Ross Brawn: Brawn GP, ​​“the achievement I am most proud of”

There are stables that mark the history of the Formula 1 by their extensive track record, others by their missed presence. The story of Brawn GP is for its part a textbook case: it has become the most prolific team in the history of the discipline, with a perfect ratio: one season run, one constructors' title. A statistic which obviously makes its former director, Ross Brawn, proud, interviewed on the occasion of ten years of the start of his team in the Formula 1 World Championship, in the podcast “Beyond the grid.”

During the 45 minutes of the interview, the Briton returned to this 2009 season, while taking care to incorporate into his story anecdotes and details rarely revealed before. Thus we learn that the team suffered from its period of domination at the start of the season, criticized from all sides by the competition: “The start of the year was strongly marked by protests linked to the design of the car. […] We were fighting very hard on the track but also off the track. »

Current directeur Motor Sports de Liberty Media fait ici référence à la trouvaille du double-diffuseur. Cette appendice, imaginée en catimini par Brawn GP, mais aussi Toyota et Williams end of 2008, made it possible to boost the air flow at the level of the diffuser, and therefore to benefit from increased support in curves. The rivals had lodged an appeal with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), without success.

>>>The beginnings of the Brawn GP fairy tale<<<

Brawn GP has also gone from a period of domination during the first six Grand Prix (six victories), to a period of scarcity. A situation explained by a return to the forefront of certain teams on the grid, like Red Bull, and the lack of improvements on the BGP 001 single-seater: “The design of the car was easy to understand, continues the former technical head of Benetton and Ferrari. It was easy for the teams to copy our concepts. Moreover, we didn't have enough resources to develop the car.

During the season we only had one or two modifications. » A very tight budget, with a hunt for savings: « The team members were traveling with (the airline) EasyJet. Every Sunday we were on a flight home with all the British fans towards England. It was an incredible and very special experience. » 

Ross Brawn also talks about the end of the season, and the title race which pitted the team against Christian Horner's Red Bull in Brazil: “It was a very tense weekend for us. Qualifying was hectic, with changing weather. We were very far back on the grid with Jenson (Button) and Rubens was better placed.

Jenson came to me on Sunday morning and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll fix it. » This surprised me a lot, because he never said things like that. He drove a superb race, his overtaking was sensational and he did everything necessary that day. »

The team would end up winning the driver and constructor world championships. A success which laid the foundations for the Mercedes team, five times world champion since 2014. But according to Ross Brawn, the legacy of his team is assured: “I still see a lot of fans coming to the tracks with Brawn GP goodies and hats. They often tell me that this season has left its mark on them. [...] I think that’s the achievement I’m most proud of. »