Rubens Barrichello
is running on rails towards that chequered flag.
I felt that I was on a high.
I'm unbeatable.
Now, come on, Rubens!
For the first time in five years,
Rubens Barrichello is a winner in Formula 1!
Rubens is starting to look like a factor now.
I could feel the championship drifting away.
This has been a shocking start by Jenson Button,
the championship leader.
It all just fell apart.
The only bit of hope that I had, it was gone.
This is the perfect way to throw it away.
Jesus fucking Christ.
Where's the luck?
I'd obviously used it all in the first seven races.
The others were catching us fast.
Going from bad to worse for Jenson Button.
They've no longer got a dominant car.
Where Jenson could do no wrong in the first seven races,
now it just won't flow for him.
It's a 1-2 for Red Bull.
We're getting closer.
The hunt is nearly over.
We could feel the hot breath on the back of our necks.
We were scared that we were losing this championship.
Don't be fooled by the fairground
with the big wheel and the roller coasters.
Suzuka is one of the greatest racetracks in the world.
Lewis Hamilton summed up Formula 1's return to Suzuka
when he described it as "the best track I've ever driven".
Go, Jenson!
How are you feeling going to Japan, going to that track?
After Singapore,
my worry is not so much Rubens anymore.
My worry is Sebastian Vettel.
They had been very fast on all the high-speed circuits,
so we knew that they were gonna be the team to beat.
And it was damage limitations, really, for us on that track.
In my notes it says, "Qualifying was a shitshow."
It was.
- Ooh, dear! - That's way too wide.
- He's going into the barrier. - Oh!
Oh! Well, that was an impact and a half.
And that's gonna be another red flag.
He's gone wide.
- That's gonna be a big one!
Ooh, that's not gonna help. Kovalainen's done it again.
And out he goes!
Oh, that's another problem, and are we gonna have another red flag?
It was like a piece of theatre
where all the experts on the pit wall
were just goggle-eyed at this pantomime
that was happening in front of us.
There was a yellow flag,
and I didn't slow down enough, they said.
- There's Button. - Oh!
Debris all over the racing track.
It was the same issue for Rubens.
We also thought that Sebastian didn't slow down,
but he got away with it.
The championship plot is thick with drama and controversy.
Grid penalties have completely reworked the starting line-up,
and Button's path to the title now looks a whole lot bumpier,
four places behind Barrichello in tenth place.
Sebastian Vettel on pole position.
Going into the Japanese Grand Prix,
Sebastian Vettel was only ten points behind you.
Were you thinking about that?
No, I was thinking forward.
I was on the full throttle.
We're underway!
Look at Vettel already streaking clear.
Button's had an awful start back there.
He's way back in the field.
Vettel sets the fastest lap, 1:34.6.
Absolutely flying along.
Every lap Sebastian Vettel was doing in the car,
he was setting the tempo.
I couldn't catch Sebastian. He just disappeared up the road.
And then you spend the whole race trying to fight back.
Button's got a better run through 130R.
Kubica goes to cover him and he smooths it beautifully up the inside.
And then you're in the thick of it.
The problem was, the next overtake didn't happen.
Right. Button and Barrichello, close together.
And they're very close to-- And having a look at the inside of Barrichello.
He's having to defend.
Of course we had a good battle, but I-- I thought,
"Okay, I can manage."
We said there's no team orders.
Just don't crash into each other. That's the only team order.
There's Barrichello, Button.
Button's not gonna take seventh place away from Rubens Barrichello.
The problem was, whilst that battle was going on,
Sebastian went on to win the race.
Sebastian Vettel keeps alive his chances
in the Drivers' Championship.
Barrichello through in seventh.
Button in eighth, but it's been a Red Bull day.
Sebastian never stopped believing he could win this championship,
and so, I think there was quiet confidence
that we could really take this fight to Jenson and to the whole Brawn team.
We put as much heat as we could on the situation for as long as possible
to create as much pressure as possible for them
to capitulate and not pull it off.
Sebastian Vettel had a fantastic weekend.
And we realised that we could get it snatched away,
and that would have been pretty tragic.
You've taken the championship on to the last two races,
16 points behind the leader.
What are your thoughts on the last two races?
We are here to fight.
And, obviously, the best thing we can do is win.
I think we always knew the wolves would be coming,
because we knew that we were gonna be stretched thin.
