How to Innovate: The Brawn GP Story

This year we have enjoyed creating some great content with a new partner, 42 Technology. We recently recorded a two-part podcast with Head of Innovation Simon Jelley and Dr. Peter Brown entitled ‘How to Innovate’. Part 1 of the podcast is here, and Part 2 is here.

Inspired by these podcasts I felt compelled to share this short article, which is based on Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story on Disney+, because it hits all of the themes we discuss in the podcast.

I love the story of Brawn GP and their championship-winning year in 2009. During the 2008 season, Honda decided to shut down their Formula 1 team, just after Ross Brawn had joined as Team Principal. Brawn had spent many years as Technical Director at Ferrari during Michael Schumacher’s legendary winning streak from 2000-2004, and his five consecutive world championships. Honda's decision was driven by the global financial crisis and, though devastating, was understandable given the circumstances.

Undeterred, Brawn and his team worked tirelessly to keep the operation alive, eventually buying back the team's assets and securing Mercedes engines. Honda famously sold the team to Brawn for £1—a deal that seems absurd now, but at the time, Honda was eager to offload the responsibility.

Seeing a unique opportunity, the newly formed Brawn GP team went into overdrive, developing a car for the upcoming season on a shoestring budget. They managed resources so tightly that even the paint was applied sparingly. With no sponsors initially, the team secured support from Virgin, which embraced the underdog narrative of a team that, against all odds, would line up on the grid to compete against the elite of the F1 world.

The decision to continue despite the odds galvanised the team. Stripped down to the bare essentials, they were highly motivated and united in their determination to perform their best under extraordinary circumstances.

The key innovation that fueled their success emerged during an open design meeting at the final stage of car development. In Formula 1, every team must work within the rules set for that season, but there are always opportunities to exploit gaps in the regulations for performance gains. Aerodynamic design, which creates optimal downforce, is crucial for an F1 car because it enhances grip, allowing the car to travel faster around a circuit, especially through corners, where races are often won or lost.

In this particular meeting, a relatively junior Japanese aerodynamicist proposed the idea of a double diffuser. Reading the new rules in his language, he noticed poorly defined rules regarding the size of the diffuser. This innovation would provide significant performance advantages. 

During race strategy and module testing, the team discovered that this design could yield a massive four-second advantage per lap. Initially, they thought there was a mistake, but repeated tests confirmed the gap.

Then, something extraordinary happened. At the season-opening 2009 Australian Grand Prix, the team secured both pole position and second place in qualifying and went on to finish first and second in the race. Jenson Button won six of the first seven races that season. Naturally, this success led other teams to first protest the double diffuser's legality and then scramble to create their versions!

The Disney+ mini-series Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story is a must-watch. It’s an inspiring tale of determination, ingenuity, collaboration, talent, and perseverance in the face of adversity. It proves that innovation can come from the most unlikely places, as evidenced by Brawn GP winning the world championship in their first season—a feat I doubt will ever be repeated.

One might wonder whether this would have happened if Honda had not pulled out. Would they have used the double diffuser? Would the drive, necessity, and most importantly, the culture been the same? Necessity is often the mother of invention, and in this case, the team had nothing to lose.

The culture within Brawn GP led to people working harder, by breaking down hierarchies and. encouraging new ideas from all levels of the organisation. Simply participating in the 2009 season would have been a major achievement given Honda's withdrawal. Winning it, however, is the stuff of legends.