1 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:09,520 [Reeves] For as long as I can remember, I've had a fascination with racing, 2 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:13,800 and I'm going to share a story that barely seems believable. 3 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:23,200 In a world of fierce competition, politics, money and power, 4 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:27,240 at the highest level of global motor sport, 5 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:32,840 a small, underfinanced team drew on every ounce of determination 6 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:36,280 to overcome the biggest names in motor racing. 7 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:41,520 This is the story of Brawn GP. 8 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:47,640 [engines revving] 9 00:00:51,160 --> 00:00:52,920 How low will it go? 10 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:54,960 The stock market slide continued today. 11 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:56,880 [reporter] The credit crunch has brought Formula 1 12 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:58,520 crashing back down to earth. 13 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:00,840 [Brawn] The economic situation was dire. 14 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:04,200 [reporter] Motor giant Honda pulled the plug on Formula 1. 15 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:08,160 [Reeves] Why do people say that you were the one pound Formula 1 team? 16 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:12,600 Well, I gave a pound to the Honda executive to formalise the deal. 17 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:16,200 We did not have a plan B for anything. 18 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:18,840 [Bigois] No way that this car doesn't make Melbourne. 19 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:20,520 Even if we arrive like that. 20 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:22,640 [engines revving] 21 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:24,400 Didn't they tell you, you couldn't crash? 22 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:28,240 [commentator] Jenson Button will be romping clear now. 23 00:01:28,320 --> 00:01:30,120 [Button cheers] 24 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:32,040 You couldn't come up with a Hollywood script. 25 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:33,160 No, I'd never believe you. 26 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:34,560 We're lucky bastards. 27 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:36,440 We were lucky bastards indeed. 28 00:01:38,320 --> 00:01:42,320 [commentator] Jenson Button crosses the line, takes the chequered flag. 29 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:45,360 [Button] This opportunity doesn't come around for many people. 30 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:47,720 [commentator] For the first time in five years, 31 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:50,640 Rubens Barrichello is a winner in Formula 1. 32 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:52,280 [Barrichello] This season is made for me. 33 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:53,720 I'm gonna win the championship. 34 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:55,520 Tell us what you said to your drivers? 35 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:56,760 Yeah, just don't hit each other. 36 00:01:58,000 --> 00:01:59,800 [Ecclestone] People believe in him, 37 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:03,320 because he looks innocent, and he wouldn't hurt anybody. 38 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:06,840 [Horner] Yet, really, behind the scenes, a smiling assassin. 39 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:09,880 -I think you're all smiling assassins. -[both chuckle] 40 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:13,080 [Button over radio] Oh, you have built me a monster of a car. 41 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:14,920 [Montezemolo] They went too far. 42 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:18,920 All of us were aware there was something against the rules. 43 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:24,360 Suddenly, this team that everybody just wanted to survive, is killing us. 44 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:26,560 [reporter 1] Formula 1 has been thrown into chaos. 45 00:02:26,640 --> 00:02:28,760 [reporter 2] The biggest crisis to hit motor sport in 50 years. 46 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:30,200 [reporter 3] …whether his car is legal. 47 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:33,680 This was the start of the war. 48 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:37,040 It is still with the blood. 49 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:38,840 That's the piece that came out of your car. 50 00:02:38,920 --> 00:02:40,480 -[imitates crash] -[Brawn] The knives were out, 51 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:42,000 and they were after us. 52 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:45,640 The problem was, collectively, they didn't have any balls. 53 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:47,680 [crew over radio] You're seriously on fire, Rubens. 54 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:50,680 [commentator] Complete despair on the Brawn pit wall. 55 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:53,640 [Brundle] Now, this is about survival. 56 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:54,720 The pack had caught up. 57 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:56,480 [Brawn] The emotions were starting to show. 58 00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:59,280 I wish I can get on the plane and go back home right now. 59 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:01,880 Everyone's in Formula 1 to win. We're not all friends. 60 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:04,160 Jenson Button P14. 61 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:05,880 -Where are you now? -[radio feedback] 62 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:08,680 I felt that the whole world was watching me fail. 63 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:12,200 [Button] This is the perfect way to throw it away. Jesus fucking Christ. 64 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:14,880 It's ten past midnight. Cinderella's gone. 65 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:18,040 It's like the best in the world fighting for, like, this. 66 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,200 [Brundle] One of the greatest seasons in Formula 1 history. 67 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:23,400 [Brawn] Just don't give up until you can't go any further. 68 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:26,600 Because if we'd given up, we wouldn't be telling the story. 69 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:47,560 [narrator] March the 4th, 1986. 70 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:50,760 Britain is still in the grip of a miserable winter. 71 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:55,840 Aerodynamicist Ross Brawn is in the Cranfield Aeronautics wind tunnel. 72 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:57,040 [treadmill whirring] 73 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:02,520 All Formula 1 aerodynamicists are locked in an endless quest for more downforce. 74 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:13,240 [Brawn] Formula 1 is such a unique blend of technology and sport. 75 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:17,840 Once it gets into your blood, it will never let go. 76 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:25,520 Everything people do in Formula 1 is competitive. 77 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:28,120 [commentator] Where is Michael Schumacher? 78 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:30,560 He's stuck in traffic. I want him in this lap. 79 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:31,720 [Brawn] It is technical. 80 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:33,400 It's engineering. It's strategy. 81 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:37,560 [commentator] What an absolutely phenomenal drive by Michael Schumacher. 82 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:39,680 [Brawn over radio] 83 00:04:39,760 --> 00:04:42,880 [Schumacher, cheers] 84 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:47,240 [Brawn] I had an unbelievable spell at Ferrari. 85 00:04:47,840 --> 00:04:50,400 We won six World Constructors' Championships. 86 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:53,360 Michael won five Drivers' Championships there. 87 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:57,120 And I really didn't imagine anything else could ever follow that. 88 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:00,000 I thought a decade at Ferrari was perfect. 89 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:05,080 I'd decided I wanted a year out. 90 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:06,160 [spectators cheer] 91 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:10,440 [Montezemolo] This was historical era for Ferrari. 92 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:17,240 When he left, I accepted, because he say to me, "I want to fish." 93 00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:22,080 If he say to me, "I leave because I want to go in another team"… 94 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:25,160 For me, it was a disaster for my heart. 95 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:31,720 [Reeves] Can you speak a little bit about Honda? 96 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:34,280 You were CEO. 97 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:38,000 [Fry] You know, fundamentally, we lacked experience in Formula 1. 98 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:41,360 My background is big companies. 99 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:42,800 I know how they operate. 100 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:45,440 In many ways, we had too much money. 101 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:51,240 We ended up working on a whole bunch of stuff which really was distracting 102 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:54,520 and didn't give us much in the way of results on the track. 103 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:58,240 We needed a top-class technical director. 104 00:05:58,840 --> 00:06:01,680 Those, in Formula 1, are few and far between. 105 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:07,160 I set about ringing Ross, about once a month. 106 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:08,960 [Brawn] Nick was relentless. 107 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:11,160 It would just be, uh, a friendly chat. 108 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:13,000 He'd just keep reminding me he was there. 109 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:15,760 Ferrari really wanted me to come back 110 00:06:15,840 --> 00:06:18,880 doing the same thing that I'd been doing before, which I wasn't interested in. 111 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:23,320 And Nick and Honda were offering up another step in my career. 112 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:24,640 So it was as team principal. 113 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:25,720 In charge of everything. 114 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:28,800 [reporter] Ross Brawn, the most successful technical director in recent years, 115 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:30,680 has joined Honda as team principal. 