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00:00:05,203 --> 00:00:09,563
[Reeves] For as long as I can remember,
I've had a fascination with racing,
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00:00:10,123 --> 00:00:13,843
and I'm going to share a story
that barely seems believable.
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00:00:18,323 --> 00:00:23,243
In a world of fierce competition,
politics, money and power,
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00:00:24,363 --> 00:00:27,283
at the highest level
of global motor sport,
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a small, underfinanced team
drew on every ounce of determination
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to overcome the biggest names
in motor racing.
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This is the story of Brawn GP.
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[engines revving]
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How low will it go?
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00:00:52,963 --> 00:00:55,003
The stock market slide continued today.
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[reporter] The credit crunch
has brought Formula 1
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00:00:56,923 --> 00:00:58,563
crashing back down to earth.
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[Brawn] The economic situation was dire.
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[reporter] Motor giant Honda
pulled the plug on Formula 1.
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[Reeves] Why do people say that you were
the one pound Formula 1 team?
16
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Well, I gave a pound to the Honda
executive to formalise the deal.
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We did not have a plan B for anything.
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[Bigois] No way that this car
doesn't make Melbourne.
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Even if we arrive like that.
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[engines revving]
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Didn't they tell you, you couldn't crash?
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[commentator] Jenson Button
will be romping clear now.
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[Button cheers]
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You couldn't come up
with a Hollywood script.
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No, I'd never believe you.
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We're lucky bastards.
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We were lucky bastards indeed.
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[commentator] Jenson Button crosses
the line, takes the chequered flag.
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[Button] This opportunity
doesn't come around for many people.
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[commentator]
For the first time in five years,
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Rubens Barrichello is a winner
in Formula 1.
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[Barrichello] This season is made for me.
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I'm gonna win the championship.
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Tell us what you said to your drivers?
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Yeah, just don't hit each other.
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[Ecclestone] People believe in him,
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because he looks innocent,
and he wouldn't hurt anybody.
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[Horner] Yet, really, behind the scenes,
a smiling assassin.
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- I think you're all smiling assassins.
- [both chuckle]
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[Button over radio]
Oh, you have built me a monster of a car.
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[Montezemolo] They went too far.
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All of us were aware there was something
against the rules.
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Suddenly, this team that everybody
just wanted to survive, is killing us.
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[reporter 1]
Formula 1 has been thrown into chaos.
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[reporter 2] The biggest crisis
to hit motor sport in 50 years.
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[reporter 3] ...whether his car is legal.
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This was the start of the war.
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It is still with the blood.
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That's the piece
that came out of your car.
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- [imitates crash]
- [Brawn] The knives were out,
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and they were after us.
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The problem was, collectively,
they didn't have any balls.
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[crew over radio]
You're seriously on fire, Rubens.
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[commentator]
Complete despair on the Brawn pit wall.
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[Brundle] Now, this is about survival.
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The pack had caught up.
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[Brawn]
The emotions were starting to show.
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I wish I can get on the plane
and go back home right now.
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Everyone's in Formula 1 to win.
We're not all friends.
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Jenson Button P14.
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- Where are you now?
- [radio feedback]
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I felt that the whole world
was watching me fail.
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[Button] This is the perfect way
to throw it away. Jesus fucking Christ.
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It's ten past midnight. Cinderella's gone.
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It's like the best in the world
fighting for, like, this.
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[Brundle] One of the greatest seasons
in Formula 1 history.
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[Brawn] Just don't give up
until you can't go any further.
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Because if we'd given up,
we wouldn't be telling the story.
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[narrator] March the 4th, 1986.
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Britain is still in the grip
of a miserable winter.
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Aerodynamicist Ross Brawn is
in the Cranfield Aeronautics wind tunnel.
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[treadmill whirring]
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All Formula 1 aerodynamicists are locked
in an endless quest for more downforce.
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[Brawn] Formula 1 is such a unique blend
of technology and sport.
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00:04:13,923 --> 00:04:17,883
Once it gets into your blood,
it will never let go.
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Everything people do in Formula 1
is competitive.
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[commentator] Where is Michael Schumacher?
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00:04:28,163 --> 00:04:30,603
He's stuck in traffic.
I want him in this lap.
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[Brawn] It is technical.
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00:04:31,763 --> 00:04:33,443
It's engineering. It's strategy.
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[commentator] What an absolutely
phenomenal drive by Michael Schumacher.
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[Brawn over radio]
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00:04:39,723 --> 00:04:42,923
[Schumacher, cheers]
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00:04:44,603 --> 00:04:47,283
[Brawn]
I had an unbelievable spell at Ferrari.
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00:04:47,883 --> 00:04:50,443
We won
six World Constructors' Championships.
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00:04:50,443 --> 00:04:53,403
Michael won
five Drivers' Championships there.
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And I really didn't imagine
anything else could ever follow that.
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I thought a decade at Ferrari was perfect.
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{\an8}I'd decided I wanted a year out.
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[spectators cheer]
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[Montezemolo]
This was historical era for Ferrari.
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{\an8}When he left, I accepted,
because he say to me, "I want to fish."
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If he say to me, "I leave
because I want to go in another team"...
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For me, it was a disaster for my heart.
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[Reeves]
Can you speak a little bit about Honda?
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00:05:32,723 --> 00:05:34,323
You were CEO.
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[Fry] You know, fundamentally,
we lacked experience in Formula 1.
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My background is big companies.
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I know how they operate.
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In many ways, we had too much money.
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We ended up working on a whole bunch
of stuff which really was distracting
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and didn't give us much
in the way of results on the track.
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We needed a top-class technical director.
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Those, in Formula 1,
are few and far between.
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I set about ringing Ross,
about once a month.
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[Brawn] Nick was relentless.
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It would just be, uh, a friendly chat.
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He'd just keep reminding me he was there.
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Ferrari really wanted me to come back
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doing the same thing that I'd been doing
before, which I wasn't interested in.
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And Nick and Honda were offering up
another step in my career.
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So it was as team principal.
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In charge of everything.
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[reporter] Ross Brawn, the most successful
technical director in recent years,
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has joined Honda as team principal.
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Ross, welcome to the team.
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Thank you. I'm very pleased to be here.
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This was a big deal.
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And this was also, I think,
a big deal within Formula 1.
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[Button] I remember being at Brackley,
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{\an8}and we had the whole factory there.
We're all sat on the floor.
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And it gets announced
that Ross is part of the team.
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Before he opens his mouth,
I think, it lifts the team,
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because of what he's achieved.
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[Reeves] 2005, you're with Ferrari.
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You make a jump for new opportunities.
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Your former technical director,
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Ross Brawn, leaves Ferrari to join Honda.
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Everybody in Formula 1
knew of the background of Ross.
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So, for sure, I was happy.
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[Reeves] Did you talk to him?
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Did you wish him luck at Honda?
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[breathes deeply]
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Did you have a...
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I think Honda made
a very good offer to him.
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And, uh, they were very, very smart
to have a person like him.
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I've always found Ross to be a very polite
guy, a very nice guy to communicate with,
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but a ferocious competitor.
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And, uh, you know, a smiling assassin.
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- I think you're all smiling assassins.
- [both chuckle]
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[no audible dialogue]
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[Reeves] I mean, Ross was perceived as
a tactical genius.
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As a wonderful manager of people.
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I think that's what he was good at.
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People believe in him,
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because he looks innocent,
and he wouldn't hurt anybody,
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and, therefore, people sort of...
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[stammers]
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...trusted him completely.
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I feel like there's a but.
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No, maybe there's a most.
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[Reeves] And what does that mean?
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Most people trusted him.
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[Horner] It was a big, big risk by Ross
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to go from a very comfortable dominant
environment in Ferrari to take a punt.
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Uh, and Honda wasn't a small team.
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Honda had one of the biggest budgets
in Formula 1,
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but they were under-delivering.
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You know,
the sleeping giant that needed waking.
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Was it ambition?
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Do you feel like he wanted to maybe...
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Prove that he can win
also with somebody else. Yes.
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[Clear] With the 2008 car,
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the first thing Ross said was,
"Let's cut the bullshit.
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This is a shit box.
You're not gonna win anything with this."
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[Brawn] This would be a year
where once the car was racing,
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we're not gonna pay any attention to it.
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[Barrichello speaking, indistinct]
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[Brawn] 'Cause there was
these new regulations coming,
170
00:09:17,243 --> 00:09:20,603
and it was vital that we put all
our resource into these new regulations,
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'cause it was such a great opportunity.
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And that was a strategic decision
that I don't think anyone else made.
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[Reeves] Every few years,
there are rule changes in F1.
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Almost all of them
with the goal of improving safety,
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so the cars don't keep getting faster
and faster.
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These rule changes
clip the wings of car designers,
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and all the teams essentially
start from scratch.
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[Brawn] Teams start to look
at the design of the cars,
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00:09:48,443 --> 00:09:51,883
they see problems with the regulations,
or they see opportunities.
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[engine revving]
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00:09:53,843 --> 00:09:56,763
Formula 1 cars are the pinnacle
of motor racing.
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The fastest cars on the planet,
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because they're so efficient
in terms of downforce,
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00:10:01,443 --> 00:10:04,883
creating incredible grip
and incredible cornering speeds.
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00:10:07,603 --> 00:10:09,123
[lights click]
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00:10:09,123 --> 00:10:10,203
[blades whirring]
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00:10:10,203 --> 00:10:14,923
[Reeves] The new 2009 rules
restricted the cars' aerodynamics,
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00:10:15,443 --> 00:10:17,563
giving them less downforce:
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00:10:17,563 --> 00:10:21,283
The airflow around and through the car
that pushes it to the ground.
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00:10:23,003 --> 00:10:27,083
The idea was to make the racing closer,
with more overtaking.
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00:10:28,163 --> 00:10:31,683
[Fry] It was a pretty big meeting
on the strategy for the new car,
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00:10:31,683 --> 00:10:37,083
where a very junior
Japanese aerodynamicist
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00:10:37,083 --> 00:10:40,883
put up his hand and said,
you know, he'd got this idea
194
00:10:41,403 --> 00:10:46,683
fundamental to giving us more downforce
at the back of the car
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00:10:46,683 --> 00:10:49,083
than the rules had originally intended.
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00:10:49,083 --> 00:10:54,443
It's like the opposite
of this famous movie Lost in Translation.
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It's found in translation,
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00:10:56,403 --> 00:11:01,123
because they found something
an English guy cannot read.
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00:11:01,123 --> 00:11:06,563
You take word by word, line by line,
and say, "Ah, why we are not doing that?"
200
00:11:06,563 --> 00:11:10,363
The purpose of regulation
is to reduce downforce.
201
00:11:10,363 --> 00:11:14,003
The diffuser are very important
aerodynamics part.
202
00:11:14,683 --> 00:11:15,883
What is a diffuser?
203
00:11:15,883 --> 00:11:19,283
So it's the bodywork around
the rear wheels that faces the ground.
