The Brawn BGP001 Is The Greatest Underdog In F1 History

The 2009 season of Formula 1 will go down as one of the greatest underdog stories in sports history, and now the car that made it possible is going to cross the auction stage during Bonhams' Miami Grand Prix sale next month. When Honda pulled out of F1 following the 2008 financial crisis the team running its effort was left in the lurch despite the chassis already having been developed for the new series aero regulations. Team boss Ross Brawn couldn't bear to see the team fold and negotiated to buy the remains of the team to run the 2009 season without Honda involvement, instead buying engines from Mercedes. As luck would have it, they developed an incredible car with a massive performance benefit over the rest of the cars on the grid, and walked away to a monster championship season as Brawn GP. 

Bonhams

The only Brawn GP chassis to have ever been sold to the public, chassis number 001, is coming up for sale once more. Without factory manufacturer support, Brawn operated on a shoestring budget and developed just three complete chassis for the full 2009 season. It's astonishing that any team could win a championship with just three chassis at their disposal. This particular unit was driven at points by both of Brawn's drivers, including eventual champion Jenson Button and teammate Rubens Barichello. Button used the car in pre-season testing, and it was given to him by the team following his championship victory. The car was handed to Barichello for most of the season, scoring four podiums, taking place in three Brawn 1-2 finishes at the Australian, Spanish, and Monaco Grands Prix. While Rubens never won with the car, it was instrumental to the team's season-long success, scoring desperately-needed points. 

You probably know the story of the double diffuser, but in case you don't check out the video above for an explainer. Discovered by Honda engineer Saneyuki Managawa, the double diffuser was a loophole in the F1 rulebook which allowed the car's upper bodywork to increase the volume of the diffuser, significantly improving downforce without adding much drag. As early as pre-season testing, the team knew it had a hit on its hands, hiding its true pace from the rest of the grid with full-fuel runs on scrubbed tires. Despite hampering their own speed, the Brawns ended up over a second clear of the field in pre-season testing and everyone knew something different was about to happen in the 2009 season.

Bonhams

Even without any sponsors onboard, the white and green Brawns sped off from the start at the first race of the season in Melbourne, and came home 1-2 for the first of three times. While the competition, particularly Red Bull, gained on Brawn over the course of the year it wasn't enough to take away the Drivers' or Constructors' championship. In effect a brand new team developed from the corpse of Honda's departure, swept the championship, and sold off to Mercedes at the end of the season, never to exist again. That's something that only happens once in a lifetime, and here's your chance to own a piece of that history. What'll it cost you? Bonhams has the car listed with a pre-auction estimate of $4,500,000 to $6,500,000, so if you have a few million to throw at this thing, maybe you should.