116 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:32,000 Ross, welcome to the team. 117 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:33,560 Thank you. I'm very pleased to be here. 118 00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:35,160 This was a big deal. 119 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:38,120 And this was also, I think, a big deal within Formula 1. 120 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:41,960 [Button] I remember being at Brackley, 121 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:44,920 and we had the whole factory there. We're all sat on the floor. 122 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:48,520 And it gets announced that Ross is part of the team. 123 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:51,320 Before he opens his mouth, I think, it lifts the team, 124 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:53,320 because of what he's achieved. 125 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:56,920 [Reeves] 2005, you're with Ferrari. 126 00:06:57,000 --> 00:06:59,840 You make a jump for new opportunities. 127 00:06:59,920 --> 00:07:02,920 Your former technical director, 128 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:07,440 Ross Brawn, leaves Ferrari to join Honda. 129 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:12,280 Everybody in Formula 1 knew of the background of Ross. 130 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:15,360 So, for sure, I was happy. 131 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:18,240 [Reeves] Did you talk to him? 132 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:19,880 Did you wish him luck at Honda? 133 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:22,080 [breathes deeply] 134 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:23,160 Did you have a… 135 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:27,000 I think Honda made a very good offer to him. 136 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:32,240 And, uh, they were very, very smart to have a person like him. 137 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:39,520 I've always found Ross to be a very polite guy, a very nice guy to communicate with, 138 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:40,960 but a ferocious competitor. 139 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:44,880 And, uh, you know, a smiling assassin. 140 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:48,840 -I think you're all smiling assassins. -[both chuckle] 141 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:51,480 [no audible dialogue] 142 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:57,360 [Reeves] I mean, Ross was perceived as a tactical genius. 143 00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:01,600 As a wonderful manager of people. 144 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:04,040 I think that's what he was good at. 145 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:06,040 People believe in him, 146 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:10,200 because he looks innocent, and he wouldn't hurt anybody, 147 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:12,200 and, therefore, people sort of… 148 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:13,760 [stammers] 149 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:15,240 …trusted him completely. 150 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:18,400 I feel like there's a but. 151 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:21,760 No, maybe there's a most. 152 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:23,880 [Reeves] And what does that mean? 153 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:25,280 Most people trusted him. 154 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:30,400 [Horner] It was a big, big risk by Ross 155 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:36,080 to go from a very comfortable dominant environment in Ferrari to take a punt. 156 00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:38,080 Uh, and Honda wasn't a small team. 157 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:41,000 Honda had one of the biggest budgets in Formula 1, 158 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:42,360 but they were under-delivering. 159 00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:45,360 You know, the sleeping giant that needed waking. 160 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:46,520 Was it ambition? 161 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:50,400 Do you feel like he wanted to maybe… 162 00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:54,920 Prove that he can win also with somebody else. Yes. 163 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:00,720 [Clear] With the 2008 car, 164 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:04,160 the first thing Ross said was, "Let's cut the bullshit. 165 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:07,440 This is a shit box. You're not gonna win anything with this." 166 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:11,560 [Brawn] This would be a year where once the car was racing, 167 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:13,120 we're not gonna pay any attention to it. 168 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:14,400 [Barrichello speaking, indistinct] 169 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:16,600 [Brawn] 'Cause there was these new regulations coming, 170 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:20,560 and it was vital that we put all our resource into these new regulations, 171 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:22,120 'cause it was such a great opportunity. 172 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:25,360 And that was a strategic decision that I don't think anyone else made. 173 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:30,600 [Reeves] Every few years, there are rule changes in F1. 174 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:34,080 Almost all of them with the goal of improving safety, 175 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:37,320 so the cars don't keep getting faster and faster. 176 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:40,880 These rule changes clip the wings of car designers, 177 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:44,880 and all the teams essentially start from scratch. 178 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:48,400 [Brawn] Teams start to look at the design of the cars, 179 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:51,840 they see problems with the regulations, or they see opportunities. 180 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:53,800 [engine revving] 181 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:56,720 Formula 1 cars are the pinnacle of motor racing. 182 00:09:56,800 --> 00:09:58,360 The fastest cars on the planet, 183 00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:01,400 because they're so efficient in terms of downforce, 184 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:04,840 creating incredible grip and incredible cornering speeds. 185 00:10:07,560 --> 00:10:09,080 [lights click] 186 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:10,160 [blades whirring] 187 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:14,880 [Reeves] The new 2009 rules restricted the cars' aerodynamics, 188 00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:17,520 giving them less downforce: 189 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:21,240 The airflow around and through the car that pushes it to the ground. 190 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:27,040 The idea was to make the racing closer, with more overtaking. 191 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:31,640 [Fry] It was a pretty big meeting on the strategy for the new car, 192 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:37,040 where a very junior Japanese aerodynamicist 193 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:40,840 put up his hand and said, you know, he'd got this idea 194 00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:46,640 fundamental to giving us more downforce at the back of the car 195 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:49,040 than the rules had originally intended. 196 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:54,400 It's like the opposite of this famous movie Lost in Translation. 197 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:56,360 It's found in translation, 198 00:10:56,440 --> 00:11:01,080 because they found something an English guy cannot read. 199 00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:06,520 You take word by word, line by line, and say, "Ah, why we are not doing that?" 200 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:10,320 The purpose of regulation is to reduce downforce. 201 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:13,960 The diffuser are very important aerodynamics part. 202 00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:15,840 What is a diffuser? 203 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:19,240 So it's the bodywork around the rear wheels that faces the ground. 204 00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:23,560 Under your car, you are trying to generate low pressure, 205 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:27,000 and this low pressure will bring your car down. 206 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:31,560 There was a controlled set of dimensions, but it wasn't controlled well enough. 207 00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:34,760 There was an opportunity to have another diffuser, 208 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:36,800 and then to couple these two together. 209 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:39,760 [Reeves] And, so, the double diffuser was born. 210 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:43,600 A loophole design that got around the new regulations. 211 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:47,160 The double diffuser gave the car way more downforce 212 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:52,200 than the rules had originally intended, effectively, giving it more grip, 213 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:54,760 which allowed for more speed in the corners. 214 00:11:56,680 --> 00:12:00,520 More speed in the corners meant they would be faster on the straights. 215 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:03,360 The penny dropped. 216 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:06,720 Hang on a minute, you know, he's onto something here. 217 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:08,880 This is a new opportunity, 218 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:12,280 and the more we got into it, the more we realised the potential. 219 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:16,280 I know that any advantage you have in Formula 1 is only temporary, 220 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:18,400 but we had this opportunity, 221 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:21,480 and we were on the path to achieve our ambitions. 222 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:25,800 We had no idea what was about to happen. 223 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:28,680 [passer-by] Wait, who is he? 224 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:31,720 [reporter 1] How low will it go? 225 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:33,600 The stock market slide continued today. 226 00:12:33,680 --> 00:12:36,400 [reporter 2] Two financial giants, Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers, 227 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:38,960 buckled under the real estate and credit crises. 228 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:43,600 [reporter 3] A record $3.7 trillion in market value has been lost this year. 229 00:12:43,680 --> 00:12:46,440 Capitalism itself looks like it's on the brink. 