Here’s your chance to own one of the cars that was part of the most sensational stories in F1’s history.
For Formula 1 fans with more than a few bucks in their back pocket, you might want to have your cheque book at the ready during the Miami Grand Prix race weekend. That’s because something rather special is set to go under the hammer on May 3rd, with Bonhams auctioning off a Brawn GP 001!
More specifically, the Brawn GP 001 crossing the auction lot is chassis number 001/01. This was the very car originally gifted to Jenson Button after his championship-winning season, though it later changed hands from the 2009 F1 World Champion to a private owner last year.
And it is worth highlighting here that this car has seen its fair share of action on track as well. Such is as Button’s teammate, Rubens Barrichello, drove this very example throughout the season, securing nine top-ten finishes with it (before it was retired after a prang at the Singapore GP). Four of those were even podiums, including second-place finishes at the Australian, Spanish, and Monaco Grands Prix.
Even more noteworthy here too is that this car still retains its original Mercedes-Benz engine. However, the auction listing doesn’t specify whether it is still in running order…
Now for those unfamiliar with why F1 fans are creaming their pants over this sale, it’s simply because Brawn GP remains one of the greatest underdog stories the sport has ever seen.
The team came into existence after Honda abruptly pulled the plug on its F1 operations at the end of the 2008 season, following the global financial crisis that year. Newly appointed team technical director Ross Brawn, fresh off a successful stint at Ferrari during the Michael Schumacher era, famously stepped in and purchased the outfit for just £1 in the wake of Honda’s withdrawal. He then quickly secured an engine supply deal with Mercedes-Benz, and the car was ready in time for the season opener at the Australian Grand Prix.
When still under Honda’s ownership, the team had largely abandoned development on its 2008 car to shift focus toward 2009. As a result, the Brawn GP 001 featured an innovative double diffuser design, which gave it a significant performance edge over much of the field. And when the car made its racing debut, it instantly proved to be the fastest on the grid. In fact, Jenson Button won six of the first seven races that season.
Though rivals edged closer as the season progressed and Brawn’s limited budget became apparent, Button nevertheless held on to claim a memorable driver’s championship victory in Brazil. That win also secured the 2009 Constructors’ Championship for Brawn GP.
In total, Brawn GP won eight of the season’s seventeen races, and by taking both titles in its only year of competition, became the first — and as of 2024, the only — constructor to achieve a 100% championship success rate.
Shortly after their fairytale season, the team was acquired by its engine supplier, morphing into the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team in 2010. And what followed, of course, was an era of total Mercedes dominance, with the team securing seven Drivers’ and eight Constructors’ Championships during F1’s turbo-hybrid era.
This marks the first time a Brawn GP car has ever been offered for public sale. While Bonhams has not provided a guide price, given its rarity and historic significance, bidders are expected to dig deep into their pockets for the chance to call this iconic F1 memorabilia their own. The other two Brawn GP chassis in existence currently remains with Ross Brawn himself and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team.