204
00:11:19,283 --> 00:11:23,603
Under your car,
you are trying to generate low pressure,
205
00:11:23,603 --> 00:11:27,043
and this low pressure
will bring your car down.
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00:11:28,083 --> 00:11:31,603
There was a controlled set of dimensions,
but it wasn't controlled well enough.
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00:11:32,203 --> 00:11:34,803
There was an opportunity
to have another diffuser,
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00:11:34,803 --> 00:11:36,843
and then to couple these two together.
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00:11:37,443 --> 00:11:39,803
[Reeves]
And, so, the double diffuser was born.
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00:11:40,563 --> 00:11:43,643
A loophole design
that got around the new regulations.
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00:11:44,243 --> 00:11:47,203
The double diffuser
gave the car way more downforce
212
00:11:47,203 --> 00:11:52,243
than the rules had originally intended,
effectively, giving it more grip,
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00:11:52,243 --> 00:11:54,803
which allowed
for more speed in the corners.
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00:11:56,723 --> 00:12:00,563
More speed in the corners meant
they would be faster on the straights.
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00:12:01,843 --> 00:12:03,403
The penny dropped.
216
00:12:03,403 --> 00:12:06,763
Hang on a minute, you know,
he's onto something here.
217
00:12:06,763 --> 00:12:08,923
This is a new opportunity,
218
00:12:08,923 --> 00:12:12,323
and the more we got into it,
the more we realised the potential.
219
00:12:13,043 --> 00:12:16,323
I know that any advantage you have
in Formula 1 is only temporary,
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00:12:16,323 --> 00:12:18,443
but we had this opportunity,
221
00:12:18,443 --> 00:12:21,523
and we were on the path
to achieve our ambitions.
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00:12:22,403 --> 00:12:25,843
We had no idea what was about to happen.
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[passer-by] Wait, who is he?
224
00:12:30,043 --> 00:12:31,763
[reporter 1] How low will it go?
225
00:12:31,763 --> 00:12:33,643
The stock market slide continued today.
226
00:12:33,643 --> 00:12:36,443
[reporter 2] Two financial giants,
Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers,
227
00:12:36,443 --> 00:12:39,003
buckled under the real estate
and credit crises.
228
00:12:39,003 --> 00:12:43,643
[reporter 3] A record $3.7 trillion
in market value has been lost this year.
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00:12:43,643 --> 00:12:46,483
Capitalism itself
looks like it's on the brink.
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00:12:48,403 --> 00:12:49,883
[horns honking]
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00:12:49,883 --> 00:12:52,763
[Oshima] Lehman Brothers crashed down.
232
00:12:54,923 --> 00:12:59,443
After that, for Honda, car order,
it stopped.
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00:13:00,683 --> 00:13:05,323
So, we must shut down our production line.
234
00:13:08,523 --> 00:13:12,443
We got a call to meet with
one of the Honda executives.
235
00:13:13,963 --> 00:13:15,003
Oshima-san.
236
00:13:16,123 --> 00:13:19,763
[Fry] Oshima-san was someone
I'd worked with for several years.
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00:13:19,763 --> 00:13:21,843
[aeroplane passing]
238
00:13:23,283 --> 00:13:25,283
[Brawn]
We didn't know he was in the country.
239
00:13:30,043 --> 00:13:31,963
[Fry] And we had assumed,
240
00:13:33,243 --> 00:13:35,403
you know,
we just need to save some money here.
241
00:13:40,843 --> 00:13:44,203
[Brawn] We went into a small room
with Oshima-san,
242
00:13:44,923 --> 00:13:48,323
who was clearly very distressed,
which was worrying.
243
00:13:53,043 --> 00:13:54,763
And what did he say?
244
00:13:54,763 --> 00:13:58,443
Well, it wasn't what he said, initially,
it was the fact that he was crying.
245
00:13:59,283 --> 00:14:02,723
And he announced that Honda was stopping.
246
00:14:02,723 --> 00:14:05,243
It was all coming to an end.
247
00:14:06,283 --> 00:14:08,763
While the economy crashed down...
248
00:14:09,523 --> 00:14:13,803
It's not necessary to do motor sports
in that situation,
249
00:14:13,803 --> 00:14:20,203
so our management decide to quit F1.
250
00:14:21,443 --> 00:14:25,283
[Fry] He said,
"Tell the staff that this is it,"
251
00:14:25,283 --> 00:14:28,443
and, you know, "Turn out the lights."
252
00:14:35,403 --> 00:14:37,963
I mean, was there a moment
where you're in the hallways,
253
00:14:37,963 --> 00:14:41,123
and you look at each other,
and you're like, I don't know, like...
254
00:14:41,123 --> 00:14:44,403
[chuckles] ...Ross turns to Nick Fry
and says, "What the fuck?"
255
00:14:44,403 --> 00:14:45,483
[all laugh]
256
00:14:45,483 --> 00:14:47,923
And Nick turns to Ross
and goes, "What the fuck?"
257
00:14:47,923 --> 00:14:50,723
Well, it would definitely have been
a "we weren't expecting that" moment.
258
00:14:51,243 --> 00:14:54,163
Our minds were racing,
'cause you're suddenly faced with...
259
00:14:54,723 --> 00:14:57,443
And I know my mind was racing,
"What can we do?"
260
00:14:57,443 --> 00:15:00,243
We weren't really prepared
for the ambush which followed.
261
00:15:05,323 --> 00:15:06,803
[Brawn] It was a fait accompli.
262
00:15:08,123 --> 00:15:10,323
They invite us
into a much bigger boardroom
263
00:15:11,203 --> 00:15:14,083
to meet lawyers and HR specialists.
264
00:15:15,043 --> 00:15:17,923
[Fry] And it was really
the assassination squad.
265
00:15:17,923 --> 00:15:19,803
They didn't see any other option
266
00:15:19,803 --> 00:15:23,123
apart from to close down the company,
make everyone redundant,
267
00:15:23,123 --> 00:15:27,043
they would exit from Formula 1,
and they would carry on their business.
268
00:15:28,843 --> 00:15:30,203
[Brawn] Our defences went up,
269
00:15:30,723 --> 00:15:34,803
and we made it clear this was not gonna be
just a walk away and turn the lights off.
270
00:15:34,803 --> 00:15:35,923
That wasn't gonna happen.
271
00:15:35,923 --> 00:15:38,523
The magnitude of what we're talking about...
272
00:15:38,523 --> 00:15:40,963
It's just not something
you can turn off overnight.
273
00:15:40,963 --> 00:15:43,723
It was incomprehensible
they thought that could be done.
274
00:15:44,323 --> 00:15:45,843
[Fry] It was against the rules.
275
00:15:45,843 --> 00:15:47,283
Against the law.
276
00:15:47,803 --> 00:15:49,923
You know,
they didn't really have an option.
277
00:15:50,803 --> 00:15:52,403
[Brawn] And that bought us time.
278
00:15:52,403 --> 00:15:55,763
That bought us time
to start to think about what we could do.
279
00:15:57,323 --> 00:16:01,163
[Reeves] Legally, Honda had to put
the whole team on three months' notice
280
00:16:01,723 --> 00:16:03,883
with a view to redundancy
at the end of it.
281
00:16:04,643 --> 00:16:08,363
But Ross and Nick convinced Honda
they could sell the team.
282
00:16:08,363 --> 00:16:11,563
Which would not only be cheaper
than making the whole team redundant
283
00:16:11,563 --> 00:16:13,483
and paying off their many contracts,
284
00:16:14,043 --> 00:16:17,403
but also save 700 jobs.
285
00:16:22,123 --> 00:16:28,323
[Fry] We asked for a month
to try and find a buyer for the team.
286
00:16:31,043 --> 00:16:32,163
{\an8}We went back to Brackley,
287
00:16:33,483 --> 00:16:35,363
{\an8}and we told everybody.
288
00:16:39,163 --> 00:16:42,723
[Brawn] Honda has decided
to discontinue their Formula 1 activity.
289
00:16:43,523 --> 00:16:46,883
- [employee] Fucking hell...
- They will not be competing in 2009.
290
00:16:47,443 --> 00:16:51,683
What this means, is that we are all
under threat of losing our jobs.
291
00:16:52,523 --> 00:16:55,123
[Reeves] What was it like having to tell
all the staff at Brackley
292
00:16:55,123 --> 00:16:56,803
they were on three months' notice?
293
00:16:56,803 --> 00:16:58,163
How did people handle it?
294
00:16:59,003 --> 00:17:03,043
Shock. I think everyone knew
the economic situation was dire.
295
00:17:03,563 --> 00:17:05,483
But it was still a massive shock
for everyone.
296
00:17:07,963 --> 00:17:10,323
I think my first words were,
"But they can't."
297
00:17:10,323 --> 00:17:12,683
"They just can't pull out."
298
00:17:14,563 --> 00:17:17,923
{\an8}It was my job, and it was, you know,
500 other people on-site
299
00:17:17,923 --> 00:17:22,043
{\an8}who weren't sure how they were gonna
pay the bills all of a sudden.
300
00:17:22,803 --> 00:17:24,563
[Deane] It's leading up to Christmas.
301
00:17:24,563 --> 00:17:26,763
We had a financial crisis on our hands.
302
00:17:26,763 --> 00:17:30,043
It probably wasn't going to be
the best time to be out of work
303
00:17:30,043 --> 00:17:31,883
and looking for another job.
304
00:17:33,083 --> 00:17:36,643
[Shovlin] I had a half-finished house,
a fully pregnant wife.
305
00:17:36,643 --> 00:17:39,323
It was quite a lot of emotion
to deal with.
306
00:17:39,323 --> 00:17:41,603
[shutters clicking]
307
00:17:41,603 --> 00:17:43,323
[Fry] The impact of this was huge.
308
00:17:44,083 --> 00:17:48,843
It was really the visible incarnation
309
00:17:48,843 --> 00:17:51,723
of how bad the economic crisis was.
310
00:17:51,723 --> 00:17:54,083
[speaking Japanese]
311
00:17:54,083 --> 00:17:57,003
[reporter] Spiralling costs
and little success on the track
312
00:17:57,003 --> 00:17:58,763
means that if a deal isn't struck soon,
313
00:17:58,763 --> 00:18:03,323
the whole team will be closed down,
with the loss of 800 British jobs.
314
00:18:08,323 --> 00:18:09,923
[shutters clicking]
315
00:18:09,923 --> 00:18:11,083
[journalist] Hello, Jenson.
316
00:18:11,083 --> 00:18:12,883
What will you be telling people today?
317
00:18:14,723 --> 00:18:18,163
[Horner] Richard Goddard, the manager
of Jenson, had called me to say,
318
00:18:18,163 --> 00:18:20,843
"Look, we don't think
we're gonna be on the grid this year.
319
00:18:20,843 --> 00:18:23,723
Have you got a seat
that you could offer Jenson?"
320
00:18:23,723 --> 00:18:26,243
It was like, "Guys, you know, we're full.
321
00:18:26,243 --> 00:18:30,083
It's ten past midnight, you know,
and Cinderella's gone."