230 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:49,840 [horns honking] 231 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:52,720 [Oshima] Lehman Brothers crashed down. 232 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:59,400 After that, for Honda, car order, it stopped. 233 00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:05,280 So, we must shut down our production line. 234 00:13:08,480 --> 00:13:12,400 We got a call to meet with one of the Honda executives. 235 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:14,960 Oshima-san. 236 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:19,720 [Fry] Oshima-san was someone I'd worked with for several years. 237 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:21,800 [aeroplane passing] 238 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:25,240 [Brawn] We didn't know he was in the country. 239 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:31,920 [Fry] And we had assumed, 240 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:35,360 you know, we just need to save some money here. 241 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:44,160 [Brawn] We went into a small room with Oshima-san, 242 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:48,280 who was clearly very distressed, which was worrying. 243 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:54,720 And what did he say? 244 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:58,400 Well, it wasn't what he said, initially, it was the fact that he was crying. 245 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:02,680 And he announced that Honda was stopping. 246 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:05,200 It was all coming to an end. 247 00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:08,720 While the economy crashed down… 248 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:13,760 It's not necessary to do motor sports in that situation, 249 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:20,160 so our management decide to quit F1. 250 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:25,240 [Fry] He said, "Tell the staff that this is it," 251 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:28,400 and, you know, "Turn out the lights." 252 00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:37,920 I mean, was there a moment where you're in the hallways, 253 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:41,080 and you look at each other, and you're like, I don't know, like… 254 00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:44,360 [chuckles] …Ross turns to Nick Fry and says, "What the fuck?" 255 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:45,440 [all laugh] 256 00:14:45,520 --> 00:14:47,880 And Nick turns to Ross and goes, "What the fuck?" 257 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:50,680 Well, it would definitely have been a "we weren't expecting that" moment. 258 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:54,120 Our minds were racing, 'cause you're suddenly faced with… 259 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:57,400 And I know my mind was racing, "What can we do?" 260 00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:00,200 We weren't really prepared for the ambush which followed. 261 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:06,760 [Brawn] It was a fait accompli. 262 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:10,280 They invite us into a much bigger boardroom 263 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:14,040 to meet lawyers and HR specialists. 264 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:17,880 [Fry] And it was really the assassination squad. 265 00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:19,760 They didn't see any other option 266 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:23,080 apart from to close down the company, make everyone redundant, 267 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:27,000 they would exit from Formula 1, and they would carry on their business. 268 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:30,160 [Brawn] Our defences went up, 269 00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:34,760 and we made it clear this was not gonna be just a walk away and turn the lights off. 270 00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:35,880 That wasn't gonna happen. 271 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:38,480 The magnitude of what we're talking about… 272 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:40,920 It's just not something you can turn off overnight. 273 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:43,680 It was incomprehensible they thought that could be done. 274 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:45,800 [Fry] It was against the rules. 275 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:47,240 Against the law. 276 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:49,880 You know, they didn't really have an option. 277 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:52,360 [Brawn] And that bought us time. 278 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:55,720 That bought us time to start to think about what we could do. 279 00:15:57,280 --> 00:16:01,120 [Reeves] Legally, Honda had to put the whole team on three months' notice 280 00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:03,840 with a view to redundancy at the end of it. 281 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:08,320 But Ross and Nick convinced Honda they could sell the team. 282 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:11,520 Which would not only be cheaper than making the whole team redundant 283 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:13,440 and paying off their many contracts, 284 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:17,360 but also save 700 jobs. 285 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:28,280 [Fry] We asked for a month to try and find a buyer for the team. 286 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:32,120 We went back to Brackley, 287 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:35,320 and we told everybody. 288 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:42,680 [Brawn] Honda has decided to discontinue their Formula 1 activity. 289 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:46,840 -[employee] Fucking hell… -They will not be competing in 2009. 290 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:51,640 What this means, is that we are all under threat of losing our jobs. 291 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:55,080 [Reeves] What was it like having to tell all the staff at Brackley 292 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:56,760 they were on three months' notice? 293 00:16:56,840 --> 00:16:58,120 How did people handle it? 294 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:03,000 Shock. I think everyone knew the economic situation was dire. 295 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:05,440 But it was still a massive shock for everyone. 296 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:10,280 I think my first words were, "But they can't." 297 00:17:10,360 --> 00:17:12,640 "They just can't pull out." 298 00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:17,880 It was my job, and it was, you know, 500 other people on-site 299 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:22,000 who weren't sure how they were gonna pay the bills all of a sudden. 300 00:17:22,760 --> 00:17:24,520 [Deane] It's leading up to Christmas. 301 00:17:24,600 --> 00:17:26,720 We had a financial crisis on our hands. 302 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:30,000 It probably wasn't going to be the best time to be out of work 303 00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:31,840 and looking for another job. 304 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:36,600 [Shovlin] I had a half-finished house, a fully pregnant wife. 305 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:39,280 It was quite a lot of emotion to deal with. 306 00:17:39,360 --> 00:17:41,560 [shutters clicking] 307 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:43,280 [Fry] The impact of this was huge. 308 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:48,800 It was really the visible incarnation 309 00:17:48,880 --> 00:17:51,680 of how bad the economic crisis was. 310 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:54,040 [speaking Japanese] 311 00:17:54,120 --> 00:17:56,960 [reporter] Spiralling costs and little success on the track 312 00:17:57,040 --> 00:17:58,720 means that if a deal isn't struck soon, 313 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:03,280 the whole team will be closed down, with the loss of 800 British jobs. 314 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:09,880 [shutters clicking] 315 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:11,040 [journalist] Hello, Jenson. 316 00:18:11,120 --> 00:18:12,840 What will you be telling people today? 317 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:18,120 [Horner] Richard Goddard, the manager of Jenson, had called me to say, 318 00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:20,800 "Look, we don't think we're gonna be on the grid this year. 319 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:23,680 Have you got a seat that you could offer Jenson?" 320 00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:26,200 It was like, "Guys, you know, we're full. 321 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:30,040 It's ten past midnight, you know, and Cinderella's gone." 322 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:33,760 [Button] First of all, I was in shock. 323 00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:37,360 After all we'd been through the last two years, I found it tough. 324 00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:41,280 And he said, "I can't see there's any way out of this." 325 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:46,800 Your contract's up, and you don't know if there's a team, 326 00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:48,800 and you don't know where you can drive, 327 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:52,040 and you've been in Formula 1 now for 14 years. 328 00:18:52,120 --> 00:18:53,760 Is your career over? 329 00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:56,760 My wife, at the time, thought I was crazy. 330 00:18:56,840 --> 00:18:58,440 My friends thought I was crazy, 331 00:18:58,520 --> 00:19:03,200 because I kept on thinking that I would have a job. 332 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:06,400 And I thought, "Okay, should I grab a plane and go there?" 333 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:08,200 Ross said, "Don't come here. 334 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:09,760 -It's not a good time." -[Reeves chuckles] 335 00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:11,920 So, it was a tough period. 336 00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:17,560 [Brawn] They were out of a drive so late in the season, 337 00:19:17,640 --> 00:19:19,280 they couldn't find anywhere else to go. 338 00:19:19,360 --> 00:19:23,200 We knew if we could get going, we would automatically have two good drivers, 339 00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:25,240 and we knew they weren't going anywhere. 340 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:29,560 I spoke to Ross, and I spoke to Richard, and a few other people. 341 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:30,640 [Deane] Sure. 342 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:33,440 [Button] And there are positives, you know? 343 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:36,840 But the thing is that we need to-- we need to stay positive in ourselves. 344 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:38,880 Yeah, I think that's the feeling from all of us guys here-- 345 00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:41,800 [Button] Exactly. And as-- And as one team. 346 00:19:43,120 --> 00:19:46,400 [Brawn] I remember we gave a speech to the staff. 