It was hard.
From within the team, you could see this slipping away,
but there's nothing you can do about it.
Our factory team's doing their best with the small amount of money that they have
to add performance to the car.
But these guys have budget that's almost unlimited by comparison.
Did they feel like there was a chance
that this fairy tale wasn't going to happen?
I think we all felt that.
But, yeah, there was no certainty to anybody
that we would achieve it.
Coming out of Japan,
do you recall your mindset?
So, I left Japan pretty down.
"Two races to go."
That's what I remember telling myself. "Two races to go."
To hold on to this championship
that had been shrinking for months since--
since Turkey.
In Formula 1,
you're either giving pressure or you're taking pressure.
There's nothing in between.
He was giving pressure for the first seven races,
and then he started to take the pressure, and it's about how you handle that.
How did you perceive Jenson as a driver in 2009?
Was he world champion material?
I must confess, I didn't think so when I started working with him in 2008.
He made a lot of mistakes, and the first part of 2008 was pretty poor.
And I was beginning to think,
"Is Jenson the right guy?"
The history of Formula 1 says that number one are extra bit, normally.
For me, Button was not at the same level of Schumacher, of Senna, of Prost.
He had some very strong supporters in the team,
and they were saying, "You're not seeing the real Jenson."
When did you...
As a kid, when did you first want to become a race car driver?
My, uh-- My dad raced in rallycross, which is basically racing on dirt.
And, uh, I used to love going along.
I loved the sound of the engines.
And I loved the competition.
John Button challenging for second.
That is the special VW.
John Button at the wheel. A very quick car and a very quick driver.
So at that point,
I knew I loved racing, but I didn't really understand it.
And then when I was seven,
Christmas came around and, uh, Dad wheeled out this go-kart for me.
What made you take up karting then?
Because my dad bought me a kart for Christmas.
What did you do? Put it on your list for Santa Claus or something,
- and he came up with a kart? - Yeah.
And I was obviously blown away.
A little scared, a little apprehensive.
- As you would be as a seven-year-old. - Yeah.
Uh, and, uh, he started it up with no crash helmet on.
I drove it around a pub car park.
It was just for fun.
It was something for father-son to do on weekends.
And then we went to a racetrack and someone said,
"He looks quick. You should put him in for a race."
So, I started my first race.
Now it was starting to get exciting, you know?
- And you're ni-- - Eight.
- You're eight years old? - Eight years old, yeah.
I had many years in motor sport,
and it didn't worry me when I was competing.
But out there with these little lads, it's-- it's frightening.
What he wants to do in the future, I don't know.
They all say they wanna go into Formula 1,
but I don't know, as long as he's enjoying himself.
I raced and I loved the competition.
And I crossed the finish line and I won my first race.
- You won your first race? - Yeah.
My dad was always very supportive,
and there was many times in my career
where I look at it now and it's like...
I was so lucky to have someone that wasn't pushy.
He is excluded.
Well, that is bloody awful! It's not his fault.
I'm just saying the procedure--
If you want to appeal, you appeal.
I'd had a couple of really bad weekends when I was younger.
And, uh, my--
my dad was in the front seat of the van that we had at that time
with his partner, my stepmum,
and, uh, I was behind them lying down.
I think he thought I was asleep.
And he said to my stepmum...
"I don't think he's got it.
I don't think he's got that extra bit that he needs."
And, uh, I-- I heard it.
I was like...
As a 13-year-old, blown away, you know?
It hurt, really hurt.
It's funny. I get emotional now thinking-- thinking about that moment.
And what did you think that meant?
I think it got to the point where it's like,
"We gotta make a decision here, you know?
I'm putting a lot of money into this, and money that we don't have."
Um, so that was definitely an important point in my career.
I think if I didn't hear that, maybe we wouldn't be sat here today, so...
Well, Jenson, here you are, the champion.
What's it like to have that laurel around your neck?
Feels really nice!
You ever think you were gonna do it?
No.
Well, John, how do you feel about this?
Oh, absolutely chuffed. Tears in the eyes in the last lap.
Yeah, very, very pleased. He's worked very hard.
When Lewis started karting, Jenson was a karter.
He was almost like a God.
And is that where you met John?
That's where we met John.
I mean, in a way, you guys are like coaches, mentors,
- and then also just support, right? - Yeah.