322
00:18:31,923 --> 00:18:33,803
[Button] First of all, I was in shock.
323
00:18:33,803 --> 00:18:37,403
After all we'd been through
the last two years, I found it tough.
324
00:18:37,403 --> 00:18:41,323
And he said,
"I can't see there's any way out of this."
325
00:18:44,083 --> 00:18:46,843
Your contract's up,
and you don't know if there's a team,
326
00:18:46,843 --> 00:18:48,843
and you don't know where you can drive,
327
00:18:48,843 --> 00:18:52,083
and you've been in Formula 1
now for 14 years.
328
00:18:52,083 --> 00:18:53,803
Is your career over?
329
00:18:53,803 --> 00:18:56,803
My wife, at the time, thought I was crazy.
330
00:18:56,803 --> 00:18:58,483
My friends thought I was crazy,
331
00:18:58,483 --> 00:19:03,243
because I kept on thinking
that I would have a job.
332
00:19:03,243 --> 00:19:06,443
And I thought, "Okay,
should I grab a plane and go there?"
333
00:19:06,443 --> 00:19:08,243
Ross said, "Don't come here.
334
00:19:08,243 --> 00:19:09,803
- It's not a good time."
- [Reeves chuckles]
335
00:19:09,803 --> 00:19:11,963
So, it was a tough period.
336
00:19:15,083 --> 00:19:17,603
[Brawn] They were out of a drive
so late in the season,
337
00:19:17,603 --> 00:19:19,323
they couldn't find anywhere else to go.
338
00:19:19,323 --> 00:19:23,243
We knew if we could get going, we would
automatically have two good drivers,
339
00:19:23,243 --> 00:19:25,283
and we knew they weren't going anywhere.
340
00:19:25,283 --> 00:19:29,603
I spoke to Ross, and I spoke to Richard,
and a few other people.
341
00:19:29,603 --> 00:19:30,683
[Deane] Sure.
342
00:19:30,683 --> 00:19:33,483
[Button] And there are positives,
you know?
343
00:19:33,483 --> 00:19:36,883
But the thing is that we need to--
we need to stay positive in ourselves.
344
00:19:36,883 --> 00:19:38,923
Yeah, I think that's the feeling
from all of us guys here--
345
00:19:38,923 --> 00:19:41,843
[Button] Exactly.
And as-- And as one team.
346
00:19:43,163 --> 00:19:46,443
[Brawn] I remember we gave a speech
to the staff.
347
00:19:46,443 --> 00:19:49,523
We explained that if we gave up now,
we'd have nothing to sell.
348
00:19:50,283 --> 00:19:51,603
We have two choices:
349
00:19:52,523 --> 00:19:54,803
Walk away with our tails between our legs.
350
00:19:55,523 --> 00:19:56,723
Or we can fight.
351
00:19:57,243 --> 00:19:59,883
- Are we going to fight?
- [team] Yes!
352
00:20:00,403 --> 00:20:02,363
- [Brawn] Are we going to fight?
- [team] Yes!
353
00:20:03,123 --> 00:20:06,163
{\an8}We were all at risk at that point,
354
00:20:07,083 --> 00:20:09,723
but we were told to carry on.
355
00:20:10,283 --> 00:20:12,763
And we were basically working
for our careers.
356
00:20:12,763 --> 00:20:13,923
Working for our future.
357
00:20:15,603 --> 00:20:19,923
The effort we had to put in at the time
was massive.
358
00:20:20,683 --> 00:20:24,723
[Brawn] We had to all push hard
for these next few months
359
00:20:24,723 --> 00:20:26,603
to give ourselves the best opportunity,
360
00:20:26,603 --> 00:20:32,003
and none of us must ease up
in the commitment we needed.
361
00:20:32,603 --> 00:20:37,123
That, I think, was one of the things
that really, really impacted all of us,
362
00:20:37,123 --> 00:20:39,163
was that very few people left.
363
00:20:39,163 --> 00:20:43,083
Very few people chose
to run for the doors.
364
00:20:43,723 --> 00:20:45,763
In the back of everybody's mind,
you're thinking,
365
00:20:45,763 --> 00:20:47,003
"Well, Ross is still here.
366
00:20:47,523 --> 00:20:48,603
We must be okay."
367
00:20:50,283 --> 00:20:51,923
{\an8}2008, we'd almost sacrificed
368
00:20:51,923 --> 00:20:55,843
{\an8}to make sure 2009 was gonna be
a strong year for us.
369
00:20:55,843 --> 00:20:57,323
This isn't the time to stop.
370
00:20:57,843 --> 00:21:00,603
No way that this car
doesn't make Melbourne.
371
00:21:00,603 --> 00:21:04,283
Even if we arrive like that,
and we do just one race.
372
00:21:04,283 --> 00:21:05,523
We have to do it.
373
00:21:06,963 --> 00:21:11,243
The spirit of those people
in that adversity was fantastic.
374
00:21:11,243 --> 00:21:12,523
They kept the team alive.
375
00:21:12,523 --> 00:21:15,403
It gave us something to take into 2009.
376
00:21:18,203 --> 00:21:21,003
The latest is that we continue
to work here.
377
00:21:21,003 --> 00:21:24,043
The staff will be paid by Honda
for at least the next three months
378
00:21:24,043 --> 00:21:25,403
and, during that time,
379
00:21:25,403 --> 00:21:28,643
we're hoping to find someone
who wishes to take over the team.
380
00:21:30,723 --> 00:21:33,283
[Reeves]
You kinda have a clock ticking, right?
381
00:21:33,283 --> 00:21:36,643
I mean, the first race, I believe,
is March 29th.
382
00:21:36,643 --> 00:21:39,883
To survive, you need to get investment.
383
00:21:39,883 --> 00:21:43,803
The technical side, you know,
Ross went off and handled.
384
00:21:43,803 --> 00:21:47,523
The finding investors was really,
you know, down to me.
385
00:21:48,563 --> 00:21:50,723
When these type of things happen,
386
00:21:50,723 --> 00:21:54,163
you know,
the world is full of opportunists.
387
00:21:54,923 --> 00:21:56,523
And everyone wanted to be in there.
388
00:21:57,163 --> 00:21:59,843
And the chance
of having their own team was huge.
389
00:22:00,443 --> 00:22:01,883
[Brawn] There were people who,
390
00:22:01,883 --> 00:22:04,603
when we checked their backgrounds,
they were pretty iffy.
391
00:22:04,603 --> 00:22:06,723
I mean,
two of them went to jail after that.
392
00:22:06,723 --> 00:22:09,643
Yeah, we were in the middle
of the huge financial crisis.
393
00:22:09,643 --> 00:22:12,723
I mean,
they were opportunists in the extreme.
394
00:22:12,723 --> 00:22:14,283
Everyone who came and looked at it,
395
00:22:14,283 --> 00:22:16,363
were asking money from Honda
to take it over.
396
00:22:16,363 --> 00:22:18,523
That's why Honda thought
they would just shut it,
397
00:22:18,523 --> 00:22:22,963
'cause they knew no one would be able to
come in and make that sort of commitment.
398
00:22:23,963 --> 00:22:25,683
But there was.
399
00:22:25,683 --> 00:22:26,763
In a way.
400
00:22:31,083 --> 00:22:33,923
[Fry] I came up with the idea
of a management buyout,
401
00:22:33,923 --> 00:22:36,923
in the absence of any other alternative.
402
00:22:38,043 --> 00:22:39,883
[McGrory] For Honda, as an organisation,
403
00:22:39,883 --> 00:22:44,043
{\an8}the idea of the management buying in,
rather than a third party,
404
00:22:44,043 --> 00:22:46,123
it just wasn't a way
that they would normally work,
405
00:22:46,123 --> 00:22:49,963
so it wasn't easy to convince them
that this was an option.
406
00:22:49,963 --> 00:22:53,323
I think it was viewed from their side,
quite understandably,
407
00:22:53,323 --> 00:22:55,803
as rewarding failure.
408
00:22:55,803 --> 00:22:57,803
I mean, we had not been successful.
409
00:22:58,403 --> 00:23:00,563
But this is the only option
we've got on the table.
410
00:23:00,563 --> 00:23:03,243
It's this or the team gets shut down.
411
00:23:04,043 --> 00:23:06,883
And I think the key thing was Ross.
412
00:23:06,883 --> 00:23:09,923
I trust Ross very much.
413
00:23:10,443 --> 00:23:15,323
So, if Ross is there,
I can sell the team to him.
414
00:23:16,163 --> 00:23:18,123
I think they felt a responsibility to me.
415
00:23:18,123 --> 00:23:20,003
They felt a responsibility to the people.
416
00:23:20,523 --> 00:23:23,403
And they could see
that was a more honourable deal
417
00:23:23,403 --> 00:23:25,043
than just shutting the whole thing down.
418
00:23:25,043 --> 00:23:26,963
I spoke to my wife about it.
419
00:23:26,963 --> 00:23:28,883
She said,
"Financially ring-fence the house,
420
00:23:28,883 --> 00:23:30,723
and then you can go and do
whatever you want."
421
00:23:30,723 --> 00:23:34,483
Honda's Formula 1 team looks
set to be rebranded in the new season.
422
00:23:34,483 --> 00:23:37,163
There were fears
it would shut down altogether.
423
00:23:37,163 --> 00:23:39,603
Now, a senior figure
within the team has said
424
00:23:39,603 --> 00:23:42,443
that they will be on the starting grid
in a few weeks' time.
425
00:23:42,443 --> 00:23:46,923
In a way, you persuaded Honda to change
their minds and take this on board.
426
00:23:46,923 --> 00:23:49,563
They would have spent a hundred million
dollars to shut the company.
427
00:23:49,563 --> 00:23:52,603
We said, "Don't waste that money
'cause then there is nothing left.
428
00:23:52,603 --> 00:23:54,763
If you allow us to buy the team,
429
00:23:54,763 --> 00:23:58,483
and you give us $90 million
of close-down costs,
430
00:23:58,483 --> 00:24:00,923
we could run a skeleton operation
of the company.
431
00:24:00,923 --> 00:24:04,563
We'll take on all the responsibilities
for the people.
432
00:24:04,563 --> 00:24:07,043
So, why not go racing for a year
if we can do it?"
433
00:24:10,763 --> 00:24:14,363
Why do people say that you were
the one pound Formula 1 Team?
434
00:24:15,283 --> 00:24:19,563
When we finally closed the deal,
I gave a pound to the Honda executive,
435
00:24:20,123 --> 00:24:21,443
to formalise the deal.
436
00:24:22,123 --> 00:24:23,603
And I know he still has it.
437
00:24:23,603 --> 00:24:25,643
- Do you have the pound?
- Yes.
438
00:24:25,643 --> 00:24:27,363
- Is it here?
- Yeah.
439
00:24:27,363 --> 00:24:29,003
- Do you want to check?
- I wanna check.
440
00:24:29,003 --> 00:24:31,763
I wanna see the pound
that bought the team.
441
00:24:32,803 --> 00:24:35,163
I bring-- Always, I bring this one.