347 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:49,480 We explained that if we gave up now, we'd have nothing to sell. 348 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:51,560 We have two choices: 349 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:54,760 Walk away with our tails between our legs. 350 00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:56,680 Or we can fight. 351 00:19:57,200 --> 00:19:59,840 -Are we going to fight? -[team] Yes! 352 00:20:00,360 --> 00:20:02,320 -[Brawn] Are we going to fight? -[team] Yes! 353 00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:06,120 We were all at risk at that point, 354 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:09,680 but we were told to carry on. 355 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:12,720 And we were basically working for our careers. 356 00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:13,880 Working for our future. 357 00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:19,880 The effort we had to put in at the time was massive. 358 00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:24,680 [Brawn] We had to all push hard for these next few months 359 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:26,560 to give ourselves the best opportunity, 360 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:31,960 and none of us must ease up in the commitment we needed. 361 00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:37,080 That, I think, was one of the things that really, really impacted all of us, 362 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:39,120 was that very few people left. 363 00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:43,040 Very few people chose to run for the doors. 364 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:45,720 In the back of everybody's mind, you're thinking, 365 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:46,960 "Well, Ross is still here. 366 00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:48,560 We must be okay." 367 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:51,880 2008, we'd almost sacrificed 368 00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:55,800 to make sure 2009 was gonna be a strong year for us. 369 00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:57,280 This isn't the time to stop. 370 00:20:57,800 --> 00:21:00,560 No way that this car doesn't make Melbourne. 371 00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:04,240 Even if we arrive like that, and we do just one race. 372 00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:05,480 We have to do it. 373 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:11,200 The spirit of those people in that adversity was fantastic. 374 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:12,480 They kept the team alive. 375 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:15,360 It gave us something to take into 2009. 376 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:20,960 The latest is that we continue to work here. 377 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:24,000 The staff will be paid by Honda for at least the next three months 378 00:21:24,080 --> 00:21:25,360 and, during that time, 379 00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:28,600 we're hoping to find someone who wishes to take over the team. 380 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:33,240 [Reeves] You kinda have a clock ticking, right? 381 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:36,600 I mean, the first race, I believe, is March 29th. 382 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:39,840 To survive, you need to get investment. 383 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:43,760 The technical side, you know, Ross went off and handled. 384 00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:47,480 The finding investors was really, you know, down to me. 385 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:50,680 When these type of things happen, 386 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:54,120 you know, the world is full of opportunists. 387 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:56,480 And everyone wanted to be in there. 388 00:21:57,120 --> 00:21:59,800 And the chance of having their own team was huge. 389 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:01,840 [Brawn] There were people who, 390 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:04,560 when we checked their backgrounds, they were pretty iffy. 391 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:06,680 I mean, two of them went to jail after that. 392 00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:09,600 Yeah, we were in the middle of the huge financial crisis. 393 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:12,680 I mean, they were opportunists in the extreme. 394 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:14,240 Everyone who came and looked at it, 395 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:16,320 were asking money from Honda to take it over. 396 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:18,480 That's why Honda thought they would just shut it, 397 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:22,920 'cause they knew no one would be able to come in and make that sort of commitment. 398 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:25,640 But there was. 399 00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:26,720 In a way. 400 00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:33,880 [Fry] I came up with the idea of a management buyout, 401 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:36,880 in the absence of any other alternative. 402 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:39,840 [McGrory] For Honda, as an organisation, 403 00:22:39,920 --> 00:22:44,000 the idea of the management buying in, rather than a third party, 404 00:22:44,080 --> 00:22:46,080 it just wasn't a way that they would normally work, 405 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:49,920 so it wasn't easy to convince them that this was an option. 406 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:53,280 I think it was viewed from their side, quite understandably, 407 00:22:53,360 --> 00:22:55,760 as rewarding failure. 408 00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:57,760 I mean, we had not been successful. 409 00:22:58,360 --> 00:23:00,520 But this is the only option we've got on the table. 410 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:03,200 It's this or the team gets shut down. 411 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:06,840 And I think the key thing was Ross. 412 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:09,880 I trust Ross very much. 413 00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:15,280 So, if Ross is there, I can sell the team to him. 414 00:23:16,120 --> 00:23:18,080 I think they felt a responsibility to me. 415 00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:19,960 They felt a responsibility to the people. 416 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:23,360 And they could see that was a more honourable deal 417 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:25,000 than just shutting the whole thing down. 418 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:26,920 I spoke to my wife about it. 419 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:28,840 She said, "Financially ring-fence the house, 420 00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:30,680 and then you can go and do whatever you want." 421 00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:34,440 Honda's Formula 1 team looks set to be rebranded in the new season. 422 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:37,120 There were fears it would shut down altogether. 423 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:39,560 Now, a senior figure within the team has said 424 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:42,400 that they will be on the starting grid in a few weeks' time. 425 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:46,880 In a way, you persuaded Honda to change their minds and take this on board. 426 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:49,520 They would have spent a hundred million dollars to shut the company. 427 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:52,560 We said, "Don't waste that money 'cause then there is nothing left. 428 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:54,720 If you allow us to buy the team, 429 00:23:54,800 --> 00:23:58,440 and you give us $90 million of close-down costs, 430 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:00,880 we could run a skeleton operation of the company. 431 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:04,520 We'll take on all the responsibilities for the people. 432 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:07,000 So, why not go racing for a year if we can do it?" 433 00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:14,320 Why do people say that you were the one pound Formula 1 Team? 434 00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:19,520 When we finally closed the deal, I gave a pound to the Honda executive, 435 00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:21,400 to formalise the deal. 436 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:23,560 And I know he still has it. 437 00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:25,600 -Do you have the pound? -Yes. 438 00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:27,320 -Is it here? -Yeah. 439 00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:28,960 -Do you want to check? -I wanna check. 440 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:31,720 I wanna see the pound that bought the team. 441 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:35,120 I bring-- Always, I bring this one. 442 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:42,200 Did you ever think what you were going to name this team? 443 00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:45,440 [Brawn] There was a lot of debate about that. 444 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:47,760 [McGrory] That was my marketing contribution. 445 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:49,760 -The name? -The name. 446 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:56,040 [Brawn] I was embarrassed about the idea, but everyone seemed to like it. 447 00:24:56,720 --> 00:24:57,800 And the idea stuck, 448 00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:01,880 and I must admit, I was very flattered and honoured it was named after me. 449 00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:08,760 [Jean] The thought of the team having our family name, 450 00:25:09,480 --> 00:25:13,440 my first reaction to that was, "Is there an alternative?" 451 00:25:13,520 --> 00:25:15,920 I thought, "This car had never tested." 452 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:17,840 Didn't know whether it was reliable. 453 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:19,000 How quick it was. 454 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:21,880 -And it's going out with the name. -Mmm. 455 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:26,760 [Cole] It was kind of like having your mate put his name on a Formula 1 car 456 00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:28,960 and saying, "That's a GP team." 457 00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:31,200 Okay, is it that simple? 458 00:25:31,880 --> 00:25:32,920 But it is. [laughs] 459 00:25:33,840 --> 00:25:36,240 Ross is now a team owner. 460 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:37,600 A boss. 461 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:38,800 A colleague. 