John was always there.
Whatever happened, he was always there with Jenson.
You know, John is probably the closest person I know in the sport
as-- as a parent.
Jenson tells this story about being in the back of a car.
And he hears his father say,
"I don't think he has what it takes."
I call that carrot and the stick.
- The carrot and the stick? - Yeah. That's kind of, um...
Sometimes you gotta give 'em a kick, haven't you?
- Yeah. - You know?
There's absolutely no way he would've said that
and believed that Jenson didn't have what it takes.
Absolutely no way. It would've been a motivational speech.
- Yeah. - That's all it was.
"I just need to remind you, this could all go south." You know?
Formula 1 rules in Sao Paulo.
You're back home, Interlagos, Brazil.
Rubinho! Rubinho! Rubinho!
Rubinho!
The championship's still alive,
and you were feeling that.
I knew I had to give it everything I had.
Your father worked here.
Your grandmother lived, like--
Just outside of turn one.
My first dream was, actually,
to get into the track and salute my grandma.
But coming to Brazil, there was a little extra pressure,
because it was the first time since the Ferrari times
that I-- I was back fighting for the championship
knowing that I was 14 points behind,
but Brazil could change that into something more alive.
Rubens still had a chance,
and, you know,
from my perspective, it didn't matter which driver won,
as long as one of them won.
I went to Brazil a little bit apprehensive because it's Brazil.
They're very patriotic.
They'll do anything for their sportsmen.
So, I knew that it would be a little bit uncomfortable for me in Brazil.
And-- And it was.
Rubens Barrichello readying himself.
Crowd have been cheering every time his picture's been up on the big screen.
Wonder what sort of reception Jenson Button will get.
You know, Interlagos,
it's a circuit that should be okay for our car.
I could do what I expected with the car.
It-- It definitely felt better than the previous couple of races.
You know, we could extract more pace out of it, and we were a bit more competitive.
What you just said to me sounds like you qualified P3 or P4.
And that's where I thought we would be.
Um, in the dry.
But it wasn't dry. It was far from dry.
Interlagos is currently being lashed
by its third storm of the day.
More than a river almost, isn't it, than a racetrack?
Jenson was very nervous.
But, you know, we actually had a good car in the wet.
You know, those conditions are normally my strongpoint, you know?
I would say that's my best condition, rather than the dry.
It's finding the right tyre to suit the condition I'm driving in.
But that didn't happen in Brazil.
How was qualifying?
I've heard it was kind of like this, maybe a little wetter.
The forecast was going to get really wet.
That brought me a smile in my face.
I like the wet and people know that.
It was my chance.
Button had a very steady first lap,
and he's on a so-so lap as well at the moment.
Button finishes his lap
three seconds slower than his teammate.
A very tentative lap for the world championship leader.
You're trying to get the most out of the car,
and that's quite a challenge 'cause if the weather changes,
it changes the way the car is behaving.
And the drivers are always looking for the perfect balance,
the confidence that they need to really commit to that lap in qualifying.
Here's Vettel then. He's got a bit to do.
This is the team who know that they've got nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Brazil was the last chance for Seb to win the championship.
It was still possible,
and he honestly believed he could still do it.
At the moment, he's down in 16th, Sebastian Vettel.
He's not improving.
Of all the occasions to have your worst qualifying of the season,
a championship-deciding race--
And that's it. He's giving up. He's coming into the pits.
I remember Sebastian just being absolutely gutted.
And there's not a happy man at all.
Steering wheel off and out. And what's gonna get kicked in the garage?
It's frustrating. But, you know, Sebastian made a few mistakes.
We made a few mistakes as a-- as a team,
and that cost us, you know? It really cost us.
Sebastian, just tell us how tough it was.
I think I went to the pool, not to the racetrack today.
Uh, obviously extremely disappointing.
I think it would be much nicer to start from the front, but that's not the case,
so that's life. We have to accept.
And, for sure, tomorrow when we start, the knife will be in between our teeth,
and we will try to do the best.
When Vettel had a bad qualifying session,
you started to think, "This might be not as difficult as we thought."
But maybe that confidence gets the better of you.
Here's Jenson Button.
The sun is shining now.
The track will change quickly.
Lap by lap.
Still on the extreme wets now.
Jenson Button, has he got this wrong?
I really struggled.
