The 2009 Formula 1 season was, in some ways, one of the most bizarre in its recent history, but the chapters will write the tale of how Jenson Button was ‘quids in’ through Ross Brawn’s £1 deal.
Honda’s works team withdrew from F1 at the end of 2008, leaving Brawn without a team to run, and Button and teammate Rubens Barrichello without a car to drive for the next season.
Brawn eventually struck a deal to acquire it for one whole pound, taking a 54 percent stake, and named it after himself. The car was what Honda had already had planned for 2009, and an engine deal with Mercedes completed the turnaround.
Button, who had discussions with Toro Rosso, was re-signed along with Barrichello and, amid a new wave of technical regulations, commenced pre-season testing. It was there that the superiority of the package was known.
With the car’s design being the best in regards to interpretation of certain elements of the rules, Button and Barrichello were over a second clear of the others, and therefore headed to the season opener in Australia as standout favourites.
With Button taking a commanding early lead in the title, Brawn’s rivals caught-up and a level playing field was being played. But by this point, there were no genuine challengers to usurp Brawn’s established points advantage.
Qualifying: Jenson Button 14th, Rubens Barrichello on pole
Button now only had Barrichello to deal with, who had gone on an impressive run, whilst the Brit’s charge faltered. However, he still held a points advantage going into the penultimate round in Brazil.
Qualifying saw typically tropical Sao Paulo weather shake up the order, and Button was eliminated in Q2. Barrichello sent his home crowd into ecstasy with a superb pole position. Later that evening, Button was followed and stalked by local pranksters determined to unsettle him. He went to bed more determined than ever to seal the deal.
Race: Barrichello, not Button, that is undone at Interlagos
On race day, the rain stayed away and Barrichello controlled the pace in the early stages. Button mounted a superb drive to scythe through the field, only significantly challenged by the stern defensive driving of Toyota’s debutant Kamui Kobayashi, in what would be the Japanese marque’s final ever Grand Prix.
Once ahead, Button put his foot down once again, and after pit stops, Barrichello’s challenge faded. Constantly afflicted by bad luck at his home race, his hopes were undone further when he grew a puncture after contact with Lewis Hamilton.
With Felipe Massa – recovering after his horrendous near-career-and-life-ending crash in Hungary – on hand to wave the chequered flag, Mark Webber won the race, followed by Robert Kubica’s BMW and Hamilton’s McLaren.
Button crossed the line in fifth place to become Formula 1 World Champion, fulfilling his own talents at last, and completing one of the most remarkable rags-to-riches stories in the sport’s history.
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