Brawn GP
Brawn GP | |
Full name | Brawn GP F1 Team |
Team leader | Ross Brawn |
2009 Formula One season | |
Race drivers | 22 Jenson Button |
Car name | Brawn BGP 001 |
2009 position | 1st (172 points) |
Brawn GP Formula One Team, was a Formula One motor racing team. Brawn GP started on the 6th of March 2009 when Ross Brawn, the old team leader for Honda, Ferrari and Benetton, bought the team after Nick Fry, the commercial manager, convinced him into it for £1. On 17 March 2009 the FIA agreed to change the name from Honda Racing F1 Team to Brawn GP. Even though the team is only the Honda team with a new name, the FIA considered Brawn GP to be a new team, but agreed to let the join F1 for free instead of the usual price.
The new team first raced at the 2009 Australian Grand Prix on 28 March 2009, where they took 1st and 2nd place in qualifying. The team went on to win the top two positions in their debut Grand Prix race on 29 March 2009, with Jenson Button winning the race and Rubens Barrichello coming in second.
The team used Mercedes-Benz engines and its cars were driven by the old Honda team of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, which has lasted for 3 years. In the early part of the season, several other sponsors were signed, including Virgin, M I G Investments, Henri Lloyd and PerkinElmer.
On 18 October 2009, at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Button won the 2009 Drivers' Title on his first season for Brawn GP. He and teammate Barrichello secured Brawn GP enough points to win Brawn the Constructors Championship in its 1 and only season. As a result, Brawn GP can be considered the only F1 Team to have a 100% record winning every Championship it competed in.
The following month, Mercedes, after talks from months before, bought major stakes in Brawn GP, renaming themselves Mercedes AMG Petronas, making them the owners but allowed Ross Brawn and Nick Fry to continue working in their positions till the pair left in 2013, Nick before the season began and Brawn on December 31st.