You know, it was all about tyre temperature,
and I'd try and drive more aggressively,
but whatever I did, it just did not work.
Yes. His time's way off, way off!
Yeah. Oh, dear! Jenson.
You relived it many times where you thought,
"Wait. Why didn't I just call him in? Why didn't I call him in?"
Probably, with less pressure on us, we'd have-- we'd have done a better job.
Up the hill he comes.
Final few turns, another blast.
No, that's not enough. No.
Jenson Button, 14th fastest.
Dear me.
Jenson, difficult times out there. Just tell us about your qualifying.
The start of the session, I had way too much understeer in the car
on that run when the circuit wasn't wet, like it was in the first session,
and I couldn't do anything with the car.
And then, um, on lap three, the rears started going away, so that was it.
We made a mistake, I think, not putting the inters on at the end, so that's it.
Whose decision was that?
Uh, well, I mean, it's all of ours. It's a team effort, isn't it? So...
We really screwed up.
We had him on the wrong tyres at the wrong time,
and he was much further down the grid than he should've been.
The only consolation was Sebastian was back there with us.
This would play very much into the hands of Rubens Barrichello,
the only championship contender still in qualifying.
I had to watch that
because I was out in qualifying early,
so I had to watch the last part of qualifying.
And I was watching Rubens's lap
and seeing the sector time's purple,
which means the quickest of anyone, purple.
I was like, "Are you kidding me?"
Can he hold it together?
Rubens Barrichello on home territory.
Hadn't had a pole for five years and now he's coming.
Rubens Barrichello knows the time to beat and he's done it!
Nine hundredths of a second.
Rubens Barrichello has risen to the challenge.
Wonderful!
I think the Brawn mechanics are happy.
My heart just sank.
I know that I had an advantage in the championship,
but this-- this was a big hit.
It was the lap. It was my best lap in Brazil.
- You hit the ball perfectly. It was like... - Yes.
Yes, it was--
It was a tremendous lap,
and I remember the public went... ...berserk.
So it was, uh-- it was nice.
The grandstand is alive.
And Rubens Barrichello delivers, while Jenson Button suffers.
I had put the cans on,
so I knew what was going on on the radio.
And Jock Clear came on the radio.
You beauty! That is P1 in Brazil, dude.
That is P1 in Brazil.
Jenson Button, P14.
Sebastian Vettel, P16.
Where are you now?
That was like... ...gut-wrenching.
For Jock to come out and say that,
that-- that-- that surprised me and it definitely hurt.
It was great from my point of view. I enjoyed that thoroughly.
The one race where we needed to score big against Jenson,
and we're gonna start on the front and he's gonna start from P14.
At that point, it's difficult to expect it to be all good-natured
and all sportsmanlike.
You can see less collaboration with myself and Jock,
knowing that this was the opportunity to win the championship.
Absolutely awesome.
What about this? In Brazil, P1.
Bring it on, baby!
Rubens was exceptional.
He has always been good in Brazil,
and I'll tell you what, that was the lap of his life.
There's a few like that I've seen in my lifetime and that's one of them.
- Really? - Yeah.
I mean, outdid the car.
Rubinho! Rubinho! Rubinho!
You can hear the crowd, "Rubinho! Rubinho!"
If he wants to be world champion,
he's setting about it in the penultimate race in exactly the right way.
Oh, it was a nice pole position.
It was one of the best pole positions I had,
and the public never left the circuit.
So, they were here.
They were cheering and that made it even more special.
And my team was super happy.
But part of the team also felt the pressure,
because Jenson didn't qualify very well.
I was lost.
You know, this is our chance,
and you never know in Formula 1 when your next chance is gonna come around
to win a race, let alone a championship.
So, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves,
and I know I did, personally.
Saturday night comes along,
and the pressure comes to this sort of crescendo.
You got your family around you.
You got your friends around you.
You have a calm evening.
But you got to achieve a certain number of points to be the world champion.
You just start questioning yourself.
You know, I would go to a restaurant
and, you know, there'd be people booing.
And I remember I went to one restaurant,
and I walked out and some of the Brazilian journalists
had put a ladder outside the restaurant.
If Button walks under this ladder,
then he'll face the consequences of our spell.
His car could crash and he will lose to Rubens.
The unlucky ladder?
Yeah. So I had to walk underneath the ladder.
Button! He'll walk underneath the ladder. And he did!