462 00:25:38,880 --> 00:25:40,680 Yes, I was surprised about it. 463 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:42,560 Did you think they would be any good? 464 00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:46,320 Uh, Ross is a person, 465 00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:49,680 and this is one of his strengths: 466 00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:54,200 Uh, very good to plan. 467 00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:56,640 What I have to do this year, next year, 468 00:25:56,720 --> 00:26:01,240 because in Formula 1 you cannot succeed in 12 months, 469 00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:05,600 even in 24 months, unless you can have help. 470 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:11,400 There's been an enormous amount of activity behind the scenes. 471 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:16,480 Everyone on the stage here has helped us preserve our team, 472 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:23,160 and, I think, myself, Ross, and our 700 employees all thank them for that. 473 00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:24,240 [no audible dialogue] 474 00:26:24,320 --> 00:26:28,360 It's the first time in Formula 1's history, that I've been involved in, 475 00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:32,160 that I've seen all the teams come collectively together 476 00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:34,000 to try and keep the little guys, 477 00:26:34,080 --> 00:26:38,240 and to give Ross the opportunity to salvage it or sell it. 478 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:40,760 But, of course, his big problem was gonna be, 479 00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:43,560 what engine does he take? 480 00:26:44,360 --> 00:26:46,000 That was not a small problem. 481 00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:48,280 -That's a huge problem. -Correct. 482 00:26:48,360 --> 00:26:50,240 We went to Honda initially and said, 483 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:52,800 "Look, you know, we understand you wanna pull out of this 484 00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:55,200 but can you please sell us your engine?" 485 00:26:55,760 --> 00:26:57,840 And we got a point-blank no. 486 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:04,800 We are sure that the former Honda team can have a future. 487 00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:08,680 Everybody wanted us to survive, but we didn't have an engine. 488 00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:11,760 We'd had assurances from Ferrari and Mercedes 489 00:27:11,840 --> 00:27:13,600 that they would help us with the engine, 490 00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:17,160 but we didn't know that much about whether a Ferrari engine 491 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:19,400 or a Mercedes engine would even fit the car. 492 00:27:20,240 --> 00:27:22,640 You're not gonna beat Ferrari with a Ferrari engine, 493 00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:26,280 because as you get close, you'll find that yours just gets worse and worse. 494 00:27:27,120 --> 00:27:30,240 [Fry] Mercedes-Benz had a 25-year history with McLaren. 495 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:36,120 McLaren had an exclusive right to the Mercedes engine, 496 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:39,200 unless they agreed otherwise. 497 00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:40,280 [shutters clicking] 498 00:27:40,360 --> 00:27:46,760 Martin Whitmarsh was leading the Formula 1 Teams Association, FOTA. 499 00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:53,040 He pushed Norbert Haug at Mercedes and the board at Mercedes to say, 500 00:27:53,120 --> 00:27:55,360 "Come on. We've got to keep this team involved in the sport. 501 00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:57,440 Give them an engine." 502 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:00,560 [Brawn] He said, "Look, I'm a little bit nervous to ask you this question, 503 00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:02,920 but my board are worried you're gonna go under 504 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:04,520 and you won't have paid your bills. 505 00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:07,120 So, what guarantees can we set up?" 506 00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:08,200 -Pay us up front. -Yes, uh-- 507 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:10,120 -Let's give you the engines. -Yes, certainly. 508 00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:11,600 Yeah, I wasn't like that, 509 00:28:11,680 --> 00:28:18,360 but, you know, I was politely asking for paying as soon as possible. 510 00:28:18,440 --> 00:28:20,440 [shutters clicking] 511 00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:24,360 Would you have given you an engine? 512 00:28:25,600 --> 00:28:26,800 I'd like to say yes. 513 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:29,760 But, as always, until you've faced that situation, 514 00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:31,040 you don't know for sure. 515 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:43,320 [Cole] When we got the Mercedes engine, 516 00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:48,960 it was getting to the point whereby making the first race was a big ask. 517 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:52,800 Even to contemplate that, at that time of the year, 518 00:28:53,320 --> 00:28:55,040 that's horrendous. 519 00:28:56,480 --> 00:28:58,640 There was some massive challenges ahead of us, 520 00:28:58,720 --> 00:29:03,360 but I think there was genuine bounce in the whole organisation. 521 00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:05,560 You know, we've come through this. We've got a chance now. 522 00:29:05,640 --> 00:29:06,960 We're not gonna waste it. 523 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:13,160 It brought people completely together, and it was just an amazing atmosphere. 524 00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:17,040 [Harte] And you felt very much part of a really unique team 525 00:29:17,120 --> 00:29:20,880 that could rely on each other to do what needed to be done. 526 00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:23,960 Basically, they've done a cut and shut. 527 00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:30,120 You know, to get the engine and gearbox, to shoehorn it into the car. 528 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:33,600 [Reeves] For six days, 529 00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:37,720 there were three shifts working 24 hours on the car. 530 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:39,920 Yep. 531 00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:43,800 What they achieved with that, I don't think it's ever been done before. 532 00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:48,400 To install a new engine in a car that's designed for a different manufacturer. 533 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:49,720 Like, mind-blowing. 534 00:29:56,960 --> 00:29:58,200 [people chattering] 535 00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:00,520 -[people clamouring] -[shutters clicking] 536 00:30:01,480 --> 00:30:03,480 [Brawn] In that period, before we ran the car, 537 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:05,560 people were out testing on tracks. 538 00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:06,680 We knew. 539 00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:10,480 And we'd had a simulation and a prediction, 540 00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:12,880 which showed us what sort of lap time we could expect. 541 00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:15,360 And we couldn't understand where we'd gone wrong, 542 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:19,520 because our simulation showed we would be a second, a second and a half quicker 543 00:30:20,120 --> 00:30:23,080 than what the people were achieving at Barcelona. 544 00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:25,160 [engines revving] 545 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:28,880 [Clear] We, of course, being very, very sceptical 546 00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:31,920 about the numbers guys back at the factory, we're like, 547 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:34,480 "Well, you've clearly got your numbers wrong then, haven't you? Duh." 548 00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:37,640 You know, as if we're gonna be two seconds faster than everybody. 549 00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:40,240 And they're like, "Okay, we've checked the numbers. 550 00:30:40,320 --> 00:30:42,240 We're still two seconds faster than everybody." 551 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:46,080 -"Really?" -And that came through the factory. 552 00:30:46,160 --> 00:30:48,320 You know, have we really made a big cock-up here, 553 00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:51,200 or have we got something very special on our hands? 554 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:56,720 We took the car to do a shakedown at Silverstone. 555 00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:03,040 A sort of hilariously amateurish outfit that we must've appeared to be. 556 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:06,480 -It was pretty much like camping. -[chuckles] 557 00:31:08,320 --> 00:31:11,560 [Reeves] Before a car went testing with the other teams, 558 00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:15,120 they needed to run the car privately to make sure nothing fell off 559 00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:17,200 and it ran the way it was supposed to. 560 00:31:18,960 --> 00:31:20,960 [Button] It fired up. I drove out. 561 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:23,880 [engine revving] 562 00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:26,360 And just seeing the smiles on everyone's faces… 563 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:34,440 [Shovlin] It was a nice moment because, you know, seeing the thing roll on track, 564 00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:37,080 that was the point where it suddenly becomes a reality. 565 00:31:38,720 --> 00:31:41,400 [Cole] We learned nothing about the performance of the car, frankly. 566 00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:43,640 We were just driving round in circles, but it worked. 567 00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:46,280 So far, so good. 568 00:31:47,560 --> 00:31:51,360 That car got packed in a truck, and got packed to the Barcelona test. 569 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:03,880 [Horner] The first test was the first time we saw the double diffuser on a Toyota, 570 00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:05,200 and it was on the Williams. 571 00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:11,600 When Ross's car finally broke cover at Silverstone on a shakedown, 572 00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:13,680 from the pictures that we saw-- 573 00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:16,040 You saw pictures? How did you get pictures? 574 00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:17,440 That got leaked… 575 00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:21,760 We could see it had a double diffuser. 576 00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:26,320 [Cole] I'm sure they weren't that worried about us, 577 00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:27,800 because why should they be, you know? 578 00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:29,560 We'd thrown a car together with the wrong engine, 579 00:32:29,640 --> 00:32:32,360 and we had a long history of not being desperately competitive 580 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:35,600 when we had six months to make a car, let alone six weeks. 