442
00:24:38,203 --> 00:24:42,243
Did you ever think
what you were going to name this team?
443
00:24:43,563 --> 00:24:45,483
[Brawn]
There was a lot of debate about that.
444
00:24:46,003 --> 00:24:47,803
[McGrory]
That was my marketing contribution.
445
00:24:47,803 --> 00:24:49,803
- The name?
- The name.
446
00:24:52,243 --> 00:24:56,083
[Brawn] I was embarrassed about the idea,
but everyone seemed to like it.
447
00:24:56,763 --> 00:24:57,843
And the idea stuck,
448
00:24:57,843 --> 00:25:01,923
and I must admit, I was very flattered
and honoured it was named after me.
449
00:25:02,643 --> 00:25:08,803
[Jean] The thought of the team
having our family name,
450
00:25:09,523 --> 00:25:13,483
{\an8}my first reaction to that was,
"Is there an alternative?"
451
00:25:13,483 --> 00:25:15,963
I thought, "This car had never tested."
452
00:25:15,963 --> 00:25:17,883
Didn't know whether it was reliable.
453
00:25:17,883 --> 00:25:19,043
How quick it was.
454
00:25:20,203 --> 00:25:21,923
- And it's going out with the name.
- Mmm.
455
00:25:23,643 --> 00:25:26,803
{\an8}[Cole] It was kind of like having
your mate put his name on a Formula 1 car
456
00:25:26,803 --> 00:25:29,003
and saying, "That's a GP team."
457
00:25:29,683 --> 00:25:31,243
Okay, is it that simple?
458
00:25:31,923 --> 00:25:32,963
But it is. [laughs]
459
00:25:33,883 --> 00:25:36,283
Ross is now a team owner.
460
00:25:36,283 --> 00:25:37,643
A boss.
461
00:25:37,643 --> 00:25:38,843
A colleague.
462
00:25:38,843 --> 00:25:40,723
Yes, I was surprised about it.
463
00:25:40,723 --> 00:25:42,603
Did you think they would be any good?
464
00:25:44,323 --> 00:25:46,363
Uh, Ross is a person,
465
00:25:47,123 --> 00:25:49,723
and this is one of his strengths:
466
00:25:49,723 --> 00:25:54,243
Uh, very good to plan.
467
00:25:54,243 --> 00:25:56,683
What I have to do this year, next year,
468
00:25:56,683 --> 00:26:01,283
because in Formula 1
you cannot succeed in 12 months,
469
00:26:01,283 --> 00:26:05,643
even in 24 months,
unless you can have help.
470
00:26:06,843 --> 00:26:11,443
There's been an enormous
amount of activity behind the scenes.
471
00:26:11,443 --> 00:26:16,523
Everyone on the stage here
has helped us preserve our team,
472
00:26:16,523 --> 00:26:23,203
and, I think, myself, Ross, and our
700 employees all thank them for that.
473
00:26:23,203 --> 00:26:24,283
[no audible dialogue]
474
00:26:24,283 --> 00:26:28,403
It's the first time in Formula 1's
history, that I've been involved in,
475
00:26:28,403 --> 00:26:32,203
that I've seen all the teams
come collectively together
476
00:26:32,203 --> 00:26:34,043
to try and keep the little guys,
477
00:26:34,043 --> 00:26:38,283
and to give Ross the opportunity
to salvage it or sell it.
478
00:26:38,923 --> 00:26:40,803
But, of course,
his big problem was gonna be,
479
00:26:41,603 --> 00:26:43,603
what engine does he take?
480
00:26:44,403 --> 00:26:46,043
That was not a small problem.
481
00:26:46,043 --> 00:26:48,323
- That's a huge problem.
- Correct.
482
00:26:48,323 --> 00:26:50,283
We went to Honda initially and said,
483
00:26:50,283 --> 00:26:52,843
"Look, you know,
we understand you wanna pull out of this
484
00:26:52,843 --> 00:26:55,243
but can you please sell us your engine?"
485
00:26:55,803 --> 00:26:57,883
And we got a point-blank no.
486
00:26:57,883 --> 00:27:04,843
We are sure that the former Honda team
can have a future.
487
00:27:04,843 --> 00:27:08,723
Everybody wanted us to survive,
but we didn't have an engine.
488
00:27:09,243 --> 00:27:11,803
We'd had assurances
from Ferrari and Mercedes
489
00:27:11,803 --> 00:27:13,643
that they would help us with the engine,
490
00:27:13,643 --> 00:27:17,203
but we didn't know that much
about whether a Ferrari engine
491
00:27:17,203 --> 00:27:19,443
or a Mercedes engine
would even fit the car.
492
00:27:20,283 --> 00:27:22,683
You're not gonna beat Ferrari
with a Ferrari engine,
493
00:27:22,683 --> 00:27:26,323
because as you get close, you'll find
that yours just gets worse and worse.
494
00:27:27,163 --> 00:27:30,283
[Fry] Mercedes-Benz had a 25-year history
with McLaren.
495
00:27:31,443 --> 00:27:36,163
McLaren had an exclusive right
to the Mercedes engine,
496
00:27:36,163 --> 00:27:39,243
unless they agreed otherwise.
497
00:27:39,243 --> 00:27:40,323
[shutters clicking]
498
00:27:40,323 --> 00:27:46,803
Martin Whitmarsh was leading
the Formula 1 Teams Association, FOTA.
499
00:27:47,323 --> 00:27:53,083
He pushed Norbert Haug at Mercedes
and the board at Mercedes to say,
500
00:27:53,083 --> 00:27:55,403
"Come on. We've got to keep
this team involved in the sport.
501
00:27:56,123 --> 00:27:57,483
Give them an engine."
502
00:27:57,483 --> 00:28:00,603
[Brawn] He said, "Look, I'm a little bit
nervous to ask you this question,
503
00:28:00,603 --> 00:28:02,963
but my board are worried
you're gonna go under
504
00:28:02,963 --> 00:28:04,563
and you won't have paid your bills.
505
00:28:05,083 --> 00:28:07,163
So, what guarantees can we set up?"
506
00:28:07,163 --> 00:28:08,243
- Pay us up front.
- Yes, uh--
507
00:28:08,243 --> 00:28:10,163
- Let's give you the engines.
- Yes, certainly.
508
00:28:10,163 --> 00:28:11,643
Yeah, I wasn't like that,
509
00:28:11,643 --> 00:28:18,403
but, you know, I was politely asking
for paying as soon as possible.
510
00:28:18,403 --> 00:28:20,483
[shutters clicking]
511
00:28:21,483 --> 00:28:24,403
Would you have given you an engine?
512
00:28:25,643 --> 00:28:26,843
I'd like to say yes.
513
00:28:27,483 --> 00:28:29,803
But, as always,
until you've faced that situation,
514
00:28:29,803 --> 00:28:31,083
you don't know for sure.
515
00:28:41,923 --> 00:28:43,363
[Cole] When we got the Mercedes engine,
516
00:28:43,363 --> 00:28:49,003
it was getting to the point whereby
making the first race was a big ask.
517
00:28:50,483 --> 00:28:52,843
Even to contemplate that,
at that time of the year,
518
00:28:53,363 --> 00:28:55,083
that's horrendous.
519
00:28:56,523 --> 00:28:58,683
There was some massive challenges
ahead of us,
520
00:28:58,683 --> 00:29:03,403
but I think there was genuine bounce
in the whole organisation.
521
00:29:03,403 --> 00:29:05,603
You know, we've come through this.
We've got a chance now.
522
00:29:05,603 --> 00:29:07,003
We're not gonna waste it.
523
00:29:07,963 --> 00:29:13,203
{\an8}It brought people completely together,
and it was just an amazing atmosphere.
524
00:29:13,203 --> 00:29:17,083
[Harte] And you felt very much
part of a really unique team
525
00:29:17,083 --> 00:29:20,923
that could rely on each other
to do what needed to be done.
526
00:29:21,803 --> 00:29:24,003
Basically, they've done a cut and shut.
527
00:29:24,003 --> 00:29:30,163
You know, to get the engine and gearbox,
to shoehorn it into the car.
528
00:29:32,603 --> 00:29:33,643
[Reeves] For six days,
529
00:29:33,643 --> 00:29:37,763
there were three shifts
working 24 hours on the car.
530
00:29:38,923 --> 00:29:39,963
Yep.
531
00:29:41,283 --> 00:29:43,843
What they achieved with that,
I don't think it's ever been done before.
532
00:29:43,843 --> 00:29:48,443
To install a new engine in a car that's
designed for a different manufacturer.
533
00:29:48,443 --> 00:29:49,763
Like, mind-blowing.
534
00:29:57,003 --> 00:29:58,243
[people chattering]
535
00:29:58,243 --> 00:30:00,563
- [people clamouring]
- [shutters clicking]
536
00:30:01,523 --> 00:30:03,523
[Brawn]
In that period, before we ran the car,
537
00:30:04,083 --> 00:30:05,603
people were out testing on tracks.
538
00:30:05,603 --> 00:30:06,723
We knew.
539
00:30:08,203 --> 00:30:10,523
And we'd had a simulation
and a prediction,
540
00:30:10,523 --> 00:30:12,923
which showed us what sort of lap time
we could expect.
541
00:30:12,923 --> 00:30:15,403
And we couldn't understand
where we'd gone wrong,
542
00:30:15,403 --> 00:30:19,563
because our simulation showed we would
be a second, a second and a half quicker
543
00:30:20,163 --> 00:30:23,123
than what the people were achieving
at Barcelona.
544
00:30:23,123 --> 00:30:25,203
[engines revving]
545
00:30:26,043 --> 00:30:28,923
[Clear] We, of course,
being very, very sceptical
546
00:30:28,923 --> 00:30:31,963
about the numbers guys
back at the factory, we're like,
547
00:30:31,963 --> 00:30:34,523
"Well, you've clearly got your numbers
wrong then, haven't you? Duh."
548
00:30:34,523 --> 00:30:37,683
You know, as if we're gonna be two seconds
faster than everybody.
549
00:30:37,683 --> 00:30:40,283
And they're like,
"Okay, we've checked the numbers.
550
00:30:40,283 --> 00:30:42,283
We're still two seconds faster
than everybody."
551
00:30:43,203 --> 00:30:46,123
-"Really?"
- And that came through the factory.
552
00:30:46,123 --> 00:30:48,363
You know,
have we really made a big cock-up here,
553
00:30:48,363 --> 00:30:51,243
or have we got something very special
on our hands?
554
00:30:53,963 --> 00:30:56,763
We took the car
to do a shakedown at Silverstone.
555
00:30:58,603 --> 00:31:03,083
A sort of hilariously amateurish outfit
that we must've appeared to be.
556
00:31:04,203 --> 00:31:06,523
- It was pretty much like camping.
- [chuckles]
557
00:31:08,363 --> 00:31:11,603
[Reeves] Before a car went testing
with the other teams,
558
00:31:11,603 --> 00:31:15,163
they needed to run the car privately
to make sure nothing fell off
559
00:31:15,163 --> 00:31:17,243
and it ran the way it was supposed to.
