The car that shaped one of motor racing's greatest underdog stories
Chassis no. 001/01
Engine no. 081
2,398cc 90-degree Mercedes-Benz FO108W V8 Engine
Electronic Multipoint Fuel Injection
750bhp at 18,000rpm (FIA mandated rev limit)
7-Speed Semi-Automatic Gearbox (See Text)
4-Wheel Independent Pushrod Suspension
4-Wheel Carbon Ceramic Brakes
*The first of just three chassis from Formula 1's celebrated 'Cinderella Story' team
*Brawn GP emerged from the ashes of Honda, giving rise to the all-conquering Mercedes-Benz works team
*Astonishing results from Brawn's first and only F1 season!
*Groundbreaking design featuring the revolutionary 'Double Diffuser' aero package
*Driven in period by Rubens Barichello, scoring 4 podiums and 9 top-ten finishes
*Finished 2nd in the Australian, Spanish, and the Monaco Grands Prix
*A significant chassis intrinsic to Brawn's miraculous debut season success
*The only Brawn GP001 offered for sale
*Retains its Mercedes-Benz power unit
BRAWN GRAND PRIX
There is little doubt that everyone loves a good underdog story, especially when it comes to our beloved motorsport, and the temptation to embellish tales of Davids sending Goliaths to their respective knees is a difficult one to resist. But in modern times, big money rules the day (sometimes at the expense of talent) so opportunities for the little guy to make a splash are indeed scarce. This was certainly true back in 2008 when the mighty Honda, pressured by the global financial crisis and a lack of results, had about enough with their Formula 1 team. Millions upon millions of dollars had been thrown at it, and excepting a few bright spots (Jenson Button's 2006 Hungarian GP win in the RA106), the results simply weren't up to Honda's previous achievements as an engine supplier to Lotus and McLaren in the 1980s.
At the end of the 2008 season, Honda summarily yanked the ripcord. But there was a small issue of there being a factory full of parts, state of the art equipment, and above all, people – some 700 people who depended on the team for their livelihoods. Shuttering the whole operation would cost upwards of 100 million dollars and axing all those jobs would leave an indelible stain on Honda's reputation. Desperate for a buyer, no major manufacturers dared to step up to the plate, and things were looking bleak.
Enter Ross Brawn. Hardly an underdog himself, Ross was a legendary player in global motorsport, having directed TWR-Jaguar's Sports Car World Championship-winning team in 1991, before landing at Benetton F1, orchestrating Michael Schumacher's first two world titles, then following the German driver to Ferrari, steamrolling their way to an unprecedented six titles on the trot. Nick Fry, a senior manager at Honda F1, had brought Ross Brawn aboard the struggling Honda to act as technical director for the 2008 season, and hopefully assist in the transition to new ownership. But by February 13 – perilously close to the start of the new season – the team was still without an owner. Faced with shuttering the whole thing, Ross Brawn and Nick Fry made the bold move to take over the team themselves. While Honda sold the team to the eponymously named Brawn GP for a ceremonial single Pound, the reality is that the deal required significant funding and back-room dealing to put together. The promise of £40M of Bernie Ecclestone's TV money, inevitable job cuts, a last-minute deal with Mercedes-Benz to supply engines, some quick agreements with sponsors willing to take a gamble, and a hasty redesign of the chassis to accommodate the new engine were all pulled together at the 11th hour.
Brawn managed to retain the talents of his drivers – Jenson Button and Rubens Barichello – two of the most experienced men on the grid. Such was their trust in Ross that they both took a pay cut for the chance to race for one of F1's most decorated technical directors, despite having almost no time to test the car, no title sponsor, and a skeleton crew at the factory. It was a Hail Mary.
Ross Brawn and Nick Fry's quiet bravado was undoubtedly buoyed by Honda engineer Saneyuki Managawa's discovery of a loophole in the 2009 regulations allowing for a 'double diffuser' (utilizing the upper bodywork to increase the diffusor's volume) which significantly improved downforce with effectively no cost in drag. This proved to be the secret weapon Brawn GP needed to take on the big guns, and as soon as the first BGP01, chassis 001, the car offered here, hit the track in testing, the team knew they had a beast on their hands.
The 2009 season was one marked by significant rule changes, meaning the playing field was slightly more level than usual. Yet, from the first green flag in Melbourne, it was a shock when the two Brawns, in their plain white wrappers, stormed off to a 1-2 finish to leave the field wondering what had just happened. Proving it was not just a fluke, Button repeated his feat in a rain-shortened Malaysia, with 1-2 finishes in Spain and Monaco following. The Brawn GP hot streak saw Jenson Button win six of the first seven races of the season, often with Barichello close behind. As the team fended off challenges to their design in court, they kept winning as others scrambled to catch up. But they weren't the only ones to use a double diffuser, Williams and Toyota had similar designs, but Brawn ultimately had a superior package, the magic of confident drivers and the brilliance of Ross Brawn's strategy behind them.