581 00:32:35,680 --> 00:32:38,920 We didn't look like a credible threat to anybody, I'm sure. 582 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:45,120 When Honda withdraws, Ross Brawn says, with Nick Fry, 583 00:32:45,200 --> 00:32:48,920 "We'll put the management company together, and we're gonna keep it alive." 584 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:54,240 You… [chuckles] …are looking at going from Ferrari to Honda, 585 00:32:54,320 --> 00:32:56,120 to an independent team… 586 00:32:58,160 --> 00:32:59,720 with no resources, 587 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:02,360 with no sponsorship. 588 00:33:04,080 --> 00:33:05,960 But you're not at the shakedown. 589 00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:07,040 Yes, I wasn't. 590 00:33:07,600 --> 00:33:08,600 Why? 591 00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:11,360 Because I didn't have a contract up to that time. 592 00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:16,040 [Brawn] Jenson was always on board, I think, in our minds. 593 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:19,520 Rubens had been an option. 594 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:20,920 He didn't have a contract. 595 00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:24,440 I mean, this is not a derogatory statement, 596 00:33:24,520 --> 00:33:26,520 but he was a comfortable pair of slippers. 597 00:33:26,600 --> 00:33:30,240 He was someone I'd worked with, and I knew exactly how he thought. 598 00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:31,880 I knew I could rely on him. 599 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:34,640 But it was tempting because there were two or three guys 600 00:33:34,720 --> 00:33:37,720 still hanging around with big sponsorship deals, 601 00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:40,480 and they could bring quite a lot of money to the team. 602 00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:45,560 But I think I managed to persuade the rest of the team 603 00:33:45,640 --> 00:33:48,280 that actually Rubens would be a good investment. 604 00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:50,400 [engines revving] 605 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:53,880 [Button] I think they'd done six days of testing already, all the teams. 606 00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:58,440 I remember Ross just coming over and saying, 607 00:33:58,520 --> 00:34:00,200 "Be careful." [chuckles] 608 00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:02,720 You know, we didn't-- We weren't flush with parts. 609 00:34:02,800 --> 00:34:05,840 [engine revving] 610 00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:15,520 Jenson went out and did a few laps, and came in and said, 611 00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:18,320 "Oh, the balance isn't good," this, that, and the other, 612 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:20,200 and we said, "Okay, 613 00:34:20,880 --> 00:34:23,760 but you've just done the second fastest lap of the test, the whole test, 614 00:34:23,840 --> 00:34:25,920 and we've-- we started late because we weren't ready." 615 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:29,040 [laughs] And I was like, "What?" 616 00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:33,400 And then when he started to get the car adjusted, then he went the fastest. 617 00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:39,440 Quite clearly, the car was exceptional. 618 00:34:40,400 --> 00:34:43,880 To the point, as you may know, a lot of mechanics went out and put bets on it. 619 00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:47,520 -[shutters clicking] -[chattering] 620 00:34:47,600 --> 00:34:49,560 [Massa] They were pretty fast straight away, 621 00:34:49,640 --> 00:34:54,320 and everyone, all of the other teams, including myself, we were sure that-- 622 00:34:54,400 --> 00:34:58,760 I mean, you know, Ross Brawn took the team on the last moment. 623 00:34:58,840 --> 00:35:02,400 They have no money, so they need to find a sponsor. 624 00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:05,640 So it's a time to show that the car is competitive, 625 00:35:05,720 --> 00:35:09,040 so they just removed the weight of the car, just to be quick. 626 00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:16,960 [Dennis] The inevitable publicity that surrounds test performance. 627 00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:19,160 See? Some of the teams that are seeking money 628 00:35:19,240 --> 00:35:23,560 actually running their cars with the objective of doing one fast lap. 629 00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:26,760 Of course, one fast lap is very important when it comes to qualifying, 630 00:35:26,840 --> 00:35:29,240 but it's relatively unimportant when it comes to the race. 631 00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:33,920 Can this car really be that competitive? 632 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:35,640 It's so late. They've got no money. 633 00:35:36,720 --> 00:35:41,040 But then you think this is the most developed car under these regulations. 634 00:35:42,800 --> 00:35:44,480 From the moment Ross arrived, 635 00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:48,040 he forgot the existing car and just focused on the future car. 636 00:35:50,560 --> 00:35:55,440 The car full of fuel was quicker than the other cars with no fuel in it. 637 00:35:55,520 --> 00:35:59,200 And suddenly think, "Oh, you know, okay. These guys are seriously quick." 638 00:35:59,280 --> 00:36:00,600 Yes, they're chasing a sponsor, 639 00:36:00,680 --> 00:36:04,920 but the pace of this car and just watching it on track, 640 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:06,480 it looked totally hooked up. 641 00:36:07,040 --> 00:36:10,400 When you saw how fast they were… 642 00:36:10,480 --> 00:36:11,320 Hmm. 643 00:36:12,360 --> 00:36:13,520 I said, "Listen, 644 00:36:13,600 --> 00:36:18,920 despite I respect Ross, despite I respect his capability, 645 00:36:20,040 --> 00:36:26,000 but in such a short time, to have such a competitive car 646 00:36:26,640 --> 00:36:28,800 looked, to me, very strange." 647 00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:34,160 So maybe the interpretation of the rules was fantastic. 648 00:36:34,240 --> 00:36:39,760 They were lucky to find the best way to be competitive, 649 00:36:39,840 --> 00:36:45,880 or something that was not a hundred per cent inside the rules. 650 00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:00,200 [chattering] 651 00:37:01,120 --> 00:37:03,200 -[chattering] -[shutter clicks] 652 00:37:03,280 --> 00:37:07,560 [sighs] Can we put on a show for you in Melbourne? 653 00:37:10,120 --> 00:37:11,760 I think we could've maybe challenged. 654 00:37:11,840 --> 00:37:13,560 Nah, uh, I think we're gonna get to Q2. 655 00:37:13,640 --> 00:37:14,840 Q2, yeah. 656 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:19,920 [Reeves] That first race… 657 00:37:22,040 --> 00:37:24,760 was the launch of Brawn GP? 658 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:28,640 Yep. That's where the story really started. 659 00:37:28,720 --> 00:37:31,160 [chattering] 660 00:37:31,240 --> 00:37:34,760 We were a team that's come from nowhere. No one expected us to be here. 661 00:37:35,680 --> 00:37:39,080 Do your job this weekend. Keep your head clear. 662 00:37:39,160 --> 00:37:40,520 We've got a strong chance. 663 00:37:40,600 --> 00:37:42,920 -[shutters clicking] -[chattering] 664 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:45,920 [Button] You know, we had missed so much of the winter of testing, 665 00:37:47,160 --> 00:37:52,040 but everyone just seemed so comfortable in themselves and confident in us as a team. 666 00:37:52,120 --> 00:37:54,760 It felt like a-- a family. 667 00:37:54,840 --> 00:37:58,760 I think the winter that we went through together really brought us a lot closer. 668 00:38:00,880 --> 00:38:03,360 [Cole] As is consistent with tradition, 669 00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:08,520 you're the new team, you go right at the far end of the pit lane. 670 00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:13,880 Ferrari, Red Bull, all those guys, more trucks, more space, 671 00:38:13,960 --> 00:38:16,840 massive motorhomes, all showing off, having a great time. 672 00:38:17,680 --> 00:38:19,480 And it did really, sort of, 673 00:38:19,560 --> 00:38:22,400 help us feel like we were fighting our way out of a corner. 674 00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:26,680 It was an eye-opening experience for all of us, 675 00:38:26,760 --> 00:38:30,720 because there were literally half as many people involved in the race operation. 676 00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:36,000 Instead of having 20 guys from Honda worrying about the engine, 677 00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:38,560 we got one guy who told us not to overheat it. 678 00:38:38,640 --> 00:38:40,240 -[Reeves chuckles] -And that was it. 679 00:38:40,320 --> 00:38:41,480 We were the underdogs, 680 00:38:41,560 --> 00:38:43,920 and it's hard to explain the emotion when you're the underdog. 681 00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:46,680 We had built this car that didn't exist. 682 00:38:46,760 --> 00:38:48,960 We had cut the back off a chassis and bolted an engine to it. 683 00:38:49,040 --> 00:38:50,920 That simply shouldn't be done. 684 00:38:51,800 --> 00:38:53,160 And yet, got it to Melbourne. 685 00:38:54,760 --> 00:38:56,320 [chattering] 686 00:38:56,400 --> 00:39:00,000 To survive, you need to get investment. 687 00:39:00,080 --> 00:39:04,880 One of the investors who ultimately ended up on the car was Richard Branson. 688 00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:08,400 [chattering] 689 00:39:08,480 --> 00:39:11,280 [Fry] Richard did not approach me. Far from it. 690 00:39:12,200 --> 00:39:14,200 He was a competitor in lots of ways. 691 00:39:15,040 --> 00:39:18,320 Richard wanted to, uh, own the team. 692 00:39:18,400 --> 00:39:20,400 He didn't want to just be a sponsor. 693 00:39:21,040 --> 00:39:24,840 [Brawn] Richard had made a proposal to Honda quite late in the day, 694 00:39:24,920 --> 00:39:29,040 which, as it turns out, was nothing like as attractive as a management buyout. 695 00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:34,520 I think that Brawn was obviously wanting to own the team. 696 00:39:34,600 --> 00:39:37,480 He wanted us to be a sponsor, not an owner. 697 00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:39,360 [chattering] 698 00:39:39,440 --> 00:39:40,600 [Fry] We needed money. 699 00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:44,680 Clearly, he saw opportunity from a business point of view. 700 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:50,520 He said that for a couple of million, we were the, sort of, title sponsors. 701 00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:54,040 You know, we didn't actually sign anything. 702 00:39:54,120 --> 00:39:56,760 We agreed that we'd sign when we met in Australia. 703 00:39:57,680 --> 00:40:02,120 I got "Fly Virgin Atlantic" stickers printed off, 704 00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:07,760 and I quite liked the idea of being this, sort of, underdog brand with Ross, 705 00:40:07,840 --> 00:40:09,240 taking on the giants. 706 00:40:10,800 --> 00:40:12,760 [reporter] You've definitely got the prettiest minders here, Richard. 707 00:40:12,840 --> 00:40:15,000 -I think we're doing all right. -We're doing all right. 708 00:40:15,080 --> 00:40:16,360 I think we're doing all right. 