560
00:31:19,003 --> 00:31:21,003
[Button] It fired up. I drove out.
561
00:31:21,003 --> 00:31:23,923
[engine revving]
562
00:31:23,923 --> 00:31:26,403
And just seeing the smiles
on everyone's faces...
563
00:31:29,843 --> 00:31:34,483
[Shovlin] It was a nice moment because,
you know, seeing the thing roll on track,
564
00:31:34,483 --> 00:31:37,123
that was the point where
it suddenly becomes a reality.
565
00:31:38,763 --> 00:31:41,443
[Cole] We learned nothing about
the performance of the car, frankly.
566
00:31:41,443 --> 00:31:43,683
We were just driving round in circles,
but it worked.
567
00:31:45,243 --> 00:31:46,323
So far, so good.
568
00:31:47,603 --> 00:31:51,403
That car got packed in a truck,
and got packed to the Barcelona test.
569
00:32:00,243 --> 00:32:03,923
[Horner] The first test was the first time
we saw the double diffuser on a Toyota,
570
00:32:03,923 --> 00:32:05,243
and it was on the Williams.
571
00:32:06,403 --> 00:32:11,643
When Ross's car finally broke cover
at Silverstone on a shakedown,
572
00:32:11,643 --> 00:32:13,723
from the pictures that we saw--
573
00:32:13,723 --> 00:32:16,083
You saw pictures?
How did you get pictures?
574
00:32:16,083 --> 00:32:17,483
That got leaked...
575
00:32:20,003 --> 00:32:21,803
We could see it had a double diffuser.
576
00:32:24,683 --> 00:32:26,363
[Cole] I'm sure they weren't
that worried about us,
577
00:32:26,363 --> 00:32:27,843
because why should they be, you know?
578
00:32:27,843 --> 00:32:29,603
We'd thrown a car together
with the wrong engine,
579
00:32:29,603 --> 00:32:32,403
and we had a long history
of not being desperately competitive
580
00:32:32,403 --> 00:32:35,643
when we had six months to make a car,
let alone six weeks.
581
00:32:35,643 --> 00:32:38,963
We didn't look like a credible threat
to anybody, I'm sure.
582
00:32:41,043 --> 00:32:45,163
When Honda withdraws,
Ross Brawn says, with Nick Fry,
583
00:32:45,163 --> 00:32:48,963
"We'll put the management company
together, and we're gonna keep it alive."
584
00:32:48,963 --> 00:32:54,283
You... [chuckles] ...are looking at going
from Ferrari to Honda,
585
00:32:54,283 --> 00:32:56,163
to an independent team...
586
00:32:58,203 --> 00:32:59,763
with no resources,
587
00:33:00,403 --> 00:33:02,403
with no sponsorship.
588
00:33:04,123 --> 00:33:06,003
But you're not at the shakedown.
589
00:33:06,003 --> 00:33:07,083
Yes, I wasn't.
590
00:33:07,643 --> 00:33:08,643
Why?
591
00:33:08,643 --> 00:33:11,403
Because I didn't have a contract
up to that time.
592
00:33:13,363 --> 00:33:16,083
[Brawn] Jenson was always on board,
I think, in our minds.
593
00:33:16,803 --> 00:33:19,563
Rubens had been an option.
594
00:33:19,563 --> 00:33:20,963
He didn't have a contract.
595
00:33:21,763 --> 00:33:24,483
I mean,
this is not a derogatory statement,
596
00:33:24,483 --> 00:33:26,563
but he was a comfortable pair of slippers.
597
00:33:26,563 --> 00:33:30,283
He was someone I'd worked with,
and I knew exactly how he thought.
598
00:33:30,283 --> 00:33:31,923
I knew I could rely on him.
599
00:33:31,923 --> 00:33:34,683
But it was tempting
because there were two or three guys
600
00:33:34,683 --> 00:33:37,763
still hanging around
with big sponsorship deals,
601
00:33:37,763 --> 00:33:40,523
and they could bring quite a lot of money
to the team.
602
00:33:41,603 --> 00:33:45,603
But I think I managed to persuade
the rest of the team
603
00:33:45,603 --> 00:33:48,323
that actually Rubens
would be a good investment.
604
00:33:48,323 --> 00:33:50,443
[engines revving]
605
00:33:51,043 --> 00:33:53,923
[Button] I think they'd done six days
of testing already, all the teams.
606
00:33:56,483 --> 00:33:58,483
I remember Ross just coming over
and saying,
607
00:33:58,483 --> 00:34:00,243
"Be careful." [chuckles]
608
00:34:00,243 --> 00:34:02,763
You know, we didn't--
We weren't flush with parts.
609
00:34:02,763 --> 00:34:05,883
[engine revving]
610
00:34:11,523 --> 00:34:15,563
Jenson went out and did a few laps,
and came in and said,
611
00:34:15,563 --> 00:34:18,363
"Oh, the balance isn't good,"
this, that, and the other,
612
00:34:18,363 --> 00:34:20,243
and we said, "Okay,
613
00:34:20,923 --> 00:34:23,803
but you've just done the second fastest
lap of the test, the whole test,
614
00:34:23,803 --> 00:34:25,963
and we've-- we started late
because we weren't ready."
615
00:34:25,963 --> 00:34:29,083
[laughs] And I was like, "What?"
616
00:34:29,083 --> 00:34:33,443
And then when he started to get the car
adjusted, then he went the fastest.
617
00:34:37,323 --> 00:34:39,483
Quite clearly, the car was exceptional.
618
00:34:40,443 --> 00:34:43,923
To the point, as you may know, a lot of
mechanics went out and put bets on it.
619
00:34:44,443 --> 00:34:47,563
- [shutters clicking]
- [chattering]
620
00:34:47,563 --> 00:34:49,603
[Massa]
They were pretty fast straight away,
621
00:34:49,603 --> 00:34:54,363
and everyone, all of the other teams,
including myself, we were sure that--
622
00:34:54,363 --> 00:34:58,803
I mean, you know, Ross Brawn took the team
on the last moment.
623
00:34:58,803 --> 00:35:02,443
They have no money,
so they need to find a sponsor.
624
00:35:02,443 --> 00:35:05,683
So it's a time to show
that the car is competitive,
625
00:35:05,683 --> 00:35:09,083
so they just removed the weight
of the car, just to be quick.
626
00:35:12,243 --> 00:35:17,003
[Dennis] The inevitable publicity
that surrounds test performance.
627
00:35:17,003 --> 00:35:19,203
{\an8}See? Some of the teams
that are seeking money
628
00:35:19,203 --> 00:35:23,603
{\an8}actually running their cars
with the objective of doing one fast lap.
629
00:35:23,603 --> 00:35:26,803
Of course, one fast lap is very important
when it comes to qualifying,
630
00:35:26,803 --> 00:35:29,283
but it's relatively unimportant
when it comes to the race.
631
00:35:32,243 --> 00:35:33,963
Can this car really be that competitive?
632
00:35:33,963 --> 00:35:35,683
It's so late. They've got no money.
633
00:35:36,763 --> 00:35:41,083
But then you think this is the most
developed car under these regulations.
634
00:35:42,843 --> 00:35:44,523
From the moment Ross arrived,
635
00:35:44,523 --> 00:35:48,083
he forgot the existing car
and just focused on the future car.
636
00:35:50,603 --> 00:35:55,483
The car full of fuel was quicker
than the other cars with no fuel in it.
637
00:35:55,483 --> 00:35:59,243
And suddenly think, "Oh, you know, okay.
These guys are seriously quick."
638
00:35:59,243 --> 00:36:00,643
Yes, they're chasing a sponsor,
639
00:36:00,643 --> 00:36:04,963
but the pace of this car
and just watching it on track,
640
00:36:04,963 --> 00:36:06,523
it looked totally hooked up.
641
00:36:07,083 --> 00:36:10,443
When you saw how fast they were...
642
00:36:10,443 --> 00:36:11,363
Hmm.
643
00:36:12,403 --> 00:36:13,563
I said, "Listen,
644
00:36:13,563 --> 00:36:18,963
despite I respect Ross,
despite I respect his capability,
645
00:36:20,083 --> 00:36:26,043
but in such a short time,
to have such a competitive car
646
00:36:26,683 --> 00:36:28,843
looked, to me, very strange."
647
00:36:29,603 --> 00:36:34,203
So maybe the interpretation
of the rules was fantastic.
648
00:36:34,203 --> 00:36:39,803
They were lucky to find the best way
to be competitive,
649
00:36:39,803 --> 00:36:45,923
or something that was not
a hundred per cent inside the rules.
650
00:36:59,043 --> 00:37:00,243
[chattering]
651
00:37:01,163 --> 00:37:03,243
- [chattering]
- [shutter clicks]
652
00:37:03,243 --> 00:37:07,603
[sighs] Can we put on a show
for you in Melbourne?
653
00:37:10,163 --> 00:37:11,803
I think we could've maybe challenged.
654
00:37:11,803 --> 00:37:13,603
Nah, uh, I think we're gonna get to Q2.
655
00:37:13,603 --> 00:37:14,883
Q2, yeah.
656
00:37:18,563 --> 00:37:19,963
[Reeves] That first race...
657
00:37:22,083 --> 00:37:24,803
was the launch of Brawn GP?
658
00:37:26,043 --> 00:37:28,683
Yep.
That's where the story really started.
659
00:37:28,683 --> 00:37:31,203
[chattering]
660
00:37:31,203 --> 00:37:34,803
We were a team that's come from nowhere.
No one expected us to be here.
661
00:37:35,723 --> 00:37:39,123
Do your job this weekend.
Keep your head clear.
662
00:37:39,123 --> 00:37:40,563
We've got a strong chance.
663
00:37:40,563 --> 00:37:42,963
- [shutters clicking]
- [chattering]
664
00:37:42,963 --> 00:37:45,963
[Button] You know, we had missed
so much of the winter of testing,
665
00:37:47,203 --> 00:37:52,083
but everyone just seemed so comfortable in
themselves and confident in us as a team.
666
00:37:52,083 --> 00:37:54,803
It felt like a-- a family.
667
00:37:54,803 --> 00:37:58,803
I think the winter that we went through
together really brought us a lot closer.
668
00:38:00,923 --> 00:38:03,403
[Cole] As is consistent with tradition,
669
00:38:04,443 --> 00:38:08,563
you're the new team, you go
right at the far end of the pit lane.
670
00:38:09,443 --> 00:38:13,923
Ferrari, Red Bull, all those guys,
more trucks, more space,
671
00:38:13,923 --> 00:38:16,883
massive motorhomes,
all showing off, having a great time.
672
00:38:17,723 --> 00:38:19,523
And it did really, sort of,
673
00:38:19,523 --> 00:38:22,443
help us feel like we were
fighting our way out of a corner.
674
00:38:24,643 --> 00:38:26,723
It was an eye-opening experience
for all of us,
675
00:38:26,723 --> 00:38:30,763
because there were literally half as many
people involved in the race operation.