I was in such a bad place that--
I should've just laughed it off.
- You know what I mean? - Yeah.
I should've just laughed it off, but I didn't and I actually got pissed.
I got angry about it.
There's no way out.
Look, look. Jenson Button is leaving now.
There is great anticipation. This place has two exits.
And that proved to me that I was struggling with it.
- And my dad saw that.
So we jumped in the car and went back to the hotel,
which is only four or five minutes away.
Jenson Button was jinxed by our TV show.
He's passed under the ladder and was jinxed again.
Went to get in the lift,
say goodnight to everyone.
Needed a bit of time to myself.
And my dad grabbed me and he said,
"No, we're gonna-- We're going up to the bar."
And, uh, went to the bar in the hotel, and he actually got me a beer,
which, obviously, I didn't normally drink.
But he gave me a beer and he said,
"I think you-- I think you should have a beer."
Now, I don't know what John would have said to Jenson,
but I know what I would have said to Lewis,
and it would have been,
"Do you remember 1994 when this happened to us?
Do you remember 1998 when that happened to us?
Do you remember when you started 11th, you finished first?
I said you can do it."
He said, "Just remember,
nobody expected you to be winning races.
Nobody expected you to be winning races, and you won six of the first seven."
And he reminded me of the other races that I'd had when I've had to fight through.
And he said, "You're gonna win this championship."
So I gave him a big hug.
Didn't actually drink my beer. Maybe a sip. Put it down.
And, uh, I went to bed.
He came in Sunday morning and he was like a different man.
I don't-- I can't explain it.
He had a bounce in his step,
and he said to me, "Don't worry. I'm gonna do it today."
And it wasn't like a flippant remark.
It was like, "I've had a good talking to myself.
I understand what's going on. Today is gonna be my day.
Don't try and stop me."
Jenson was in P14.
You're P1.
He has to get P5 to secure the championship.
Did you think he could do it?
Did you even think about that?
Um, no. I'd, uh-- I never thought of it.
Rubinho!
I just had to relax my hand and think about mine.
I've always been thinking about mine.
I was-- Boom! I-- I-- I knew I could do it.
- This is perfect.
The one race where we needed to score big against Jenson,
to keep us in the championship.
We're gonna start on the front and Jenson's gonna start from 14th.
This is just fantastic.
As a strategist, you knew Jenson had to get to P5.
Correct. At least, yeah.
What did the math say?
The math said it was all possible.
But the driver still has to make the difference on the day.
They've still gotta fight through cars in order to get there.
Three contenders, one mission.
Britain expects from Jenson Button.
Brazil is looking to Rubens Barrichello, his closest rival.
And Germany dreams for Sebastian Vettel.
You qualified P14.
Your teammate is P1.
You can't see him 'cause he's so far ahead of you.
How are you feeling at that moment?
The start in Brazil, it's very different to a lot of tracks,
because when you're in P14, you're looking up a hill.
You gotta have your brake pedal pressed so that you don't roll back at the start.
So, you're in even worse position because you're trying to control the car
when the lights are going out with throttle, foot on the brake,
and trying to find the bite point for the clutch.
Starting from pole position, I just had to go for it.
I could see the-- the public just going mad.
I-- You obviously, you don't hear it,
but you-- you just, uh, you see the enthusiasm.
But I-- I had the pressure that I--
I had to deliver in my getaway from that start.
And we're away in Brazil.
Barrichello looking to get in there and leads well.
Straight down...
Look at Räikkönen coming charging through!
But Barrichello has the crowd off their feet!
You had the first lap.
You had to pass eight cars.
I remember dumping the clutch and feeding in the throttle,
initially thinking, "Not bad. Not a bad start."
We got through turn three, turn four, and then everything went to shit.
Oh! There's problems there. That's Sutil and there's a Toyota there!
Was that Jarno Trulli?
So drama on the first lap here at the Brazilian Grand Prix!
Oh! Oh, Alonso took a big wallop in that as well!
- Mayhem. - Mayhem.
And it was, basically, just trying to avoid the carnage.
Jenson's middle name is "Lucky" this year,
and he certainly navigated his way through that lot very well.
So Jenson Button into the top ten.
Safety car comes out.
- Bring everybody together. - Bring us all back together.
Rubens Barrichello was hoping to charge clear.
