014. However, he returned to F1 in 2017 as a managing director for the Formula One Group. He finally retired from Formula One in 2022.
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Who is Ross Brawn?
Ross Brawn was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, England. From a young age, he loved engineering. He often went to Belle Vue Stadium to watch car races. When he was 11, his family moved to Reading.
In 1971, he started training as a mechanical apprentice. He learned many skills there, like how to operate machines. He later studied Mechanical Engineering. While living in Reading, he saw an advertisement for Frank Williams Grand Prix. He got an interview and joined the team.
Ross Brawn lives in Stoke Row, England. He enjoys gardening, fishing, and listening to music. He has received special degrees for his work in motorsport. He is married to Jean Brawn.
Ross Brawn's Racing Career
Ross Brawn's journey in motorsport started in 1976. He joined March Engineering as a machine operator. Soon, he became a mechanic for their Formula 3 racing team.
In 1978, Frank Williams hired Brawn for the new Williams team. He quickly moved up. He worked on research and development and as an aerodynamicist. An aerodynamicist studies how air moves around cars to make them faster.
Brawn joined the Haas Lola team in 1985. He helped design their race cars. Even though their cars were good, they struggled against bigger teams. When Haas Lola left F1 in 1986, Brawn moved to Arrows. There, he designed several cars for the 1987, 1988, and 1989 seasons. In 1989, Brawn moved to Jaguar's sports car division. He was the main designer for the Jaguar XJR-14, which won a championship in 1991.
Benetton Team (1991–1996)
In 1991, Brawn came back to Formula One. He became the technical director for the Benetton team. He helped the team win two World Drivers' Championships in 1994 and 1995 with Michael Schumacher. The team also won the World Constructors' Championship in 1995. Many people said Brawn was key to these wins. He was especially good at planning race strategies.
Ferrari Team (1997–2006)
Brawn joined Ferrari in late 1996, following Michael Schumacher. He was known for his smart race strategies. Ferrari started to compete for championships from 1997. As Ferrari's technical director, he helped them win the team championship in 1999. This was the first of six wins in a row for Ferrari.
With Brawn's help, Michael Schumacher also won five driver championships in a row, from 2000 to 2004. Many people called Brawn a vital part of Ferrari's "dream team." This team included Schumacher, team boss Jean Todt, and chief designer Rory Byrne. In 2005, Ferrari lost the title to Renault. In 2006, Ferrari had a slow start but finished the season with the fastest car.
On October 26, 2006, Ferrari announced that Brawn would leave the team. He took a one-year break from Formula One.
Honda Team (2008)
In late 2007, it was announced that Brawn would become the new team boss for Honda. He started working with the team in November 2007. Honda announced they were leaving Formula One in late 2008. This meant Brawn was out of a job unless a buyer could be found. Brawn believed the team had a car that could win races in 2009.
Brawn GP Team (2009)
On March 5, 2009, Ross Brawn bought the Honda team. He took control with a 54% share. The team was renamed Brawn GP. They entered the 2009 Formula One World Championship. The team kept its experienced drivers, Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button. Brawn GP used engines from Mercedes-Benz for the 2009 season.
In the first race of 2009 in Australia, Jenson Button started in first place, and Rubens Barrichello in second. They finished the race in those same positions. During the 2009 season, Button won six races, and Barrichello won two. The team finished first and second in four races. They also got on the podium (top three) in eleven races.
Brawn GP got financial help from Virgin boss Richard Branson. They also got a sponsor from MIG Investments. Brawn GP won the 2009 Constructors' Championship. Jenson Button won the Drivers' Championship at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Brawn was honored with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award for his services to motorsport.
Mercedes Team (2010–2013)
In November 2009, Daimler AG (the company that owns Mercedes-Benz) bought Brawn GP. Ross Brawn, as the main owner, made a lot of money from the deal. He stayed on as the team boss. He and Nick Fry kept a share in the new team, which they later sold to Daimler AG in 2011.
In December 2009, seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher decided to come out of retirement. He said the main reason he chose to drive for Mercedes GP was because of Ross Brawn. Brawn had helped Schumacher win his seven world titles at Benetton and Ferrari. The start of the 2010 season was slow for Mercedes. Schumacher's teammate, Nico Rosberg, had more success. He got the first podium finish for Mercedes Grand Prix.
The team won its first race on April 15, 2012, when Rosberg won the Chinese Grand Prix. Later that year, Schumacher announced he would retire from Formula One. Mercedes then announced that Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 world champion, would join their team for the 2013 season.
The 2013 season started with some car problems for Mercedes. However, as testing continued, Mercedes showed good speed. In the first race in Melbourne, both Rosberg and Hamilton qualified well. In the second race, Mercedes finished third (Hamilton) and fourth (Rosberg). Brawn spoke to both drivers during the race. He asked them to keep their positions because of tire wear and low fuel.
Rosberg won the next three pole positions and gave Mercedes their first win of the season in Monaco. The car continued to perform better in qualifying than in races. Hamilton took four more pole positions. Mercedes won two more races, in Britain (Rosberg) and Hungary (Hamilton). Mercedes finished second in the team championship that year.
On October 29, 2013, it was reported that Brawn would leave Mercedes at the end of the 2013 season. This was due to disagreements about his role in the team.
After Mercedes (2014–2016)
On February 1, 2014, Brawn announced he was retiring from Formula One. This ended rumors that he might join the McLaren team. In October 2014, the FIA announced that Brawn would be part of a panel. This panel would investigate a crash involving driver Jules Bianchi.
In an interview in October 2016, Brawn said he was ready to return to Formula 1. He wanted a strategic role, not a team role. His book about strategy in Formula 1, Total Competition, was released a week later.
Formula One Management (2017–2022)
On January 23, 2017, Ross Brawn was given a new job. He became the managing director for Motor Sports and technical director for the Formula One Group. This group runs Formula One. After the 2022 season, he confirmed his retirement from Formula One.
Personal Life
Charity Work
In 2010, Ross Brawn, who is a member of the RNLI (a charity that saves lives at sea), started the Brawn Lifeboat Challenge. This project aimed to raise money for a new lifeboat for the River Thames in London. The project raised £360,000 in eight months. The new lifeboat, named Brawn Challenge, was launched in September 2012.
In 2014, he became a supporter of Hope for Tomorrow. This charity provides mobile cancer care units to hospitals. These units allow cancer treatment to be given in local communities.
Authorship
- Brawn, Ross & Parr, Adam. Total Competition: Lessons in strategy from Formula One. Simon & Schuster (2016). ISBN: 978-1471162350
Images for kids
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Brawn at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed
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Brawn in the pit lane at the 2003 United States Grand Prix
See also
In Spanish: Ross Brawn para niños