676
00:38:31,483 --> 00:38:36,043
Instead of having 20 guys from Honda
worrying about the engine,
677
00:38:36,043 --> 00:38:38,603
we got one guy who told us
not to overheat it.
678
00:38:38,603 --> 00:38:40,283
- [Reeves chuckles]
- And that was it.
679
00:38:40,283 --> 00:38:41,523
We were the underdogs,
680
00:38:41,523 --> 00:38:43,963
and it's hard to explain the emotion
when you're the underdog.
681
00:38:44,843 --> 00:38:46,723
We had built this car that didn't exist.
682
00:38:46,723 --> 00:38:49,003
We had cut the back off a chassis
and bolted an engine to it.
683
00:38:49,003 --> 00:38:50,963
That simply shouldn't be done.
684
00:38:51,843 --> 00:38:53,203
And yet, got it to Melbourne.
685
00:38:54,803 --> 00:38:56,363
[chattering]
686
00:38:56,363 --> 00:39:00,043
To survive, you need to get investment.
687
00:39:00,043 --> 00:39:04,923
One of the investors who ultimately
ended up on the car was Richard Branson.
688
00:39:05,803 --> 00:39:08,443
[chattering]
689
00:39:08,443 --> 00:39:11,323
[Fry] Richard did not approach me.
Far from it.
690
00:39:12,243 --> 00:39:14,243
He was a competitor in lots of ways.
691
00:39:15,083 --> 00:39:18,363
Richard wanted to, uh, own the team.
692
00:39:18,363 --> 00:39:20,443
He didn't want to just be a sponsor.
693
00:39:21,083 --> 00:39:24,883
[Brawn] Richard had made a proposal
to Honda quite late in the day,
694
00:39:24,883 --> 00:39:29,083
which, as it turns out, was nothing like
as attractive as a management buyout.
695
00:39:30,803 --> 00:39:34,563
I think that Brawn was obviously wanting
to own the team.
696
00:39:34,563 --> 00:39:37,523
He wanted us to be a sponsor,
not an owner.
697
00:39:37,523 --> 00:39:39,403
[chattering]
698
00:39:39,403 --> 00:39:40,643
[Fry] We needed money.
699
00:39:41,363 --> 00:39:44,723
Clearly, he saw opportunity
from a business point of view.
700
00:39:46,683 --> 00:39:50,563
He said that for a couple of million,
we were the, sort of, title sponsors.
701
00:39:51,883 --> 00:39:54,083
You know,
we didn't actually sign anything.
702
00:39:54,083 --> 00:39:56,803
We agreed that we'd sign
when we met in Australia.
703
00:39:57,723 --> 00:40:02,163
I got "Fly Virgin Atlantic" stickers
printed off,
704
00:40:02,163 --> 00:40:07,803
and I quite liked the idea of being this,
sort of, underdog brand with Ross,
705
00:40:07,803 --> 00:40:09,283
taking on the giants.
706
00:40:10,843 --> 00:40:12,803
[reporter] You've definitely got
the prettiest minders here, Richard.
707
00:40:12,803 --> 00:40:15,043
- I think we're doing all right.
- We're doing all right.
708
00:40:15,043 --> 00:40:16,403
I think we're doing all right.
709
00:40:16,403 --> 00:40:17,843
[shutters clicking]
710
00:40:17,843 --> 00:40:21,083
[Armstrong] When Richard came in the
paddock, it was pandemonium. [chuckles]
711
00:40:21,083 --> 00:40:23,603
He was great.
He did a great press conference for us.
712
00:40:23,603 --> 00:40:26,323
The attention of the paddock was on him.
713
00:40:26,323 --> 00:40:29,243
- [shutters clicking]
- [reporters chattering]
714
00:40:33,123 --> 00:40:34,683
He got fantastic value
715
00:40:34,683 --> 00:40:38,323
because the sponsorship package
he bought was relatively modest,
716
00:40:38,323 --> 00:40:40,043
but everyone thought
it was Richard's team.
717
00:40:40,043 --> 00:40:42,243
- [shutters clicking]
- [chattering]
718
00:40:42,243 --> 00:40:45,443
This Brawn GP seems to fly very fast.
719
00:40:45,443 --> 00:40:48,923
Well, the Virgin car now, uh,
is planning to fly.
720
00:40:48,923 --> 00:40:50,883
[shutters clicking]
721
00:40:50,883 --> 00:40:52,843
[Armstrong]
Brilliant timing for him. Yeah.
722
00:40:52,843 --> 00:40:54,963
- [Reeves] The saviour.
- Snowballed from-- To save us, yes.
723
00:40:54,963 --> 00:40:57,603
Which, um, not quite the angle
we were hoping for,
724
00:40:57,603 --> 00:41:00,763
but, uh, it did bring some money in
at the time.
725
00:41:01,723 --> 00:41:06,803
[Reeves] Before the race on Sunday,
the cars do timed laps on Saturday
726
00:41:06,803 --> 00:41:10,003
to see what position
they start the race from.
727
00:41:10,003 --> 00:41:13,563
The fastest car starts at the front
in pole position.
728
00:41:13,563 --> 00:41:15,643
The slowest, at the back.
729
00:41:15,643 --> 00:41:17,243
You'll definitely need headphones.
730
00:41:17,243 --> 00:41:18,163
[Branson] Okay.
731
00:41:18,163 --> 00:41:21,603
[commentator] New season,
new regulations and, who knows,
732
00:41:21,603 --> 00:41:26,923
perhaps are we about to see a new order
in the shootout for pole?
733
00:41:26,923 --> 00:41:28,163
[power tool whirring]
734
00:41:29,283 --> 00:41:33,443
This is, as they always say,
when the bullshit stops.
735
00:41:33,443 --> 00:41:38,643
For what everybody had been through,
and for what we knew we had in our hands,
736
00:41:38,643 --> 00:41:41,283
our responsibility now
was to make this count.
737
00:41:41,803 --> 00:41:45,203
I was so over the moon
to be driving such a car,
738
00:41:45,883 --> 00:41:48,643
but it did give me
a little bit of pressure,
739
00:41:48,643 --> 00:41:52,403
because we didn't have many kilometres
on the car,
740
00:41:52,403 --> 00:41:54,883
and we had to look after it for the race.
741
00:41:56,163 --> 00:41:57,963
[Reeves] Didn't they tell you
you couldn't crash?
742
00:41:57,963 --> 00:41:58,883
[Button laughs]
743
00:41:58,883 --> 00:42:01,483
You're going to your first race
in Melbourne, right?
744
00:42:01,483 --> 00:42:04,643
They were like, "Uh, go quick, fellas."
745
00:42:04,643 --> 00:42:05,883
- Yeah.
-"But don't crash."
746
00:42:05,883 --> 00:42:08,243
Make sure you win on the way,
yeah, but don't crash. Yeah.
747
00:42:08,243 --> 00:42:11,443
But don't crash because we don't have,
what, spare parts?
748
00:42:11,443 --> 00:42:14,403
That went for every lap of practice.
749
00:42:15,443 --> 00:42:17,083
But as racing drivers,
750
00:42:18,003 --> 00:42:20,003
you're not very good at taking it easy.
751
00:42:21,123 --> 00:42:23,523
You either push to the limit,
or you're nothing.
752
00:42:24,163 --> 00:42:25,803
We pushed to the limit.
753
00:42:25,803 --> 00:42:28,323
[engine revving]
754
00:42:28,923 --> 00:42:30,283
[commentator] Here is Jenson Button.
755
00:42:30,283 --> 00:42:32,163
He's on the pit straight.
He knows the time to beat.
756
00:42:35,203 --> 00:42:36,483
[Shovlin]
757
00:42:37,243 --> 00:42:39,483
[Button, laughs]
758
00:42:39,483 --> 00:42:42,083
[laughing, chattering]
759
00:42:42,083 --> 00:42:44,203
[commentator]
Jenson Button on pole position,
760
00:42:44,203 --> 00:42:47,243
Rubens Barrichello will be alongside him
on the grid.
761
00:42:47,243 --> 00:42:49,483
[chattering]
762
00:42:52,043 --> 00:42:55,203
We knew the car was quick after Barcelona,
but we didn't quite know just how quick.
763
00:42:55,203 --> 00:42:57,363
Everyone plays around a little bit
with fuel loads,
764
00:42:57,363 --> 00:42:59,283
with the age of the tyres,
with the engine.
765
00:43:00,003 --> 00:43:03,603
We qualified in Melbourne with more fuel
than pretty much the whole grid.
766
00:43:03,603 --> 00:43:05,883
[chattering]
767
00:43:05,883 --> 00:43:06,963
[mechanic] Nice work.
768
00:43:06,963 --> 00:43:09,123
[Cole] It was really quite emotional.
769
00:43:09,123 --> 00:43:10,763
I don't say that lightly.
770
00:43:10,763 --> 00:43:13,843
It was quite an emotional time, you know,
771
00:43:13,843 --> 00:43:16,923
to be seeing that we
can actually get this car on pole.
772
00:43:16,923 --> 00:43:18,963
[reporter] Hey, Richard,
where's the chicks?
773
00:43:18,963 --> 00:43:20,963
- [shutters clicking]
- I don't know. Don't know.
774
00:43:20,963 --> 00:43:24,283
[reporter] You realise this is, actually,
the first time in 39 years
775
00:43:24,283 --> 00:43:28,203
that a new team has taken pole position
in its first race. That's amazing.
776
00:43:29,243 --> 00:43:32,883
Uh, as I say, um, we're lucky bastards,
as they say in England.
777
00:43:32,883 --> 00:43:33,963
[laughs]
778
00:43:33,963 --> 00:43:35,563
We were lucky bastards indeed.
779
00:43:35,563 --> 00:43:36,523
[cheering]
780
00:43:36,523 --> 00:43:40,803
[Button] It's special for us
because we've had such a torrid winter.
781
00:43:40,803 --> 00:43:42,883
You know, every day,
it's been up and down, you know?
782
00:43:42,883 --> 00:43:45,163
One day it looks positive
and we're gonna be racing this year,
783
00:43:45,163 --> 00:43:46,603
and the next day, it's not.
784
00:43:46,603 --> 00:43:49,923
So, this isn't the end of it, you know?
Tomorrow is the race.
785
00:43:50,923 --> 00:43:54,003
[reporter 2] Rubens, describe the roller
coaster of emotions that you've had.
786
00:43:54,003 --> 00:43:56,243
A few weeks ago,
you weren't even sure if you had a seat,
787
00:43:56,243 --> 00:43:58,763
and now you've got a front row
of the grid.
788
00:43:58,763 --> 00:44:02,763
Yeah, it's, uh-- it's, uh-- You know,
I'm very grateful for the moment I have.
789
00:44:02,763 --> 00:44:07,683
It's a good story for F1,
and, um, certainly a good story for us.
790
00:44:07,683 --> 00:44:10,443
[chattering]
791
00:44:10,443 --> 00:44:12,883
Our competitors, they were all rattled.