709 00:40:16,440 --> 00:40:17,800 [shutters clicking] 710 00:40:17,880 --> 00:40:21,040 [Armstrong] When Richard came in the paddock, it was pandemonium. [chuckles] 711 00:40:21,120 --> 00:40:23,560 He was great. He did a great press conference for us. 712 00:40:23,640 --> 00:40:26,280 The attention of the paddock was on him. 713 00:40:26,360 --> 00:40:29,200 -[shutters clicking] -[reporters chattering] 714 00:40:33,080 --> 00:40:34,640 He got fantastic value 715 00:40:34,720 --> 00:40:38,280 because the sponsorship package he bought was relatively modest, 716 00:40:38,360 --> 00:40:40,000 but everyone thought it was Richard's team. 717 00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:42,200 -[shutters clicking] -[chattering] 718 00:40:42,280 --> 00:40:45,400 This Brawn GP seems to fly very fast. 719 00:40:45,480 --> 00:40:48,880 Well, the Virgin car now, uh, is planning to fly. 720 00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:50,840 [shutters clicking] 721 00:40:50,920 --> 00:40:52,800 [Armstrong] Brilliant timing for him. Yeah. 722 00:40:52,880 --> 00:40:54,920 -[Reeves] The saviour. -Snowballed from-- To save us, yes. 723 00:40:55,000 --> 00:40:57,560 Which, um, not quite the angle we were hoping for, 724 00:40:57,640 --> 00:41:00,720 but, uh, it did bring some money in at the time. 725 00:41:01,680 --> 00:41:06,760 [Reeves] Before the race on Sunday, the cars do timed laps on Saturday 726 00:41:06,840 --> 00:41:09,960 to see what position they start the race from. 727 00:41:10,040 --> 00:41:13,520 The fastest car starts at the front in pole position. 728 00:41:13,600 --> 00:41:15,600 The slowest, at the back. 729 00:41:15,680 --> 00:41:17,200 You'll definitely need headphones. 730 00:41:17,280 --> 00:41:18,120 [Branson] Okay. 731 00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:21,560 [commentator] New season, new regulations and, who knows, 732 00:41:21,640 --> 00:41:26,880 perhaps are we about to see a new order in the shootout for pole? 733 00:41:26,960 --> 00:41:28,120 [power tool whirring] 734 00:41:29,240 --> 00:41:33,400 This is, as they always say, when the bullshit stops. 735 00:41:33,480 --> 00:41:38,600 For what everybody had been through, and for what we knew we had in our hands, 736 00:41:38,680 --> 00:41:41,240 our responsibility now was to make this count. 737 00:41:41,760 --> 00:41:45,160 I was so over the moon to be driving such a car, 738 00:41:45,840 --> 00:41:48,600 but it did give me a little bit of pressure, 739 00:41:48,680 --> 00:41:52,360 because we didn't have many kilometres on the car, 740 00:41:52,440 --> 00:41:54,840 and we had to look after it for the race. 741 00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:57,920 [Reeves] Didn't they tell you you couldn't crash? 742 00:41:58,000 --> 00:41:58,840 [Button laughs] 743 00:41:58,920 --> 00:42:01,440 You're going to your first race in Melbourne, right? 744 00:42:01,520 --> 00:42:04,600 They were like, "Uh, go quick, fellas." 745 00:42:04,680 --> 00:42:05,840 -Yeah. -"But don't crash." 746 00:42:05,920 --> 00:42:08,200 Make sure you win on the way, yeah, but don't crash. Yeah. 747 00:42:08,280 --> 00:42:11,400 But don't crash because we don't have, what, spare parts? 748 00:42:11,480 --> 00:42:14,360 That went for every lap of practice. 749 00:42:15,400 --> 00:42:17,040 But as racing drivers, 750 00:42:17,960 --> 00:42:19,960 you're not very good at taking it easy. 751 00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:23,480 You either push to the limit, or you're nothing. 752 00:42:24,120 --> 00:42:25,760 We pushed to the limit. 753 00:42:25,840 --> 00:42:28,280 [engine revving] 754 00:42:28,880 --> 00:42:30,240 [commentator] Here is Jenson Button. 755 00:42:30,320 --> 00:42:32,120 He's on the pit straight. He knows the time to beat. 756 00:42:35,160 --> 00:42:36,440 [Shovlin] 757 00:42:37,200 --> 00:42:39,440 [Button, laughs] 758 00:42:39,520 --> 00:42:42,040 [laughing, chattering] 759 00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:44,160 [commentator] Jenson Button on pole position, 760 00:42:44,240 --> 00:42:47,200 Rubens Barrichello will be alongside him on the grid. 761 00:42:47,280 --> 00:42:49,440 [chattering] 762 00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:55,160 We knew the car was quick after Barcelona, but we didn't quite know just how quick. 763 00:42:55,240 --> 00:42:57,320 Everyone plays around a little bit with fuel loads, 764 00:42:57,400 --> 00:42:59,240 with the age of the tyres, with the engine. 765 00:42:59,960 --> 00:43:03,560 We qualified in Melbourne with more fuel than pretty much the whole grid. 766 00:43:03,640 --> 00:43:05,840 [chattering] 767 00:43:05,920 --> 00:43:06,920 [mechanic] Nice work. 768 00:43:07,000 --> 00:43:09,080 [Cole] It was really quite emotional. 769 00:43:09,160 --> 00:43:10,720 I don't say that lightly. 770 00:43:10,800 --> 00:43:13,800 It was quite an emotional time, you know, 771 00:43:13,880 --> 00:43:16,880 to be seeing that we can actually get this car on pole. 772 00:43:16,960 --> 00:43:18,920 [reporter] Hey, Richard, where's the chicks? 773 00:43:19,000 --> 00:43:20,920 -[shutters clicking] -I don't know. Don't know. 774 00:43:21,000 --> 00:43:24,240 [reporter] You realise this is, actually, the first time in 39 years 775 00:43:24,320 --> 00:43:28,160 that a new team has taken pole position in its first race. That's amazing. 776 00:43:29,200 --> 00:43:32,840 Uh, as I say, um, we're lucky bastards, as they say in England. 777 00:43:32,920 --> 00:43:33,920 [laughs] 778 00:43:34,000 --> 00:43:35,520 We were lucky bastards indeed. 779 00:43:35,600 --> 00:43:36,480 [cheering] 780 00:43:36,560 --> 00:43:40,760 [Button] It's special for us because we've had such a torrid winter. 781 00:43:40,840 --> 00:43:42,840 You know, every day, it's been up and down, you know? 782 00:43:42,920 --> 00:43:45,120 One day it looks positive and we're gonna be racing this year, 783 00:43:45,200 --> 00:43:46,560 and the next day, it's not. 784 00:43:46,640 --> 00:43:49,880 So, this isn't the end of it, you know? Tomorrow is the race. 785 00:43:50,880 --> 00:43:53,960 [reporter 2] Rubens, describe the roller coaster of emotions that you've had. 786 00:43:54,040 --> 00:43:56,200 A few weeks ago, you weren't even sure if you had a seat, 787 00:43:56,280 --> 00:43:58,720 and now you've got a front row of the grid. 788 00:43:58,800 --> 00:44:02,720 Yeah, it's, uh-- it's, uh-- You know, I'm very grateful for the moment I have. 789 00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:07,640 It's a good story for F1, and, um, certainly a good story for us. 790 00:44:07,720 --> 00:44:10,400 [chattering] 791 00:44:10,480 --> 00:44:12,840 Our competitors, they were all rattled. 792 00:44:12,920 --> 00:44:14,920 [chattering] 793 00:44:17,200 --> 00:44:20,160 [Divey] We knew there was an awful lot of interest in the car. 794 00:44:20,240 --> 00:44:21,640 [Reeves] "Interest", is that what you'd call it? 795 00:44:21,720 --> 00:44:23,000 Yeah, I'd say-- Yeah, interest. 796 00:44:25,360 --> 00:44:28,160 One of the guys from Ferrari came down with a torch, 797 00:44:28,240 --> 00:44:31,440 and he sort of lays on the ground to get a look underneath the car 798 00:44:31,520 --> 00:44:32,520 at the double diffuser. 799 00:44:33,960 --> 00:44:37,680 And Ross just walked up to him and grabbed his belt buckle, 800 00:44:37,760 --> 00:44:39,280 and picked him up off the floor, 801 00:44:39,360 --> 00:44:42,320 and said something to him in Italian, and off he went. 802 00:44:42,400 --> 00:44:43,480 -No? -Yeah. 803 00:44:44,920 --> 00:44:46,000 The bear moved in. 804 00:44:46,080 --> 00:44:47,200 Yep. 805 00:44:47,280 --> 00:44:48,760 [Reeves] Grabbed him by the belt buckle! 806 00:44:48,840 --> 00:44:52,200 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Picked him up by his belt, and picked him up off the floor, 807 00:44:52,280 --> 00:44:55,640 and kindly reminded him that that's not really the way we do things. 808 00:44:56,560 --> 00:44:59,120 You don't get on the floor and try and have a look at things underneath 809 00:44:59,200 --> 00:45:00,040 or anything like that. 810 00:45:00,120 --> 00:45:01,800 -You don't look up the skirt. -Yeah, exactly. 811 00:45:01,880 --> 00:45:03,600 That's a good way of putting it, yeah. 812 00:45:03,680 --> 00:45:09,160 Did you already feel that they were going to protest the cars? 813 00:45:09,240 --> 00:45:10,520 Yeah. 814 00:45:17,040 --> 00:45:18,520 -Look at the hole on this, huh? -Eh? 815 00:45:18,600 --> 00:45:19,600 Look at the hole. 816 00:45:19,680 --> 00:45:21,920 [chattering] 817 00:45:27,000 --> 00:45:28,520 [engines revving] 818 00:45:28,600 --> 00:45:32,040 [chattering] 819 00:45:32,120 --> 00:45:34,760 [Armstrong] There was just a general feeling of excitement from the drivers. 820 00:45:34,840 --> 00:45:37,440 They knew they had a-- for the first time in a long time, 821 00:45:37,520 --> 00:45:40,520 potentially, a really good car under them. And you could sense that. 822 00:45:41,400 --> 00:45:42,560 [reporter] Rubens, Rubens. 823 00:45:42,640 --> 00:45:45,520 Can you believe that you're standing here on the front of the grid? 824 00:45:45,600 --> 00:45:47,960 Well, I mean, I wanted to believe it. 825 00:45:48,040 --> 00:45:49,040 It's a lot of people… 826 00:45:49,120 --> 00:45:52,600 Now that I have the drive, the season is made for me. 827 00:45:52,680 --> 00:45:54,440 I'm gonna win the championship. 828 00:45:54,520 --> 00:45:56,800 [reporter] Can you tell us what you said to your drivers? 829 00:45:57,320 --> 00:45:59,120 Yeah, just don't hit each other. 830 00:45:59,200 --> 00:46:00,760 [chattering] 831 00:46:00,840 --> 00:46:03,600 [Armstrong] I was with Jenson for his first win in 2006, 832 00:46:03,680 --> 00:46:06,080 and you knew at the time how much that meant to him, 833 00:46:06,160 --> 00:46:09,760 and also how painful it was to then not win a race in '07 and '08. 834 00:46:10,560 --> 00:46:12,520 So you knew what a big opportunity this was. 835 00:46:12,600 --> 00:46:16,400 Jenson, well, can you do this? 836 00:46:17,760 --> 00:46:18,840 Yes. 837 00:46:18,920 --> 00:46:22,240 I think there's no doubt that it was unfulfilled promise 838 00:46:22,320 --> 00:46:24,880 from Jenson Button up to that point. 839 00:46:24,960 --> 00:46:29,000 When you qualify, well, the pressure's on on race day. 840 00:46:30,200 --> 00:46:31,840 [Cole] But, you know, we'd only done one test, 841 00:46:31,920 --> 00:46:34,760 so our confidence in the reliability of the car and the package, 842 00:46:34,840 --> 00:46:37,600 and our understanding of it, was not perfect. 843 00:46:38,120 --> 00:46:40,440 You know, a race win's a whole different piece of work. 844 00:46:41,560 --> 00:46:43,720 I was really nervous before the race. 845 00:46:44,960 --> 00:46:48,360 And everything went through my mind of the last couple of years 846 00:46:48,440 --> 00:46:49,680 and how tough they'd been. 847 00:46:50,200 --> 00:46:51,880 What we'd been through as a team. 848 00:46:52,520 --> 00:46:56,480 And, suddenly, I'm driving a car that I just feel like I can do nothing wrong. 849 00:46:56,560 --> 00:46:58,640 [engines revving] 850 00:46:58,720 --> 00:47:03,400 [commentator] Up front for the first race of this new season: 851 00:47:03,480 --> 00:47:05,960 Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. 852 00:47:08,080 --> 00:47:12,080 Only one team in their debut race in the history of the sport 853 00:47:12,160 --> 00:47:16,040 have been able to get pole position and then go on to win. 854 00:47:16,720 --> 00:47:19,640 This opportunity doesn't come around for many people, 855 00:47:19,720 --> 00:47:20,960 and I didn't want to throw it away. 856 00:47:22,040 --> 00:47:22,880 [radio static] 857 00:47:22,960 --> 00:47:24,200 [crew on radio] 858 00:47:24,280 --> 00:47:26,840 [engines revving] 859 00:47:36,160 --> 00:47:37,720 [engine revving] 860 00:47:37,800 --> 00:47:40,040 [commentator] We're away in Melbourne for 2009! 861 00:47:40,560 --> 00:47:42,800 Jenson Button streaks forward. Vettel's there as well! 862 00:47:42,880 --> 00:47:44,400 Massa's trying to come through on the outside. 863 00:47:44,480 --> 00:47:46,000 Rosberg's up into third place. 864 00:47:46,080 --> 00:47:48,160 But Button is absolutely streaking clear. 865 00:47:48,240 --> 00:47:51,400 [Button] Looked in the mirrors, it just was a mess behind. 866 00:47:51,480 --> 00:47:53,040 And I immediately had a buffer. 867 00:47:54,280 --> 00:47:55,800 You are in P2. 868 00:47:55,880 --> 00:47:57,800 The lights go out. 869 00:47:57,880 --> 00:48:00,200 [commentator] We're away in Melbourne for 2009! 870 00:48:00,280 --> 00:48:03,280 It's Jenson Button! An awful start there by Rubens Barrichello. 871 00:48:04,360 --> 00:48:05,880 I didn't have a good one. 872 00:48:06,440 --> 00:48:10,280 No, you went into turn one in tenth, and then you're a maniac. 