The definitive F1 underdog is going to auction for the first time

Is there a more universally celebrated F1 car? We all know the story of Jenson Button and Brawn GP’s unlikely championship triumph in 2009, coming as it did off the back of almost financial oblivion with Honda the year before.

And now, one of Brawn’s double diffuser-infused chassis is being made available for sale in public for the first time, due to go under the hammer at Bonham’s Miami Auction in May.

This one – chassis 01 – was part of Button’s own personal collection until 2024, having been gifted the car as per a clause in his contract at the end of the season.

However… this is not the car JB won his title in. That was chassis 02, which went to team owner/saviour Ross Brawn. Chassis 03 (which replaced this 01 mid-season as Rubens Barrichello’s car) was given to Mercedes. Probably as a way of saying ‘thanks for that engine you lent us’.

So yeah, Button was awarded his teammate’s car… makes you wonder what Rubens got. A seasonal gift basket?

We digress. While this isn’t the car with which Button won six of the opening seven races that season – thus building what proved to be an unassailable lead barely more than two months into the season – chassis 01 deserves some love too. It amassed four podiums in that time, including P2 finishes in Australia, Spain and Monaco, plus P3 at the British Grand Prix.

It’s also the chassis that was rolled out for its first shakedown at Silverstone just a week before pre-season testing, where the team realised its late-as-you-like homework was actually rather good…

“This car represents the ultimate Formula 1 fairy tale – a revolutionary design that redefined what was possible,” says Bonhams’ Louis Frankel. “Chassis 001/01 is a piece of motorsport history, and its offering at auction is sure to captivate collectors worldwide. We are honoured to present this unrepeatable opportunity over the Miami Grand Prix, a stage befitting its legendary status.”

No word yet on how much it’ll shift for. Presumably more than the £1 Ross Brawn bought the team for all those years ago…

Images: Bonhams|Cars