792
00:44:12,883 --> 00:44:14,963
[chattering]
793
00:44:17,243 --> 00:44:20,203
[Divey] We knew there was
an awful lot of interest in the car.
794
00:44:20,203 --> 00:44:21,683
[Reeves] "Interest",
is that what you'd call it?
795
00:44:21,683 --> 00:44:23,043
Yeah, I'd say-- Yeah, interest.
796
00:44:25,403 --> 00:44:28,203
One of the guys from Ferrari
came down with a torch,
797
00:44:28,203 --> 00:44:31,483
and he sort of lays on the ground
to get a look underneath the car
798
00:44:31,483 --> 00:44:32,563
at the double diffuser.
799
00:44:34,003 --> 00:44:37,723
And Ross just walked up to him
and grabbed his belt buckle,
800
00:44:37,723 --> 00:44:39,323
and picked him up off the floor,
801
00:44:39,323 --> 00:44:42,363
and said something to him in Italian,
and off he went.
802
00:44:42,363 --> 00:44:43,523
- No?
- Yeah.
803
00:44:44,963 --> 00:44:46,043
The bear moved in.
804
00:44:46,043 --> 00:44:47,243
Yep.
805
00:44:47,243 --> 00:44:48,803
[Reeves] Grabbed him by the belt buckle!
806
00:44:48,803 --> 00:44:52,243
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Picked him up by
his belt, and picked him up off the floor,
807
00:44:52,243 --> 00:44:55,683
and kindly reminded him that
that's not really the way we do things.
808
00:44:56,603 --> 00:44:59,163
You don't get on the floor and try
and have a look at things underneath
809
00:44:59,163 --> 00:45:00,083
or anything like that.
810
00:45:00,083 --> 00:45:01,843
- You don't look up the skirt.
- Yeah, exactly.
811
00:45:01,843 --> 00:45:03,643
That's a good way of putting it, yeah.
812
00:45:03,643 --> 00:45:09,203
Did you already feel that they were
going to protest the cars?
813
00:45:09,203 --> 00:45:10,563
Yeah.
814
00:45:17,083 --> 00:45:18,563
- Look at the hole on this, huh?
- Eh?
815
00:45:18,563 --> 00:45:19,643
Look at the hole.
816
00:45:19,643 --> 00:45:21,963
[chattering]
817
00:45:27,043 --> 00:45:28,563
[engines revving]
818
00:45:28,563 --> 00:45:32,083
[chattering]
819
00:45:32,083 --> 00:45:34,803
[Armstrong] There was just a general
feeling of excitement from the drivers.
820
00:45:34,803 --> 00:45:37,483
They knew they had a--
for the first time in a long time,
821
00:45:37,483 --> 00:45:40,563
potentially, a really good car under them.
And you could sense that.
822
00:45:41,443 --> 00:45:42,603
[reporter] Rubens, Rubens.
823
00:45:42,603 --> 00:45:45,563
Can you believe that you're standing here
on the front of the grid?
824
00:45:45,563 --> 00:45:48,003
Well, I mean, I wanted to believe it.
825
00:45:48,003 --> 00:45:49,083
It's a lot of people...
826
00:45:49,083 --> 00:45:52,643
Now that I have the drive,
the season is made for me.
827
00:45:52,643 --> 00:45:54,483
I'm gonna win the championship.
828
00:45:54,483 --> 00:45:56,843
[reporter] Can you tell us
what you said to your drivers?
829
00:45:57,363 --> 00:45:59,163
Yeah, just don't hit each other.
830
00:45:59,163 --> 00:46:00,803
[chattering]
831
00:46:00,803 --> 00:46:03,643
[Armstrong] I was with Jenson
for his first win in 2006,
832
00:46:03,643 --> 00:46:06,123
and you knew at the time
how much that meant to him,
833
00:46:06,123 --> 00:46:09,803
and also how painful it was
to then not win a race in '07 and '08.
834
00:46:10,603 --> 00:46:12,563
So you knew
what a big opportunity this was.
835
00:46:12,563 --> 00:46:16,443
Jenson, well, can you do this?
836
00:46:17,803 --> 00:46:18,883
Yes.
837
00:46:18,883 --> 00:46:22,283
{\an8}I think there's no doubt
that it was unfulfilled promise
838
00:46:22,283 --> 00:46:24,923
{\an8}from Jenson Button up to that point.
839
00:46:24,923 --> 00:46:29,043
When you qualify, well,
the pressure's on on race day.
840
00:46:30,243 --> 00:46:31,883
[Cole] But, you know,
we'd only done one test,
841
00:46:31,883 --> 00:46:34,803
so our confidence in the reliability
of the car and the package,
842
00:46:34,803 --> 00:46:37,643
and our understanding of it,
was not perfect.
843
00:46:38,163 --> 00:46:40,483
You know, a race win's
a whole different piece of work.
844
00:46:41,603 --> 00:46:43,763
I was really nervous before the race.
845
00:46:45,003 --> 00:46:48,403
And everything went through my mind
of the last couple of years
846
00:46:48,403 --> 00:46:49,723
and how tough they'd been.
847
00:46:50,243 --> 00:46:51,923
What we'd been through as a team.
848
00:46:52,563 --> 00:46:56,523
And, suddenly, I'm driving a car that
I just feel like I can do nothing wrong.
849
00:46:56,523 --> 00:46:58,683
[engines revving]
850
00:46:58,683 --> 00:47:03,443
[commentator] Up front for the first race
of this new season:
851
00:47:03,443 --> 00:47:06,003
Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello.
852
00:47:08,123 --> 00:47:12,123
Only one team in their debut race
in the history of the sport
853
00:47:12,123 --> 00:47:16,083
have been able to get pole position
and then go on to win.
854
00:47:16,763 --> 00:47:19,683
This opportunity doesn't come around
for many people,
855
00:47:19,683 --> 00:47:21,003
and I didn't want to throw it away.
856
00:47:22,083 --> 00:47:22,923
[radio static]
857
00:47:22,923 --> 00:47:24,243
[crew on radio]
858
00:47:24,243 --> 00:47:26,883
[engines revving]
859
00:47:36,203 --> 00:47:37,763
[engine revving]
860
00:47:37,763 --> 00:47:40,083
[commentator]
We're away in Melbourne for 2009!
861
00:47:40,603 --> 00:47:42,843
Jenson Button streaks forward.
Vettel's there as well!
862
00:47:42,843 --> 00:47:44,443
Massa's trying to come through
on the outside.
863
00:47:44,443 --> 00:47:46,043
Rosberg's up into third place.
864
00:47:46,043 --> 00:47:48,203
But Button is absolutely streaking clear.
865
00:47:48,203 --> 00:47:51,443
[Button] Looked in the mirrors,
it just was a mess behind.
866
00:47:51,443 --> 00:47:53,083
And I immediately had a buffer.
867
00:47:54,323 --> 00:47:55,843
You are in P2.
868
00:47:55,843 --> 00:47:57,843
The lights go out.
869
00:47:57,843 --> 00:48:00,243
[commentator]
We're away in Melbourne for 2009!
870
00:48:00,243 --> 00:48:03,323
It's Jenson Button! An awful start there
by Rubens Barrichello.
871
00:48:04,403 --> 00:48:05,923
I didn't have a good one.
872
00:48:06,483 --> 00:48:10,323
No, you went into turn one in tenth,
and then you're a maniac.
873
00:48:10,323 --> 00:48:12,283
[engines revving]
874
00:48:12,283 --> 00:48:13,923
[commentator]
Dreadful start for Rubens Barrichello.
875
00:48:13,923 --> 00:48:15,843
There's all sorts of mayhem
at the first corner.
876
00:48:15,843 --> 00:48:18,843
And, suddenly, Ross Brawn
has gotta rethink the strategy,
877
00:48:18,843 --> 00:48:20,923
because this is not going at all well.
878
00:48:20,923 --> 00:48:23,043
[Clear]
879
00:48:27,883 --> 00:48:30,723
You know we have a good car.
You know you're losing time.
880
00:48:30,723 --> 00:48:34,043
You have the pressure to win the race
because you have a good car.
881
00:48:35,083 --> 00:48:38,803
That, sometimes, make you lose focus.
882
00:48:40,803 --> 00:48:42,243
[commentator 2]
He lost the back of the car,
883
00:48:42,243 --> 00:48:44,883
and he's lost the corner
of his front wing.
884
00:48:44,883 --> 00:48:46,603
He just pushed his way through.
885
00:48:46,603 --> 00:48:48,403
I was fighting to be on that podium.
886
00:48:54,963 --> 00:48:57,683
[commentator 1] Jenson Button
started from pole here in 2006,
887
00:48:57,683 --> 00:48:59,403
but it never really came together.
888
00:48:59,403 --> 00:49:01,643
He finished tenth on that occasion.
889
00:49:02,283 --> 00:49:03,443
But he's doing everything right,
890
00:49:03,443 --> 00:49:06,643
just trading fastest laps
with Sebastian Vettel.
891
00:49:08,083 --> 00:49:10,363
[crew on radio]
892
00:49:11,803 --> 00:49:13,843
You know, I had the team talking to me
through the race,
893
00:49:13,843 --> 00:49:17,003
just give me feedback
of how the car feels.
894
00:49:17,003 --> 00:49:18,443
[engine revving]
895
00:49:18,443 --> 00:49:21,243
[commentator 1] Jenson Button has just set
the fastest lap of the race.
896
00:49:21,923 --> 00:49:24,723
Is this the hand of Ross Brawn,
that master tactician?
897
00:49:25,723 --> 00:49:29,363
We knew, as a team,
Jenson had a chance of winning.
898
00:49:30,043 --> 00:49:31,323
Some of the teams were in trouble.
899
00:49:32,043 --> 00:49:34,523
McLaren had got
their car completely wrong,
900
00:49:34,523 --> 00:49:35,723
and they looked dreadful.
901
00:49:36,283 --> 00:49:38,083
It was pretty much the same with Ferrari.
902
00:49:41,563 --> 00:49:44,883
I know that any advantage you have
in Formula 1 is only temporary.
903
00:49:45,523 --> 00:49:46,963
And you've only got to make one mistake,
904
00:49:46,963 --> 00:49:50,003
and rarely there's enough margin
to cope with a mistake.
905
00:49:50,003 --> 00:49:53,083
[commentator 1] Barrichello in the pits,
and it's a new front nose.
906
00:49:53,603 --> 00:49:57,883
At that stage,
we weren't functioning fully as a team.
907
00:49:59,603 --> 00:50:02,563
[commentator 1] It's a long stint, this.
This is a lot of fuel going in.
908
00:50:03,403 --> 00:50:05,203
[engine revving]
909
00:50:05,203 --> 00:50:08,083
We had no time to do pit stop practice.
910
00:50:08,083 --> 00:50:11,883
Our fuel guy had never been
a fuel guy before.
911
00:50:11,883 --> 00:50:12,923
No, come on!
912
00:50:18,123 --> 00:50:19,523
[engine revving]
913
00:50:19,523 --> 00:50:22,603
[commentator 1] Oh, dear.
