“Brawn BGP 001/02” – ‘autobiography’ of F1’s famed one-off wonder reviewed · RaceFans

The one-season-wonder story of Brawn GP is by now extremely well-trodden. Perhaps the only remaining unanswered question is who should play Ross Brawn in the inevitable movie.

Therefore I approached David Tremayne’s new “autobiography” of the Brawn BGP 001/02 with a touch of trepidation. I need not have worried, however: If you only buy one book on the Brawn story this is the one to get.

Beautifully designed by Porter Press and accessibly, yet comprehensively, written, this is the complete story of the Brawn GP adventure. From Honda’s shock late 2008 withdrawal we are taken through their stunning championship triumph, Jenson Button’s triumph in the drivers’ title and the team’s sale to Mercedes – plus their star driver’s acrimonious departure to McLaren.

The book is impeccably sourced. Tremayne weaves in all the voices you’d want to hear from in a rounded narrative that doesn’t duck some of the controversies and goes into details that former CEO Nick Fry omitted from his 2019 memoir. Tremayne also gets the pacing spot-on, with just the right amount of contextualisation.

The passage of time also means that the reflections are open and candid in a way that often seems to be missing from contemporary coverage. My chief criticism is the book is lighter on technical detail than the title may suggest – there’s plenty there (especially in the appendices which include period PowerPoint slides on some of the design features), but a Haynes manual this is not. The diagrams which show the research behind the conception of the car’s infamous ‘double diffuser’ are fascinating, however.

Also newly out from Porter Press, in the same series, is Serge Vanbockryck’s autobiography of Porsche 962/88 chassis 962 011. Both sweeping and specific the book covers both Porsche’s Group C glory days, whilst going into the detail you’d want about 962 011’s later life in Interserie and IMSA racing. If you’re the audience for this kind of thing (and I am), then I’d certainly look at moving this towards the top of the wish list.

“Brawn BGP 001/02: The Autobiography of Jenson Button’s world championship winner”