That won't have helped him, but that's excellent news for Jenson Button.
I was like, "Oh, you know, this is awesome. We've made places up."
It's like we're starting the race again.
Safety car comes in.
I've got Romain Grosjean in front of me,
and I just had to make a move.
Grosjean getting super defensive.
I make a move down the inside.
He stays on the outside of me.
Button hasn't got a chance,
but he's coming back up on the inside now. Can he do it?
And then we go side by side
- through the next left-hand corner. - Yes! Yes!
But then I'm on the outside through the long right-hander,
and I'm like, "I've gotta make this stick."
Grosjean's coming back on the inside now
as they go round at the top of the hill.
Wonderful move by Button. He's squeezed in there.
And for me, that was the first moment that I thought,
"We can get this. We can do this."
And I was like, "Yes, Shov. It's happening!"
Into the points for Jenson Button. Next up, Nakajima.
I had to calm down on the pit wall
because, as he was ticking off these cars,
I was getting a little bit excited, and I don't normally do that
'cause it doesn't, uh-- doesn't suit me.
If you want your champion to grab the initiative,
he's doing it at the moment.
He's got the line and he's got the mace.
Jenson Button through!
He was on a roll.
You know, we didn't have to coach him. We may well have said,
"Look, don't take any risks. Just bring the car home."
But Jenson was remarkably smooth.
I mean, he almost glided around the track.
It's only lap seven. I'm out of breath already.
Brilliant driving all round. And Button really aggressive.
I caught up with Kamui Kobayashi,
uh, and he was unbelievably difficult to overtake.
I would go left. I'd go right.
I'd try everything to overtake him.
Here is Button again, Martin.
He's coming through on the inside of Kobayashi!
I threw it down the inside, locked up, ran wide.
He got back past me.
This is breathtaking stuff from Jenson Button.
It was really tough and it took longer than I wanted.
- Button's done it. - Button's gone through.
He's got through. So, Jenson Button now up into seventh place.
As soon as I exited the corner, I was straight on the radio button.
Let's go! Let's go!
Okay, big push now.
And then I started chasing down the next car.
At that point, though, it's like nothing can stop me right now.
He just scythed through the grid, just really clean, aggressive,
and just nailed everything,
and he was like a different character.
So Button now has got an open road.
But out in front, Rubens Barrichello is really racking up the fastest laps.
Really in the groove here, Rubens Barrichello.
All in all, the best place in the world was actually driving that car.
When you're by yourself, you know,
God, you, track and bam, bam, bam!
We're riding once more with Jenson Button.
Up the hill he comes.
Christian Horner, Sebastian Vettel, they're not giving up.
Red Bull had a chance to win both championships,
and Vettel was remarkably close.
So, they knew it was going to be competitive to the end.
Oh, is that Vettel on the grass going into six and seven?
Ferradura, the horseshoe, but he makes it!
Sebastian had the desire and the hunger
to not just take part in Formula 1, he wanted to compete.
And he was smashing in the lap times.
I didn't wanna know where Vettel or Jenson was,
but I had to keep my chances alive.
And it was on this-- on this straight here,
that I-- I saw Lewis coming.
I wanted to be on the outside,
but then there was a bit of a misunderstanding.
That was close.
And Hamilton is through.
It's got worse there for Rubens Barrichello.
We just touched,
and his front flap just cut my tyre.
Complete despair on the Brawn pit wall.
Then it all just got messy from then on.
Rubens's head went down, and you could sense that "boof".
That was it. He was like, "Ah."
So it wasn't meant to be, because when that happened,
I knew I was struggling and I had to come to the pits.
He started from pole. He hoped to win.
He's not even going to be on the podium now, it would seem.
And it's drifting away from Rubens Barrichello.
That was when the dream was over.
As one side of the garage attend to Rubens Barrichello's tyres,
the other side of the garage can surely start to believe.
Button's doing exactly what he needs to do. Fifth place.
And then the race became really long.
It felt like the longest race in history.
And it's just mad, the stuff that goes through your head,
and a Formula 1 car is unbelievably noisy.
There's rattles. There's all sorts of going on, but you never notice it.
It's just you and the road normally, and then soon as you start thinking, it's...
I mean, you could make an issue.
Roger.
We just needed to get it home.
I was then counting down the laps to Jenson.
I don't normally do that,
but I think I was just trying to calm my own nerves.
