Brawn BGP 001 Specs & Facts

1

Title

8

Wins

5

Poles

15

Podiums

Car Profile

Team Brawn Season 2009 Constructors' P1 172 pts Races 17 (34 starts)

Engine & Tyres

Engine Mercedes FO 1082.4 V8 Also powered Force India VJM02, McLaren MP4/24 Tyres Bridgestone

Drivers of the Brawn BGP001

22 JensonButton P1 6 wins · 95 pts

23 RubensBarrichello P3 2 wins · 77 pts

2009 Finishing Positions

1st 8

2nd 4

3rd 3

4th 2

5th 5

6th 3

7th 4

8th 2

10th 1

DNF 2

DNF Did Not Finish

2009 Race by Race

17 Grands Prix

Jenson Button

11311116577DNF25853

Rubens Barrichello

254522DNF36101716784

1Podium 7Points 14Outside the points DNFNot classified

Stats current as of: 10 Sep 2026

Formula 1's Greatest Fairy Tale

The Brawn BGP 001 is one of the most remarkable cars in Formula 1 history, not merely for its performance but for the extraordinary circumstances of its creation and success. Honda had withdrawn from the sport at the end of 2008 with barely any notice, leaving hundreds of staff facing unemployment and a nearly finished car without an engine or commercial future. Ross Brawn, the team's technical director, negotiated the purchase of the team himself and in the space of weeks secured a customer Mercedes engine deal and commercial partnerships sufficient to get the rebranded Brawn GP to the grid. The car that appeared in Melbourne in March 2009 was the result of Honda's final development programme, and it was, by an extraordinary margin, the fastest car on the grid.

The Double Diffuser Masterstroke

The BGP 001's aerodynamic advantage stemmed from a feature that became the defining technical story of 2009: the double diffuser. By exploiting an ambiguity in the new aerodynamic regulations, which had been designed to reduce downforce, Brawn's designers had found a way to run a significantly larger diffuser that produced substantially more downforce than their rivals. Teams lodged protests but the double diffuser was deemed legal, and by the time the other teams had developed their own versions mid-season, Brawn had already banked enough points to secure both championships. Jenson Button won six of the first seven races and ultimately claimed the Drivers' Championship with a race to spare.

Button and Barrichello Write History

Jenson Button drove the BGP 001 with exceptional precision and maturity throughout 2009, managing the car's performance window with skill that belied the years of near-misses that had defined his pre-championship career. His title was sealed in Brazil with a championship lead that rivals could no longer overtake, producing scenes of disbelief and joy that the entire paddock shared regardless of affiliation. Rubens Barrichello, his teammate, won two races himself and was a genuine title contender in the second half of the season. Brawn GP also claimed the Constructors' Championship, an achievement that made the team's story not merely a fairy tale but one of the most complete competitive triumphs in the sport's history.

Brawn BGP 001 – Technical Specifications