The Brawn GP F1 Car That Jenson Button Sued For Is Going To Auction
Bonhams is auctioning off Chassis 001/01 during the South Florida F1 event. During the 2009 season, Button's teammate Rubens Barrichello drove the car to four podium finishes but never won a race before swapping to Chassis 001/03.
For those unfamiliar, Brawn GP sprouted from the ashes of Honda's shuttered factory F1 team. The Japanese manufacturer sold the team to technical director Ross Brawn and team CEO Nick Fry for a single British pound coin in 2008. Before Honda's withdrawal, the team effectively threw away the season to develop its 2009 challenger. Brawn entered the next season with a paradigm-shifting chassis and a competitive customer Mercedes engine fitted under the cover.
Button would go on to win six of the first seven races, but he wouldn't win again in 2009. The FIA declared Brawn's controversial and game-breaking double-diffuser legal, and the other front-running teams mirrored the design. Brawn, with minimal resources, just couldn't keep pace in the development race. However, the points lead was large enough for Brawn and Button to hold off an ascending Red Bull Racing and wunderkind Sebastian Vettel. Louis Frankel, Bonhams Miami Head of Sale, said:
'This car represents the ultimate Formula 1 fairy tale – a revolutionary design that redefined what was possible. Chassis 001/01 is a piece of motorsport history, and its offering at auction is sure to captivate collectors worldwide. We are honored to present this unrepeatable opportunity over the Miami Grand Prix, a stage befitting its legendary status.'
The fairy tale ended quickly, with Mercedes purchasing the team and Button departing for McLaren ahead of the 2010 season. Button had to file a lawsuit against the team to get his gift car, according to Autocar. Despite it being explicitly stated in Button's contract, Brawn didn't want to hand any chassis over to the world champion. The team stated that it could afford to do so because of the limited number of cars built for the title campaign.
Once Mercedes took over, the German automaker offered to build a BGP 001 replica for Button. He rejected the offer, desiring a chassis he raced. The Barrichello-driven car was a compromise that both sides accepted. Button held on to the Brawn BGP 001 until last year, when it was sold to a private owner, according to Motor Sport. Despite the rocky epilogue, Brawn GP will be forever known for the against-all-odds championship victory that Formula 1 actively works to prevent.
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