- Count them down? - And after about--
- Five. - Yeah.
- Four. - I think I might have started on about 20.
This is a drive now to the championship for Jenson Button.
This is gonna change me from being a racing driver
to a Formula 1 world champion.
It felt like my whole career was that one race.
I carried around the last few corners just enjoying the Brawn,
just enjoying what I was sat in and what I'd achieved in that car.
I came out the second to last corner and went up the hill,
through the gears, and then just saw the chequered flag.
And now here comes Jenson Button,
the 2009 world champion!
Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
Look at the relief! Look at the joy!
It's all now out in the open!
Brawn are the Constructors' champions.
Jenson Button is world champion.
They daren't believe it, almost, after qualifying yesterday,
and yet, he's come through.
I was laughing and crying at the same time,
and then I-- Sorry, Freddie Mercury...
He became a world champion that day.
In my mind, he drove a world champion's race.
Ross said it was a championship drive.
Like if you wanted to say, that one little--
that little extra to be a champion,
on that day, Jenson Button was that.
It's days like that where these drivers really show their class.
And all those years of go-karting,
and Formula 4...
It comes down to a couple of hours,
or even a couple of minutes,
in Brazil, many years later,
where they either do it or they don't.
And Jenson became a true champion.
It's a...
Yep.
Very emotional.
It-- It was a...
I mean, there's not many times I'm emotional on a pit wall,
but that was definitely one of the times I was very emotional.
Suddenly, he wasn't the calm Ross anymore.
He was very emotional, and it was--
it was so nice to hear because we hadn't just won the Drivers' Championship.
We'd won the-- the Constructors' Championship as well.
Well, Ross, many congratulations. How do you feel?
Still-- Still gotta sink in.
Still gonna take a while before, uh...
Is it special 'cause it's your name above the door?
It's special, very special.
You okay? Well done.
I didn't manage to speak to Ross for several minutes after the race ended.
I went to the garage, and I could see Ross,
but there was just a sea of people,
photographers, journalists, team members.
And I just had to wait, just bide my time.
I remember getting out the car,
jumping on the car and kind of doing one of them.
And the crowd were cheering.
There's the release.
There's the victory salute which means so much to him.
And it was so nice to hear.
And then Rubens came up.
I gave Rubens a hug and, uh,
you know, I'm super high with emotion but I still feel his pain.
I just remember getting out of the car and I went to hug my friend.
You know, at times, you just forget about that.
You're just so competitive,
but I loved him for the friend and for everything that we conquered together.
Jenson, just talk us through this feeling.
You are the world champion.
It's really amazing, you know?
Especially after... My voice has gone now.
After the last few races I've had, this one, um, makes up for it.
That was just such an awesome race and, um...
I'm world champion, baby. Yeah!
That deserved it, that race.
The team celebrated in the garage.
So it's bittersweet? Or is it--
It was bittersweet, yes.
I went to my room inside of the team and I cry my eyes out.
You know, it was one of the dreams going away from me,
and I had a chance to-- to win it, so I felt sorry for that.
But those ten minutes cleaned me out,
and after that, I-- I was part of the celebration.
It was pandemonium.
And I think that was reflected to some extent down the pit lane as well.
I mean,
the good guys had won.
- Jenson! - Whoo!
- Jenson! Jenson! - Jenson!
Can you find it within yourself to congratulate Brawn and Jenson?
Absolutely. I mean, I've known Jenson since he was ten years of age.
You know, he's a worthy champion and will be a popular champion.
You know, to win a world championship is a massive, massive thing.
And to do it, you know, with all the challenges that were going on,
uh, it was a hell of an achievement.
So, uh, you know, chapeau to-- to Ross
and to Jenson for doing what they did.
Brawn was one of the miracles.
No question about it.
2009 was unique
because never happen, something like this. Never.
I was happy for Ross.
I say, "Chapeau."
Do you feel like Ross Brawn
was the luckiest guy in the world to get this team,
or do you think he was really clever?
Well, I think most people that are successful like to think they're geniuses,
and most of us are lucky.
And I think that's what happened with him.
He happened to be at the right place at the right time.
And-- And took the opportunity.
Yeah. We won, baby!
I saw my dad in his pink shirt.
I ran over and gave him a hug, and, uh, he wouldn't let go.