Competitors closed the development gap later in the year, but the overall consistency of the Brawn GP team proved enough to secure both the World Driver's Championship for Jenson Button, and the Constructor's Championship for Brawn GP – an unprecedented sweep of both titles in their debut season as a team. No other team in Formula 1 history managed such a feat, and perhaps even more astounding is that Brawn GP did so on a shoestring budget and with a skeleton-crew team. Having proven the worth of the team and needing a lifeline for his employees at the factory, Ross Brawn promptly sold the whole lot to Mercedes-Benz, who built upon that remarkable foundation to become one of the dominant forces in modern motor racing.
BRAWN BGP01 CHASSIS NUMBER 001
The deeper one dives into the Brawn GP story the more compelling it becomes. Incredibly, the team captured both driver's and constructor's titles on debut having only three chassis at their disposal. Chassis BGP01/001 is the first of the three built, the first to make a public appearance, and as of writing, the only Brawn GP car offered for public sale. Once owned by Jenson Button who was gifted the car following on from his and Brawn GP's world championship winning season in 2009, Chassis 01/001 represents a possible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own one of the most significant pieces of modern motorsport history.
BGP01/001 was completed just days before the final test of the season in Barcelona, first hitting a cold and quiet Silverstone for a few reconnaissance laps with Jenson Button at the wheel. From the very first outlap, Jenson knew the car was special – belying its plain white livery with dayglow yellow and black stripes and conspicuous lack of sponsorship. Having missed previous tests in Bahrain and Jerez, the team arrived in Barcelona just over a week before the season opener in Australia. Jenson Button immediately went six-tenths faster than the field on his first timed lap, as he and Barichello traded top times in most sessions. To avoid raising too many eyebrows, Brawn ran their cars on full tanks and scrubbed tires to keep the car's potential under wraps – yet they still wound up nearly a second clear of the rest of the field!
Throughout the season, Chassis 01/001 was used primarily by Rubens Barichello for all but the final seven races. At the wheel of Chassis 001, Rubens scored a wealth of points along the way. Rubens and 001 placed 2nd in the historic Australian 1-2 opening salvo. At the following race in Malaysia he finished 5th, improving that to a 4th place at the Chinese Grand Prix – finishing just behind Jenson and taking fastest lap of the race. At the Bahrain Grand Prix, Rubens was 5th, behind Lewis Hamilton's McLaren.
Big points for Rubens and Brawn GP chassis 001 came at the Spanish Grand Prix where he crossed the line in 2nd behind Jenson for another 1-2, putting Rubens in 2nd place in the driver's championship. At at the Grand Prix of Monaco – one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world – Brawn again swept the top two spots with Rubens and Chassis 001 placing second behind Button. A crack in the armor appeared at the following round in Turkey, when 001 suffered clutch failure and Rubens dropped out of the race, but came back swinging at the British GP at Silverstone, taking 3rd as the highest place Brawn, and then 6th in Germany, right behind his teammate.
Overall, the incredible consistency in points-scoring by Barichello was critical to Brawn's constructor's title and a testament to Barichello's experience, mechanical sympathy, and the stellar reliability of Chassis 001/01. Only a late season charge by the young up-and-coming star Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull got in the way of Rubens taking second in the driver's championship. He ultimately finished 3rd but he and 01/001 were instrumental in Brawn GP securing the constructor's title.
Chassis 001/01 remains in its distinctive and now-iconic white livery with chartreuse stripes and Mig/Virgin Galactic/Qatar Telecom sponsorship. It sits on period-correct Bridgestone slicks (the first year for the return of full slick tires) with aero wheel covers intact. Importantly, it also retains the Mercedes-Benz 2.4-liter V8 engine (number 081 that was last used by Rubens Barichello at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix), electronics, and gearbox casing. It should be noted that there are currently no gearbox internals, however, we have been informed that arrangements can be made to secure the appropriate components should the next owner so desire.
Modern-era F1 cars are rapidly drawing the attention of collectors, particularly as the sport enjoys massive growth, and opportunities to show or demo such cars will likely follow. Brawn GP 01/001 stands among the most significant grand prix cars of all time, representing the only team with a '100%' success rate in every season it entered, and the only team to walk away with the two most coveted prizes in motor racing, The FIA Formula 1 World Constructor's Championship and World Driver's Championship, in their maiden season. A fairy tale result if there ever was one. A story now immortalized in Hollywood by Keanu Reeves and Disney, Brawn GP 01/001 presents an opportunity to own an integral part of the motorsport history that will surely never be repeated.
Text & Image: Bonhams
The Miami Auction
3 May 2025 | starting at 20:00 EDT
Bonhams|Cars presents The Miami Auction in partnership with South Florida Motorsports at FORMULA 1® CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2025 on Saturday 3 May.
A celebration of motorsports and car culture in south Florida, Bonhams|Cars will host a pre-sale reception at The 72 Club followed by a live auction on the track in front of the Podium. Race fans will be able to enjoy the display of auction cars around the campus over the weekend.
All auction attendees must have either a FORMULA 1® CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2025 ticket or Registered Bidders may RSVP for Free Auction Access.
