Button’s championship win in pictures
21 October 2009 by Keith Collantine
The team that nearly disappeared have won eight races and both titles
It was a 17-race season – but Jenson Button needed only 16 of them to claim the championship crown.
From the Silverstone shakedown where the Brawn GP car broke cover, to the first win in Melbourne which soon became a familiar sight, to the difficult second half of the season, take a look back at how Button and Brawn became champions.
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- Brawn’s first test at Silverstone hinted at the BGP 001’s potential
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- As the performance of the car became clear, the team’s confidence grew
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- Ross Brawn oversees testing in Barcelona
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- Button and Barrichello locked out the front row at Melbourne
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- Virgin came on board as sponsors
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- Button led every lap at Melbourne
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- Button romped home to a shock victory – but more would come
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- Barrichello made it a Brawn one-two
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- The team had their first of many post-race celebrations
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- Button took pole position again at Sepang
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- Button lost ground at the start but fought back, passing Alonso
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- A heavy downpour brought the race to an early end
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- The Malaysian Grand Prix was stopped and Button only got five points for his win
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- Button nonetheless had back-to-back wins
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- Button in practice at Shanghai
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- The Brawns couldn’t keep up with the Red Bulls in the rain at China
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- Third place was the best Button could manage
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- Button qualified fourth at Bahrain
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- Button fell behind Hamilton at the start but passed him on lap two
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- The pass allowed Button to leapfrog the Toyotas for win number three.
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- Button took pole in Spain with Barrichello third
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- Barrichello surprised his team mate at the start by taking the lead
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- Button’s two-stop strategy got him back ahead of Barrichello
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- Unsurprisingly, Barrichello was unhappy with the result
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- Button took his fourth pole position at Monaco
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- The Brawns were untouchable around the principality
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- Button left his team mate behind and was never caught
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- His only mistake was failing to park in front of the podium after the race
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- The team celebrated their third one-two
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- Button arrived at Istanbul with a healthy championship lead
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- Vettel out-qualified him and led at the start
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- But a mistake on the first lap allowed Button through
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- That gave him his sixth win from seven starts
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- Button donned a special helmet at Silverstone and greeted Stirling Moss
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- Button qualified sixth and finished there
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- He acknowledged the home crowd’s support but the season had just got harder
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- The Nürburgring brought further proof of Brawn’s troubles
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- Button couldn’t keep Massa’s Ferrari behind
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- But he did finished ahead of Barrichello – to his team mate’s increased ire
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- After the Nürburgring Button took time out to meet fans in Birmingham
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- Button could only managed eighth in qualifying at Hungary
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- He made up one place in the race, finishing seventh
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- The pressure was beginning to tell at Valencia
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- Barrichello started third behind the McLarens at Valencia – Button was fifth
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- Crowded out at the start, Button finished seventh once again
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- It got worse for Button at Spa, where he was taken out on the first lap
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- The Brawns started on row three at Monza
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- But the pair rose to the front and fought for the win
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- Barrichello got the better of his team mate and led a Brawn one-two
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- Barrichello’s second win made him Button’s closest championship rival
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- More qualifying problems at Singapore: Button started 11th
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- Button gave chase of his team mate
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- Button beat Barrichello to fifth, gaining a useful point
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- Japanese Button fans at Suzuka
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- Button walked the track with Andrew Shovlin and girlfriend Jessica Michibata
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- Barrichello out-qualified Button for the fifth race in a row
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- Button got a precious breakthrough when Sutil and Kovalainen tangled
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- Once again it was damage limitation for Button, who caught his team mate
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- Another disastrous qualifying session at Interlagos left Button 14th
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- Button and the team celebrate
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- The team cheer Button over the line
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- Buttons Jnr and Snr after the race
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- Button spent a long time fighting his way past Kobayashi
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- Button began his climb up the running order, starting with Nakajima
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- Felipe Massa waves the chequered flag at Button
Button and Brawn, world champions
- Jenson Button is F1 world champion
- Brawn win 2009 F1 constructors’ title
- Button and Brawn celebrate (Pictures)
Images (C) Brawn GP, Bridgestone
Great pictures Keith
One small correction
It was Hamilton on pole & Slowalainen second.
Fixed it, ta
Slowalainen – Good one!
I have to give Button a lot of credit. Looks to me like he beat Barrichello handily which counts for a lot since I rate Rubens as one of the better drivers on the grid. Maybe Button got a little preference within the team over Rubens but I think he earned that in quali in the early races. Now that its over I want to see him race with reckless abandon in Abu Dhabi. I don’t want to see the WDC cruise around to finish 9th.
Little preference? At the beggining of the season, Rubens’ contract was for the 4 initial races only. Then Brawn could hire $omeone more $uitable, given the team’s financial conditions.
Brawn would look silly if Rubens was “fired” while ahead of the main driver. Maybe it was ensured that this would not happen…
ps: spoted some mistake? English isn’t my mother tongue.
One other correction:- didn’t Button Gain a point on Barrichello in singapore?
Hey, you are missing the best picture:
http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/5417/dailypicdump267112.jpg
Well done to Jenson and the Brawn GP Team for the double. Next year is looking better and better great drivers in great teams ie. McLaren, Ferrari, Renault and Brawn all slugging it out.
Nice pictures, but the Brazil ones are in the wrong order.
Interesting to see that the picture “Button and the team celebrate” was part of BBC F1’s Big Picture article this time.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8314250.stm
You can see a better pic of the same shot here and read how the photographer, Darren Heath, got his shot.