Jenson Button had the opportunity to drive his world champion car from the 2009 Formula 1 season once again at Goodwood
At the weekend, Jenson Button once again had the honor of driving his world champion Brown from 2009. At the 83rd Goodwood Members’ Meeting, all three of the team’s chassis were together in one place for the first time since the title season.
Button drove the BGP 001 around the circuit in West Sussex, not the equally illustrious Hillclimb track. This is only used for the so-called Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Button, who has since retired as an active racing driver, was extremely satisfied in an interview after his performance.
“It’s crazy how fast these things are! You forget it. I mean, I get to the corners and think: ‘Oh, I’ll just brake where I braked with the E-Type’. But here it’s so much later, and sometimes you don’t even have to brake! I don’t know what speed we reached on the back straight, but it was fast.”
The last time Button had the chance to drive his world championship car was in 2019. Back then, the 15-time Grand Prix winner filmed a feature for Sky Sports at Silverstone.
“You know, I think people forget how special these cars were. The size, the weight, the sound, really spectacular! And there’s no better place to drive and showcase [this car] than here at Goodwood,” said Button.
2009 – a turning point in Formula 1
2009 was a radical turning point for Formula 1. Whereas in 2008 the cars were still jetting across half the globe with grooved tires and horrendously complex wing monsters, the cars were significantly adapted for 2009. The return of slicks, the revised chassis regulations and the debut of KERS were as much a talking point then as they are now.
However, it is not just the cars themselves, but the story of Team Brawn in particular that is now part of Formula 1 history.
The underdog story of the team, which once closed as Honda, was immortalized for Hulu by Hollywood star and motorsport fan Keanu Reeves when it was sold on to Ross Brawn for a symbolic pound, right up to the title win in Interlagos.
In the end, there were eight victories, 15 podiums, five pole positions, one drivers’ title and one constructors’ world championship. In November 2009, the team was sold to Mercedes. To this day, the Brackley-based team belongs to the automotive group from Stuttgart.