He said it's because I was crying, but that's rubbish.
It was because he was bawling his eyes out,
and he didn't want people to see that.
A true Brit.
Have you spoken to him yet? Have you managed to give him a big hug?
Oh, we had a big squeeze.
And we were crying in there, and he was crying on the radio in the car.
Which is not my son at all, 'cause he's a hard man, obviously.
- Well, go and see him again and enjoy it. - Yeah.
Well, thank you very much. Thank you.
To share it with him was... ...everything.
You know, that's what we do it for.
It's that connection and that--
that realisation of what you've achieved.
And to do it with him from the word "go", from my karting days,
through the tough times to becoming an F1 world champion.
You know, it's the dream!
And, uh, yeah, it was very special.
And it's that moment that you just wish lasted a lot longer.
You know, we spoke about a moment in a car as a young man
hearing your father saying, "I don't think he has it."
But then to that hug.
You know, it's like, "You did it."
It's...
Through my whole career, my-- my dad was always there in the background,
and I never really thought that I needed him to be happy about my racing.
Um, I never thought that I had to achieve for him
or for him to think I'm good enough.
But I think that was the case.
I did need him to think that I was good enough.
So, seeing him after that race and giving him that hug, yeah, it meant everything.
You know, basically it felt like,
"I've done this for me, but I've done it just as much for you
to see what I can achieve."
Yeah! Whoo!
I mean, did anyone wanna leave the garage that night?
Did anyone--
They did eventually 'cause we had another party to go to.
Champions! Champions!
We took over this nightclub.
The whole team were there, and anyone who wanted to come, could come.
I was there for probably an hour.
You know, high-fiving everyone, congratulating everyone.
It'd been such a long season.
And then I left.
It was all just a bit too much.
So I went home to my hotel room and, um,
just sat on my own for a couple of hours,
just thinking about what I'd just achieved.
Crying for probably most of the two hours.
Just running through what I'd been through
and the emotions of the highs, the lows,
to finally crossing that finish line and seeing that chequered flag.
Well, here he is.
The new 2009 Formula 1 world champion...
- ...Jenson Button!
Whoo!
- Yeah!
Going back to the team and seeing them at Brackley was amazing.
I haven't got a clue what to say to you guys...
...because we've done what we came to achieve.
And, uh, I don't think any team will ever do this in the future.
It is a fairy tale.
I think we should raise our glasses to ourselves.
- Thank you very much.
Seeing how happy the guys were,
and seeing the emotion of what they'd been through,
most of them didn't even think they were gonna have a job in 2009,
to winning a Formula One World Championship.
That doesn't happen.
You're dreaming. That's never gonna work out.
But it did.
I've spent the rest of my career
trying to get that feeling back.
And you can't.
It's a once-in-a-lifetime feeling, and almost nothing you can do beyond there,
no matter how much success you have,
will give you that feeling.
Brawn GP was a fantastic time of my career.
I'm grateful that happened,
and I will never forget those guys involved who made it possible.
This was not just special in Formula 1.
This was not just special in sport.
It was super special.
And-- And-- And nobody can take that away from us.
You know, to be part of that was-- was fantastic.
It was such a pure year
with so many people mucking in together,
it proved that there is such a thing as teamwork,
because everyone went above and beyond.
Everyone completely got it.
We haven't got enough people. We haven't got enough money.
No one's gonna do it for you, so you gotta do it yourself.
And you gotta do it with a smile.
And I think that that's the learning from that,
is if you all work together as a collective,
then you're gonna get there.
This is the scale of the Olympics and the World Cup,
but it doesn't happen every four years,
it happens every year, and it happens every fortnight.
Add on the layers of financial complexity,
technical complexity on numerous fronts,
and the fact that all your competition just really is out to get you.
This is a different level.
And this is what makes the Brawn story so unlikely.
It's just something that will never happen again.
- Really? - I don't think so, no.
You know, there's no--
You imagine all those circumstances that came together...
I mean, I can't-- I can't see a scenario where that would ever happen again.
How do you feel about this coin?
- Mmm. - It's difficult, huh?
It's difficult, ne?
Mmm.
The choice we made was not wrong.
If the team was broken,
700 very highly-skilled engineers gone.
So, if a pound is very, very priceless...
Uh, it's very difficult in English to say.
In Japanese.
A lot happened before...
but everything fell into place.