That was not slick and smooth.
914
00:50:23,563 --> 00:50:25,083
[Button]
I lost six seconds at the first stop
915
00:50:25,083 --> 00:50:27,403
and, I think, seven seconds
at the second stop.
916
00:50:28,603 --> 00:50:32,363
The tragedy would be if that robbed us
of what we were hoping to achieve.
917
00:50:35,443 --> 00:50:37,683
[commentator 1]
Well into the last quarter of this race.
918
00:50:37,683 --> 00:50:39,643
[commentator 2]
Jenson doesn't look like he's got
919
00:50:39,643 --> 00:50:42,843
an awful lot of speed out there
at the moment on those tyres.
920
00:50:44,683 --> 00:50:47,483
[Button] There was a BMW behind,
of Robert Kubica,
921
00:50:47,483 --> 00:50:49,883
and a Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel,
922
00:50:49,883 --> 00:50:51,523
and they were quicker.
923
00:50:51,523 --> 00:50:53,043
They were quite a lot quicker.
924
00:50:53,763 --> 00:50:56,323
[commentator 2] Button is only
one and a half seconds ahead of Vettel.
925
00:50:57,123 --> 00:50:59,883
[commentator 1] It's gonna be
a real chase to the line here.
926
00:50:59,883 --> 00:51:04,523
It's Button for Brawn,
Vettel for Red Bull, Kubica for BMW.
927
00:51:05,883 --> 00:51:09,043
[Shovlin] Kubica is on primes.
He could be a threat.
928
00:51:09,723 --> 00:51:11,243
I always said to our staff,
929
00:51:11,243 --> 00:51:14,163
"Luck is preparation
waiting for an opportunity."
930
00:51:15,483 --> 00:51:17,963
[commentator 1] Barrichello and Rosberg,
wheel to wheel now,
931
00:51:17,963 --> 00:51:20,123
as they go through on that far side
of the track.
932
00:51:20,123 --> 00:51:22,323
[commentator 2]
Barrichello steams through.
933
00:51:23,003 --> 00:51:26,483
When those opportunities come,
if you don't take them, someone else will.
934
00:51:27,363 --> 00:51:29,083
[commentator 1]
Rubens Barrichello in fourth.
935
00:51:29,083 --> 00:51:32,083
Kubica is third, Vettel second
and Button still out in front.
936
00:51:32,083 --> 00:51:35,243
But look at the gap between them.
Barely one and a half seconds.
937
00:51:35,763 --> 00:51:38,283
[commentator 2]
Jenson's got to push like crazy now.
938
00:51:38,963 --> 00:51:41,043
Kubica is flying.
939
00:51:41,963 --> 00:51:44,963
[commentator 1] This is the battle
which is going to make or break this race.
940
00:51:45,683 --> 00:51:47,483
- There's a problem there.
- [commentator 2] He's been hit.
941
00:51:47,483 --> 00:51:49,603
[commentator 1]
There goes Kubica and there goes Vettel.
942
00:51:49,603 --> 00:51:51,043
That's the last thing they needed to do.
943
00:51:53,523 --> 00:51:56,243
Jenson Button will be romping clear now.
944
00:51:57,323 --> 00:52:01,323
[commentator 2] Barrichello up
into second place for a Brawn 1-2.
945
00:52:01,923 --> 00:52:04,163
[engines revving]
946
00:52:05,803 --> 00:52:09,843
[commentator 1] Jenson Button crosses
the line, takes the chequered flag.
947
00:52:09,843 --> 00:52:11,883
Jenson Button's a winner again.
948
00:52:11,883 --> 00:52:16,643
It's a 1-2 finish.
Button from Barrichello. What a result!
949
00:52:16,643 --> 00:52:18,803
[Button, laughs]
950
00:52:20,243 --> 00:52:23,763
[crew on radio]
951
00:52:31,963 --> 00:52:35,003
I've never had that emotion before,
really, with team members.
952
00:52:35,003 --> 00:52:36,403
You know, that connection.
953
00:52:40,323 --> 00:52:43,803
[Brawn]
954
00:52:46,523 --> 00:52:50,163
[Button] And that moment, it's like,
"We bloody did it.
955
00:52:50,923 --> 00:52:54,843
We came here and we beat the giants."
956
00:52:54,843 --> 00:52:57,923
[cheering, chattering]
957
00:53:01,163 --> 00:53:05,763
So you come out of this car in Melbourne,
the garage is going berserk, right?
958
00:53:05,763 --> 00:53:06,923
Yes, absolutely.
959
00:53:06,923 --> 00:53:10,163
You know,
we are presenting ourselves the winner
960
00:53:10,163 --> 00:53:13,043
with a car that almost didn't happen,
961
00:53:13,043 --> 00:53:15,523
so it was something else.
962
00:53:17,483 --> 00:53:19,283
The last garage was the top one now.
963
00:53:20,043 --> 00:53:21,643
[Fry] Oh, just an absolute fairy tale.
964
00:53:21,643 --> 00:53:23,883
I just can't believe
we've actually managed to do it.
965
00:53:25,363 --> 00:53:27,963
[Fry] Everything that had happened before,
966
00:53:27,963 --> 00:53:31,203
you know, really, kind of,
came out into the open.
967
00:53:31,203 --> 00:53:35,283
And Ross was on the pit wall
and he was crying.
968
00:53:35,923 --> 00:53:38,843
Everything all our staff have
been through, just sensational.
969
00:53:38,843 --> 00:53:40,923
And, uh, I can't really put it into words.
970
00:53:41,443 --> 00:53:43,363
For the big man to show that much emotion,
971
00:53:44,083 --> 00:53:45,363
you know we've done something good.
972
00:53:45,363 --> 00:53:47,243
[Reeves] Cars are coming down.
973
00:53:48,483 --> 00:53:50,123
People are losing their minds.
974
00:53:52,563 --> 00:53:54,123
- You're getting claps, right?
- Hmm.
975
00:53:55,883 --> 00:53:57,043
[Brawn] It was beautiful, really,
976
00:53:57,043 --> 00:53:59,443
'cause all the people in the pit lane knew
what we'd been through.
977
00:53:59,443 --> 00:54:02,563
The tension and pressure
that we'd had for so long.
978
00:54:04,163 --> 00:54:07,403
They would've been sharing
that joy that we had that day,
979
00:54:07,403 --> 00:54:09,083
'cause it was a joy for Formula 1.
980
00:54:09,083 --> 00:54:11,643
[cheering]
981
00:54:11,643 --> 00:54:13,963
Just one of the best moments of my career.
982
00:54:13,963 --> 00:54:15,723
[cheering continues]
983
00:54:15,723 --> 00:54:18,203
I mean, that was magical. Just magical.
984
00:54:19,763 --> 00:54:22,003
It was about everything
that had gone before it.
985
00:54:22,003 --> 00:54:23,763
It was about all the hard work.
986
00:54:25,203 --> 00:54:28,363
You know, I believed our team
was working harder than any other,
987
00:54:29,683 --> 00:54:31,563
because we were fighting for survival.
988
00:54:31,563 --> 00:54:34,803
[cheering]
989
00:54:38,123 --> 00:54:39,843
- [Reeves] They won the race!
- Yes.
990
00:54:39,843 --> 00:54:42,163
They come to Australia and they win.
991
00:54:42,163 --> 00:54:45,403
- Yes.
- On the track, the cars are driving in.
992
00:54:45,403 --> 00:54:48,643
Other teams, they're, like, clapping.
993
00:54:48,643 --> 00:54:50,283
- Yes, but...
- The team itself is, like,
994
00:54:50,283 --> 00:54:52,523
they're crying. They're so happy.
995
00:54:52,523 --> 00:54:54,203
- Yeah, but...
- They did the impossible.
996
00:54:54,203 --> 00:54:56,763
They put the Mercedes engine in the car.
997
00:54:56,763 --> 00:54:58,403
They have the double diffuser...
998
00:54:58,403 --> 00:55:04,043
You are making a list,
and I answer to you, they went too far.
999
00:55:04,043 --> 00:55:06,203
Suddenly, you know,
1000
00:55:06,203 --> 00:55:09,963
this team that everybody
just wanted to survive, is killing us.
1001
00:55:10,683 --> 00:55:13,483
I mean, there was all this
goodwill towards Brawn GP,
1002
00:55:13,483 --> 00:55:17,803
and everybody did their bit
to help them survive.
1003
00:55:17,803 --> 00:55:23,323
Then Ross, he's got this outlook of
the big bear, this big cuddly guy that,
1004
00:55:23,323 --> 00:55:27,323
you know, would never dream
of doing anything questionable in any way.
1005
00:55:29,003 --> 00:55:33,323
Yet really, behind the scenes,
he's the most cut-throat,
1006
00:55:33,323 --> 00:55:39,923
ruthless competitor probably
that we've ever come across.
1007
00:55:39,923 --> 00:55:43,923
You know, he would sell his grandmother
to get what he wanted.
1008
00:55:46,403 --> 00:55:49,203
[Horner] We put in a protest
because we wanted to clarify
1009
00:55:49,203 --> 00:55:52,523
what the FIA's, you know, position is,
1010
00:55:52,523 --> 00:55:56,123
because the whole new concept
of these regulations
1011
00:55:56,123 --> 00:56:00,603
is undermined by a double-decker,
you know, rear diffuser.
1012
00:56:01,803 --> 00:56:03,363
[Reeves]
Are the knives out yet or are they--
1013
00:56:03,363 --> 00:56:05,923
- The knives are sharpened.
- [chuckles]
1014
00:56:05,923 --> 00:56:09,723
And the best way to become unpopular
very quickly is to start winning.
1015
00:56:11,043 --> 00:56:12,763
[Brawn] I mean,
we are now in a different phase.
1016
00:56:12,763 --> 00:56:15,803
So we've gone past the phase
of helping us survive.
1017
00:56:15,803 --> 00:56:18,763
We are now in the phase where we don't
want to be beaten by these people.
1018
00:56:18,763 --> 00:56:21,363
"Great to see you here,
but don't embarrass us."
1019
00:56:21,363 --> 00:56:24,323
In 2009, was more evident.
1020
00:56:24,323 --> 00:56:26,283
Since the first race,
1021
00:56:26,283 --> 00:56:30,323
a big gap between this car
with the Mercedes engine,
1022
00:56:30,323 --> 00:56:33,523
this car without a long tradition,
1023
00:56:33,523 --> 00:56:37,683
with a team manager that has never
been a team manager before,
1024
00:56:38,363 --> 00:56:39,923
immediately competitive.
1025
00:56:39,923 --> 00:56:44,563
All of us, all the teams, were aware
there was something against the rules.
1026
00:56:46,083 --> 00:56:48,443
[Reeves] So, the FIA said the car is fine.
1027
00:56:48,443 --> 00:56:49,363
Yes.
1028
00:56:49,363 --> 00:56:52,323
And everybody else
was saying they're cheating?
1029
00:56:53,963 --> 00:56:54,963
Yes.