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IN barely seven months Brawn GP has achieved the unimaginable - winning the Formula One constructors championship in its rookie season.
Few would have bet on such an unlikely scenario when Ross Brawn bought the ailing Honda Formula One team in March, rescuing it from collapse and renaming it after himself in time to grab the final pitlane slot for the 2009 season.
But the shrewd Englishman, a former Ferrari and Honda technical director, has always had a reputation as a serious and studious pit-wall boffin.
He saw the benefit of keeping Honda's experienced drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello and signed them up, banking on their extensive knowledge and skills.
He also negotiated a partnership with British-based Mercedez-Benz High Performance Engines to power his cars, and it has all paid off handsomely with the team clinching the championship in Interlagos.
Brawn GP made its debut at the Australian Grand Prix and the paddock quickly sat up and took notice when it claimed pole position and second on the Melbourne grid, confirming that it had a very quick car.
Button went on to win with Barrichello making it a 1-2 in a stunning signal that Brawn GP meant business, achieving something that no team had managed on its debut since Mercedes at the 1954 French Grand Prix.
Button followed it up with victory at the rain-lashed Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang to give Brawn the distinction of being the only team to win their first two races since Alfa Romeo in 1950. Their stunning start led to several other teams officially complaining that Brawn GP and rivals Toyota and Williams were using an illegal diffuser.
The protesting teams claimed the split-level design of the diffuser contravened the rules, generating more downforce at the rear of the car and resulting in a clear performance advantage of around 0.5 seconds per lap. But , the FIA, disagreed and in April ruled it was legal, leaving teams like Ferrari, Renault and BMW Sauber to play catch-up.
Brawn made the most of its superior technology and changes in the rules to prove their opening podium finishes were no fluke.
Although Button only managed third at the next grand prix in China, with Barrichello fourth, Brawn powered back to the top with victories in Bahrain, Spain, Monaco and Turkey as Ferrari and McLaren struggled.
The other teams, though, started making inroads as they ramped up developments, and Brawn had disappointing campaigns in Britain, Germany and Hungary before Barrichello bounced back to win the European GP. Another 1-2 in Italy and Brawn was looking unbeatable in the constructors' race with only Red Bull still in the hunt.
A fifth and sixth place finish around the streets of Singapore ensured they stayed on track for the title and after picking up more points in Japan they were virtually unbeatable.
Button's fifth place in Brazil sealed the title to cap a remarkable maiden season which ends at the new Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
