EXCLUSIVE
Record-breaking Max Verstappen means ludicrous £1 F1 team will never happen again
“It was a fairy story which, if it had been fiction, you would never have believed" is a line by Ross Brawn that could have been pulled from the Matrix.
So, fittingly, the former Formula 1 principal chose Keanu Reeves as the man to tell the story of his team that he bought for a pound that went on to win the world championship.
3
Sports' most unbelievable tale started in 2009 when the global recession saw Honda pull out of F1, leaving drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello without a team and potentially hundreds more without a job.
Instead, ex-Ferrari technical director Brawn nominally bought the team for £1 as part of a management takeover.
Few gave the prospective backmarkers a chance of being competitive against the might of Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren.
However, Jenson Button tore up the script to fashion a Hollywood ending by leading Brawn to the drivers’ and constructors’ titles.
read more on F1
Reeves goes behind the scenes of Button’s sole title-win in a four-part Disney+ documentary series titled Brawn: The Impossible F1 Story.
And the man himself doesn't believe his achievements will ever be emulated in modern day, with Max Verstappen winning his 17th Grand Prix of 2023 in Brazil in what was already his third successive title-winning campaign.
Button told talkSPORT Drive: "In 2009 we had so much help from all the teams on the grid to help us get onto the grid for the season.
"It obviously backfired for them because they didn't think we'd be fighting for a world championship.
Most read in Motorsport
3
"I don't think they'll make the same mistake twice to help the small team on the grid, so no, I don't think it'll ever happen again.
"That's why it's such a special story - for me, when I was told about the documentary I was excited because it meant I could relive it in a way.
"Life moves so fast, 14 years down the road I was able to stop, take a moment and reflect on how special that year was.
"I've watched the documentary and it plays out exactly how I remember it with a lot of added info.
"It's also great seeing everyone else's view, I've spoken to everyone involved at Brawn through the years but not in-depth.
"To see their views from that season and see how much emotion it brings them, yeah it's lovely to see."
3
Ross Brawn interview on talkSPORT
Speaking to talkSPORT, Brawn said: “It was a fairy story which, if it had been fiction, you would never have believed, but it actually happened, and the circumstances behind it. It’s hard to imagine occurring again.
“Everything came together at the right point in time with the right people with a very, very strong following wind.
“My wife was used to me doing some fairly ambitious things, but this was definitely top of the pile of things that I’d taken on,†he added.
“She said to me, ‘Look, do what you want, but don’t mortgage the house’, and that was her only constraint.
“When you’re in the midst of it, you look at the options you’ve got, and you either walk away, or you try and do something.
“There were days when I wanted to walk away, but the people around me wouldn’t let me. I think I was able to do the same with them as well, that there were days they’d had enough. They just didn’t see how it would work.
“But we were all able to convince each other that we should keep pushing, and the results came.â€
Reeves' involvement in the documentary is a particular coup, not just for his stardom, but his reputation as the nicest guy in Hollywood.
Button, who first met the John Wick actor at the 2007 Shanghai Grand Prix, confirmed the long list of anecdotes about him.
He told talkSPORT: "When I heard Keanu was interested I was excited because I think it's great somebody coming in from outside of the sport to tell this story so they don't have their views of how that season went.
"Also it's KEANU REEVES everyone - when he asks you a question, you answer his question.
"I've been so impressed by the answers he's got out of everyone involved and how open they've been with him which has made it such a special documentary."
Topics