The First Brawn Formula 1 Championship-Winning Car Comes to Auction

Offered by Bonhams|Cars at the Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix 

MIAMI, FL – February 5, 2025 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Bonhams|Cars returns to the FORMULA 1® CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2025 on May 3 for its Miami Auction, headlined by one of Formula 1’s most legendary machines – the groundbreaking 2009 Brawn GP Chassis 001/01. Just one of three ever constructed, chassis 001/01 made its historic debut as part of Brawn’s 1-2 finish at the 2009 season opener in Australia. This revolutionary car stunned the motorsport world with its innovative double diffuser design, ultimately leading to Brawn GP securing the 2009 Formula 1 Constructors’ and Driver’s World Championships during its one and only season. The only chassis ever to be available publicly, chassis 001/01 offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire the embodiment of one of the greatest underdog stories in Formula 1 history. 

The 2009 Brawn GP Chassis 001/01 was unveiled today at Rétromobile in Paris, one of the world’s most prestigious automotive events, where Bonhams|Cars annual Paris sale at the Grand Palais Historique coincides. 

Louis Frankel, Miami Head of Sale, Bonhams|Cars commented: “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.”

2009 Brawn GP Chassis 001/01.  

At the end of 2008, the Formula 1 World Championship dreams of an automotive giant lay in tatters. Honda had been at the heart of Formula 1 since the 1960s and had once dominated the sport, with its engines powering the likes of none other than Ayrton Senna to World Championship glory. A dismal performance during the 2008 season saw the team finish 9th out of 11 constructors and drivers Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button rank 14th and 18th respectively. Additionally, mounting pressure from the global economic crisis meant that Honda, one of the largest and wealthiest automotive manufacturers in the world, was forced to pull the plug on its Formula 1 program and promptly withdrew from the sport.

What followed was one of Formula 1’s most remarkable underdog stories. Following Honda’s collapse, after much negotiation, technical director Ross Brawn and CEO Nick Fry purchased what was left of the team with a symbolic £1 coin. It was announced the team would contest the following 2009 Formula 1 season albeit now under its new, and now infamous name, Brawn GP.

Ross and Nick secured a last-minute deal with Mercedes as engine suppliers, not knowing if the unit would fit in their car. With the engine miraculously married to the already developed Honda platform, chassis 01 was rolled out for a first test with Jenson Button at Silverstone, just 7 days before the official Barcelona test.

Despite the lack of funding and time available to develop the car for the 2009 season, Ross Brawn was optimistic about their car’s performance, mainly due to a secret weapon, the now infamous and revolutionary ‘double diffuser’. The story goes that Honda engineer Saneyuki Minegawa brought up the idea in an aerodynamics meeting. Having read the regulations in his second language and interpreted the rules differently, he suggested that there was scope to expand the effective volume of the diffuser. This ‘double diffuser’ affected the airflow beneath the rear of the car and significantly amplified aerodynamic suction, pressing the car down against the track surface to improve its cornering stability. The sheer dominance of the design was evident when Barrichello set the fastest lap of the Barcelona test by a second.

2009 Brawn GP Chassis 001/01. Rubens Barrichello in Chassis 001/01 on his way to second place during the 2009 Monaco Grand Prix.

At the 2009 World Championship-opening Australian Grand Prix, it was again clear that the Brawns, with their innovative aerodynamics, were the fastest cars on the grid. Rival teams questioned the diffuser’s legality, but after a terse hearing, the governing FIA officially declared it legal. Brawn’s dominance in the first half of the season saw Jenson Button secure six Grand Prix victories in seven races at the Australian, Malaysian, Bahrain, Spanish, Monaco, and Turkish Grand Prix. In chassis 01, his team mate Rubens Barrichello achieved 4 podium finishes in Australia, Spain, Monaco and Silverstone, and went on to claim two wins in chassis 03 – securing vital points in Brawn’s Constructors’ championship bid and sharing in four “whitewash” 1-2 finishes.

The achievements of Brawn in their only season in Formula 1 remain unparalleled in the sport’s history. For a team with a shoestring budget and last minute preparation to win both championships is a feat unlikely to ever be replicated. This extraordinary story has since been immortalized in a Hollywood production, with the narrative brought to life by Keanu Reeves.

At the conclusion of the 2009 season, the championship winning chassis (02) went to Ross Brawn while Mercedes received chassis 03. Due to a clause in his contract, chassis 01 was gifted to World Champion Jenson Button, remaining in his private collection until 2024.

In collaboration with South Florida Motorsports, the Bonhams|Cars Miami Auction will take place at the Miami International Autodrome during the FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2025. Over 35 modern and contemporary supercars will be curated for auction and on display for race fans and collectors throughout the race weekend. The live auction, set for the evening of May 3, will be held directly on the racetrack, with the iconic Miami Formula 1 podium serving as a dramatic backdrop. Registered bidders and their guests will attend in person, while a global audience can join via online streaming.

Members of the media wishing to obtain accreditation for Grands Prix should consult the official FIA website at www.fia.com 

Sale: The Miami Auction
Location: Miami, FL
Date: May 3, 2025

About Bonhams|Cars 

Bonhams|Cars uniquely offers a choice of live, online and private platforms for buying and selling collector cars—platforms characterised by levels of trust, reliability, and transparency born of over three decades of experience as the premier automotive auction house. Through prestigious live auctions around the world, 24/7 online auctions, and our recently introduced Private Sales service, Bonhams|Cars makes it simple for buyers and sellers to find the platform that best meets their needs.   

Bonhams|Cars hosts 17 live auctions annually, participates in all the significant concours around the world, and presents unique selling opportunities at international events such as the FORMULA 1® CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX, Goodwood Motorsport Events in the UK, The Quail on the Monterey Peninsula in California The Audrain Concours in Newport, Rhode Island and The Zoute Concours d’Elégance in Belgium. At Bonhams|Cars Online, formerly The Market by Bonhams, we provide our clients with fast, expert, accurate and agile single-car auctions, 24/7. With dedicated motoring departments in London, Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Brussels and beyond, Bonhams|Cars has a world-class team with expertise in all divisions, from vintage cars to racing motorsport and automobilia to motorcycles.  

For more information, please visit BonhamsCars.com  

Source: Bonhams|Cars

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