Brawn GP’s sweep of the 2009 Formula 1 Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships during its only season of competition remains one of the most sensational stories in racing history. One of the cars from that historic season is heading to auction.
Set to be a feature lot at a Bonhams auction happening May 3, during F1’s 2025 Miami Grand Prix weekend, Brawn GP Chassis 001/01 is one of just three complete cars built by the team. It’s the first time a Brawn GP 001 has been offered for sale, according to the auction house.
2009 Brawn GP Chassis 001/01 (image via Bonhams)
Brawn GP is the ultimate F1 underdog story. After a successful stint at Ferrari during the Michael Schumacher era, Ross Brawn was brought in as technical director of the Honda factory team to engineer what was hoped to be a similar turnaround. With major rule changes coming for 2009, Brawn opted to sacrifice the team’s 2008 effort and focus on a new car designed around those rule changes.
But following the 2008 financial recession, Honda pulled out of F1. Brawn and CEO Nick Fry took over the team and secured Mercedes engines for its nearly-completed chassis, which would race as the BGP 001. Brawn’s strategy worked out, as the car was the class of the field in early races, helped in part by a double diffuser also used by Williams and Toyota, but later protested by the bigger teams, all of which had missed this downforce-generating trick.
Jenson Button and Rubens Barichello finished 1-2 in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the first of six wins for Button that season. But wins and podiums dried up later in the season as other teams—particularly Red Bull—continued to develop their cars, something Brawn couldn’t afford to do on its shoestring budget.
2009 Brawn GP Chassis 001/01 (image via Bonhams)
Nonetheless, Button was able to secure the Drivers’ Championship at the penultimate race in Brazil, a result that also netted the Constructors’ Championship for Brawn. The team was then bought by its engine supplier, morphing into the Mercedes factory team for the 2010 season and going on to win a string of seven Drivers’ and eight Constructors’ championships during F1’s hybrid era.
The car up for auction was driven to four podiums and nine top-10 finishes by Barichello. It was then given to Button at the end of the season to satisfy a clause in the Brit’s contract. It’s remained in Button’s collection until now. The other two chassis remain with Brawn and Mercedes.
