Brawn GP Won F1 Title After Buying Team for One Pound

Sometimes the biggest wins come from the most unlikely places, and Formula One has seen underdogs defy impossible odds to claim victory.

Ross Brawn bought a bankrupt racing team in 2009 for just one British pound. Honda had abandoned the squad at the end of 2008, leaving employees without jobs and cars without sponsors.

Brawn secured a last-minute Mercedes engine deal and showed up to the first race looking more like a skeleton crew than championship contenders. But his team had discovered a regulation loophole called the "Double Diffuser" that gave them a massive aerodynamic advantage.

Driver Jenson Button won six of the first seven races. The team defended their lead as rivals scrambled to catch up, and Brawn GP became the only team in history to win the championship in their debut season.

Kimi Raikkonen pulled off an equally stunning upset in 2007. He entered the final race in Brazil sitting third in the standings, trailing the leader by seven points when a win only earned 10 points total.

Internal problems at rival team McLaren and a gearbox glitch for frontrunner Lewis Hamilton opened a door that shouldn't have existed. Raikkonen drove a flawless race and won the championship by a single point.

Why This Inspires

These victories remind us that the favorites don't always win. Graham Hill rescued his team from collapse after losing their star driver in 1968, showing leadership matters as much as speed.

James Hunt battled through a rain-soaked finale in 1976 to claim his championship while his rival withdrew for safety. Keke Rosberg won only one race in the chaotic 1982 season but stayed consistent enough to claim the title.

Rain, mechanical failures, and clever engineering can flip the script in an instant. The technical giants of Formula One usually dominate, but these moments prove that courage and strategy can overcome raw power.

One pound turned into a world championship, and one point separated glory from heartbreak.