873 00:48:10,360 --> 00:48:12,240 [engines revving] 874 00:48:12,320 --> 00:48:13,880 [commentator] Dreadful start for Rubens Barrichello. 875 00:48:13,960 --> 00:48:15,800 There's all sorts of mayhem at the first corner. 876 00:48:15,880 --> 00:48:18,800 And, suddenly, Ross Brawn has gotta rethink the strategy, 877 00:48:18,880 --> 00:48:20,880 because this is not going at all well. 878 00:48:20,960 --> 00:48:23,000 [Clear] 879 00:48:27,840 --> 00:48:30,680 You know we have a good car. You know you're losing time. 880 00:48:30,760 --> 00:48:34,000 You have the pressure to win the race because you have a good car. 881 00:48:35,040 --> 00:48:38,760 That, sometimes, make you lose focus. 882 00:48:40,760 --> 00:48:42,200 [commentator 2] He lost the back of the car, 883 00:48:42,280 --> 00:48:44,840 and he's lost the corner of his front wing. 884 00:48:44,920 --> 00:48:46,560 He just pushed his way through. 885 00:48:46,640 --> 00:48:48,360 I was fighting to be on that podium. 886 00:48:54,920 --> 00:48:57,640 [commentator 1] Jenson Button started from pole here in 2006, 887 00:48:57,720 --> 00:48:59,360 but it never really came together. 888 00:48:59,440 --> 00:49:01,600 He finished tenth on that occasion. 889 00:49:02,240 --> 00:49:03,400 But he's doing everything right, 890 00:49:03,480 --> 00:49:06,600 just trading fastest laps with Sebastian Vettel. 891 00:49:08,040 --> 00:49:10,320 [crew on radio] 892 00:49:11,760 --> 00:49:13,800 You know, I had the team talking to me through the race, 893 00:49:13,880 --> 00:49:16,960 just give me feedback of how the car feels. 894 00:49:17,040 --> 00:49:18,400 [engine revving] 895 00:49:18,480 --> 00:49:21,200 [commentator 1] Jenson Button has just set the fastest lap of the race. 896 00:49:21,880 --> 00:49:24,680 Is this the hand of Ross Brawn, that master tactician? 897 00:49:25,680 --> 00:49:29,320 We knew, as a team, Jenson had a chance of winning. 898 00:49:30,000 --> 00:49:31,280 Some of the teams were in trouble. 899 00:49:32,000 --> 00:49:34,480 McLaren had got their car completely wrong, 900 00:49:34,560 --> 00:49:35,680 and they looked dreadful. 901 00:49:36,240 --> 00:49:38,040 It was pretty much the same with Ferrari. 902 00:49:41,520 --> 00:49:44,840 I know that any advantage you have in Formula 1 is only temporary. 903 00:49:45,480 --> 00:49:46,920 And you've only got to make one mistake, 904 00:49:47,000 --> 00:49:49,960 and rarely there's enough margin to cope with a mistake. 905 00:49:50,040 --> 00:49:53,040 [commentator 1] Barrichello in the pits, and it's a new front nose. 906 00:49:53,560 --> 00:49:57,840 At that stage, we weren't functioning fully as a team. 907 00:49:59,560 --> 00:50:02,520 [commentator 1] It's a long stint, this. This is a lot of fuel going in. 908 00:50:03,360 --> 00:50:05,160 [engine revving] 909 00:50:05,240 --> 00:50:08,040 We had no time to do pit stop practice. 910 00:50:08,120 --> 00:50:11,840 Our fuel guy had never been a fuel guy before. 911 00:50:11,920 --> 00:50:12,880 No, come on! 912 00:50:18,080 --> 00:50:19,480 [engine revving] 913 00:50:19,560 --> 00:50:22,560 [commentator 1] Oh, dear. That was not slick and smooth. 914 00:50:23,520 --> 00:50:25,040 [Button] I lost six seconds at the first stop 915 00:50:25,120 --> 00:50:27,360 and, I think, seven seconds at the second stop. 916 00:50:28,560 --> 00:50:32,320 The tragedy would be if that robbed us of what we were hoping to achieve. 917 00:50:35,400 --> 00:50:37,640 [commentator 1] Well into the last quarter of this race. 918 00:50:37,720 --> 00:50:39,600 [commentator 2] Jenson doesn't look like he's got 919 00:50:39,680 --> 00:50:42,800 an awful lot of speed out there at the moment on those tyres. 920 00:50:44,640 --> 00:50:47,440 [Button] There was a BMW behind, of Robert Kubica, 921 00:50:47,520 --> 00:50:49,840 and a Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel, 922 00:50:49,920 --> 00:50:51,480 and they were quicker. 923 00:50:51,560 --> 00:50:53,000 They were quite a lot quicker. 924 00:50:53,720 --> 00:50:56,280 [commentator 2] Button is only one and a half seconds ahead of Vettel. 925 00:50:57,080 --> 00:50:59,840 [commentator 1] It's gonna be a real chase to the line here. 926 00:50:59,920 --> 00:51:04,480 It's Button for Brawn, Vettel for Red Bull, Kubica for BMW. 927 00:51:05,840 --> 00:51:09,000 [Shovlin] Kubica is on primes. He could be a threat. 928 00:51:09,680 --> 00:51:11,200 I always said to our staff, 929 00:51:11,280 --> 00:51:14,120 "Luck is preparation waiting for an opportunity." 930 00:51:15,440 --> 00:51:17,920 [commentator 1] Barrichello and Rosberg, wheel to wheel now, 931 00:51:18,000 --> 00:51:20,080 as they go through on that far side of the track. 932 00:51:20,160 --> 00:51:22,280 [commentator 2] Barrichello steams through. 933 00:51:22,960 --> 00:51:26,440 When those opportunities come, if you don't take them, someone else will. 934 00:51:27,320 --> 00:51:29,040 [commentator 1] Rubens Barrichello in fourth. 935 00:51:29,120 --> 00:51:32,040 Kubica is third, Vettel second and Button still out in front. 936 00:51:32,120 --> 00:51:35,200 But look at the gap between them. Barely one and a half seconds. 937 00:51:35,720 --> 00:51:38,240 [commentator 2] Jenson's got to push like crazy now. 938 00:51:38,920 --> 00:51:41,000 Kubica is flying. 939 00:51:41,920 --> 00:51:44,920 [commentator 1] This is the battle which is going to make or break this race. 940 00:51:45,640 --> 00:51:47,440 -There's a problem there. -[commentator 2] He's been hit. 941 00:51:47,520 --> 00:51:49,560 [commentator 1] There goes Kubica and there goes Vettel. 942 00:51:49,640 --> 00:51:51,000 That's the last thing they needed to do. 943 00:51:53,480 --> 00:51:56,200 Jenson Button will be romping clear now. 944 00:51:57,280 --> 00:52:01,280 [commentator 2] Barrichello up into second place for a Brawn 1-2. 945 00:52:01,880 --> 00:52:04,120 [engines revving] 946 00:52:05,760 --> 00:52:09,800 [commentator 1] Jenson Button crosses the line, takes the chequered flag. 947 00:52:09,880 --> 00:52:11,840 Jenson Button's a winner again. 948 00:52:11,920 --> 00:52:16,600 It's a 1-2 finish. Button from Barrichello. What a result! 949 00:52:16,680 --> 00:52:18,760 [Button, laughs] 950 00:52:20,200 --> 00:52:23,720 [crew on radio] 951 00:52:31,920 --> 00:52:34,960 I've never had that emotion before, really, with team members. 952 00:52:35,040 --> 00:52:36,360 You know, that connection. 953 00:52:40,280 --> 00:52:43,760 [Brawn] 954 00:52:46,480 --> 00:52:50,120 [Button] And that moment, it's like, "We bloody did it. 955 00:52:50,880 --> 00:52:54,800 We came here and we beat the giants." 956 00:52:54,880 --> 00:52:57,880 [cheering, chattering] 957 00:53:01,120 --> 00:53:05,720 So you come out of this car in Melbourne, the garage is going berserk, right? 958 00:53:05,800 --> 00:53:06,880 Yes, absolutely. 959 00:53:06,960 --> 00:53:10,120 You know, we are presenting ourselves the winner 960 00:53:10,200 --> 00:53:13,000 with a car that almost didn't happen, 961 00:53:13,080 --> 00:53:15,480 so it was something else. 962 00:53:17,440 --> 00:53:19,240 The last garage was the top one now. 963 00:53:20,000 --> 00:53:21,600 [Fry] Oh, just an absolute fairy tale. 964 00:53:21,680 --> 00:53:23,840 I just can't believe we've actually managed to do it. 965 00:53:25,320 --> 00:53:27,920 [Fry] Everything that had happened before, 966 00:53:28,000 --> 00:53:31,160 you know, really, kind of, came out into the open. 967 00:53:31,240 --> 00:53:35,240 And Ross was on the pit wall and he was crying. 968 00:53:35,880 --> 00:53:38,800 Everything all our staff have been through, just sensational. 969 00:53:38,880 --> 00:53:40,880 And, uh, I can't really put it into words. 970 00:53:41,400 --> 00:53:43,320 For the big man to show that much emotion, 971 00:53:44,040 --> 00:53:45,320 you know we've done something good. 972 00:53:45,400 --> 00:53:47,200 [Reeves] Cars are coming down. 973 00:53:48,440 --> 00:53:50,080 People are losing their minds. 974 00:53:52,520 --> 00:53:54,080 -You're getting claps, right? -Hmm. 975 00:53:55,840 --> 00:53:57,000 [Brawn] It was beautiful, really, 976 00:53:57,080 --> 00:53:59,400 'cause all the people in the pit lane knew what we'd been through. 977 00:53:59,480 --> 00:54:02,520 The tension and pressure that we'd had for so long. 978 00:54:04,120 --> 00:54:07,360 They would've been sharing that joy that we had that day, 979 00:54:07,440 --> 00:54:09,040 'cause it was a joy for Formula 1. 980 00:54:09,120 --> 00:54:11,600 [cheering] 981 00:54:11,680 --> 00:54:13,920 Just one of the best moments of my career. 982 00:54:14,000 --> 00:54:15,680 [cheering continues] 983 00:54:15,760 --> 00:54:18,160 I mean, that was magical. Just magical. 984 00:54:19,720 --> 00:54:21,960 It was about everything that had gone before it. 985 00:54:22,040 --> 00:54:23,720 It was about all the hard work. 986 00:54:25,160 --> 00:54:28,320 You know, I believed our team was working harder than any other, 987 00:54:29,640 --> 00:54:31,520 because we were fighting for survival. 988 00:54:31,600 --> 00:54:34,760 [cheering] 989 00:54:38,080 --> 00:54:39,800 -[Reeves] They won the race! -Yes. 990 00:54:39,880 --> 00:54:42,120 They come to Australia and they win. 991 00:54:42,200 --> 00:54:45,360 -Yes. -On the track, the cars are driving in. 992 00:54:45,440 --> 00:54:48,600 Other teams, they're, like, clapping. 993 00:54:48,680 --> 00:54:50,240 -Yes, but… -The team itself is, like, 994 00:54:50,320 --> 00:54:52,480 they're crying. They're so happy. 995 00:54:52,560 --> 00:54:54,160 -Yeah, but… -They did the impossible. 996 00:54:54,240 --> 00:54:56,720 They put the Mercedes engine in the car. 997 00:54:56,800 --> 00:54:58,360 They have the double diffuser… 998 00:54:58,440 --> 00:55:04,000 You are making a list, and I answer to you, they went too far. 999 00:55:04,080 --> 00:55:06,160 Suddenly, you know, 1000 00:55:06,240 --> 00:55:09,920 this team that everybody just wanted to survive, is killing us. 1001 00:55:10,640 --> 00:55:13,440 I mean, there was all this goodwill towards Brawn GP, 1002 00:55:13,520 --> 00:55:17,760 and everybody did their bit to help them survive. 1003 00:55:17,840 --> 00:55:23,280 Then Ross, he's got this outlook of the big bear, this big cuddly guy that, 1004 00:55:23,360 --> 00:55:27,280 you know, would never dream of doing anything questionable in any way. 1005 00:55:28,960 --> 00:55:33,280 Yet really, behind the scenes, he's the most cut-throat, 1006 00:55:33,360 --> 00:55:39,880 ruthless competitor probably that we've ever come across. 1007 00:55:39,960 --> 00:55:43,880 You know, he would sell his grandmother to get what he wanted. 1008 00:55:46,360 --> 00:55:49,160 [Horner] We put in a protest because we wanted to clarify 1009 00:55:49,240 --> 00:55:52,480 what the FIA's, you know, position is, 1010 00:55:52,560 --> 00:55:56,080 because the whole new concept of these regulations 1011 00:55:56,160 --> 00:56:00,560 is undermined by a double-decker, you know, rear diffuser. 1012 00:56:01,760 --> 00:56:03,320 [Reeves] Are the knives out yet or are they-- 1013 00:56:03,400 --> 00:56:05,880 -The knives are sharpened. -[chuckles] 1014 00:56:05,960 --> 00:56:09,680 And the best way to become unpopular very quickly is to start winning. 1015 00:56:11,000 --> 00:56:12,720 [Brawn] I mean, we are now in a different phase. 1016 00:56:12,800 --> 00:56:15,760 So we've gone past the phase of helping us survive. 1017 00:56:15,840 --> 00:56:18,720 We are now in the phase where we don't want to be beaten by these people. 1018 00:56:18,800 --> 00:56:21,320 "Great to see you here, but don't embarrass us." 1019 00:56:21,400 --> 00:56:24,280 In 2009, was more evident. 1020 00:56:24,360 --> 00:56:26,240 Since the first race, 1021 00:56:26,320 --> 00:56:30,280 a big gap between this car with the Mercedes engine, 1022 00:56:30,360 --> 00:56:33,480 this car without a long tradition, 1023 00:56:33,560 --> 00:56:37,640 with a team manager that has never been a team manager before, 1024 00:56:38,320 --> 00:56:39,880 immediately competitive. 1025 00:56:39,960 --> 00:56:44,520 All of us, all the teams, were aware there was something against the rules. 1026 00:56:46,040 --> 00:56:48,400 [Reeves] So, the FIA said the car is fine. 1027 00:56:48,480 --> 00:56:49,320 Yes. 1028 00:56:49,400 --> 00:56:52,280 And everybody else was saying they're cheating? 1029 00:56:53,920 --> 00:56:54,920 Yes.