Brawn GP Racing Team

History

Jenson Button en route to his win at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Although Honda were thought to be the first team to run a KERS in 2008,^[8] Ross Brawn stated in an interview that due to the circumstances of the change in ownership the team did not have the time to develop the system yet.^[9] On 20 March it was confirmed that Brawn GP would be allocated the final pitlane slot, with Force India moving up one slot. Bernie Ecclestone suggested that this is due to the takeover involving a name change, saying that 'If ... it was called Honda ... [w]hatever was due to Honda, they would have got'.^[10] For this reason Brawn GP were initially assigned numbers 20 and 21 after Force India were assigned Honda's old numbers of 18 and 19. This however was changed at the request of Force India because their promotional material had already been printed with numbers 20 and 21. Brawn had no objection and were reassigned numbers 22 and 23, with 18 and 19 not assigned to anyone.^[11]

The team started off strongly on the Friday Practice of the Australian Grand Prix finishing in the top five. In qualifying at Australia Jenson Button took pole, with fellow teammate Rubens Barrichello coming 2nd, followed by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.^[12] This was followed by a race win for Jenson Button, who led from start to finish, with Rubens Barrichello second ^[13] giving Brawn a 1-2 finish on their debut, which had not happened since Mercedes did it in 1954.^[14]

Jenson Button won the rain-shortened Malaysian Grand Prix from pole and picked up the fastest lap.^[15] With the win in Malaysia, Brawn GP became the only constructor to win their first two races since Alfa Romeo won the first ever two World Championship Grands Prix at the 1950 British Grand Prix and Monaco Grand Prix.^[16]

At the 2009 Chinese Grand Prix Barrichello qualified in front of Button for the first time this season but in the rain Jenson Button finished 3rd with Rubens Barrichello 4th behind the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.^[17]

Rubens Barrichello couldn't beat Button on race day in Monaco.

Button won again at the Bahrain Grand Prix from fourth on the grid with Barrichello in fifth from sixth. Button ran most of the race in clean air and maintained the lead after the Toyotas pitted and fell down the order. This was the first time they were slower, with the fuel corrected qualifying times, in the season and was blamed on the lack of development on the car.^[18]

At the 2009 Spanish Grand Prix, Brawn achieved their second 1-2 of the season with Button leading home Barrichello again. Brawn's fourth win saw them overtake Honda on the all-time wins list.^[19]

Button at the 2009 Turkish Grand Prix.

At the Monaco Grand Prix the same qualifying results as in Spain were achieved with Button on pole. Button led Barrichello, who'd overtaken Kimi Räikkönen off the line, into the first corner with Button leading Barrichello, Räikkönen and Felipe Massa for the majority of the race. Button took Brawn's third 1-2 and his first hat trick of wins.^[20]

At the 2009 Turkish Grand Prix the Brawns were beaten to pole by Vettel after struggling with pace throughout Friday and Saturday, for Button especially. At the start, Barrichello's anti-stall cut in and he fell to the back of the grid; Button meanwhile, after pointing the car at Vettel got off cleanly and inherited the lead at turn 10 when Vettel ran wide. Button lead the race calmly for the rest of the race with his team mate having many incidents before giving Brawn their first retirement after losing seventh gear.^[21]

At the British Grand Prix both drivers struggled for the team’s home race. The car couldn't heat up the tyres enough and both drivers struggled with balance issues. Button had his worst qualifying of the season in sixth with Barrichello achieving second. In the race neither of the drivers shone and both had rather quiet races to third and sixth with Button having a late surge.^[22]

At the German Grand Prix the team suffered the same fate as in Britain as both drivers suffered with tyre temperatures. ^[23]The team qualified light as to get onto the front row and qualified behind Webber in second and third, respectively.^[24] Despite leading in the first stint, Barrichello finished sixth after a faulty fuel rig ruined his race. Button ran in the low points after getting stuck behind Kovalainen and managed to overtake Barrichello to finish fifth.^[25]

At the Hungarian Grand Prix Brawn suffered the same uncompetitiveness after experiencing their worst qualifying of the season with Button in eighth and Barrichello in thirteenth, respectively. Although the reason for Barrichello's underperformance is of a spring falling off the back of his engine a subsequently hit Massa on the head hospitalizing him. In the race neither driver showed much pace although when the temperatures hit 40^oC Button was the fastest man on the track at that point. Button managed to repass Trulli through the final pit stops and pick up seventh with his teammate in tenth closely behind Nakajima and Trulli.^[26]