Beloved 'fairytale' championship-winning F1 car to be sold at auction

The 2009 Brawn GP car from Jenson Button's personal collection is to be sold at auction over the Miami Grand Prix weekend.

The car, chassis 001/01, will headline the event on May 3. It was gifted to the British driver after he won the F1 drivers' title that season, with Brawn clinching the constructors' crown in its sole year as a team in the championship.

Known as chassis 01, it was in fact the car Button's team-mate Rubens Barrichello raced in the early part of that storied campaign, taking four podium finishes with it, in Australia, Spain, Monaco and Silverstone.

How Ross Brawn managed to take the embers of the Honda team, which closed its doors at the end of 2008, and turn it into a phoenix from the flames in his own name is well-trodden ground.

Whilst the team was ultimately sold to Mercedes ahead of the 2010 season, the events of Brawn and Button have gone down in F1 folklore as one of the most improbable and fairytale chapters in the championship's history.

As highlighted by Bonhams, the auction house responsible for the sale: "at the conclusion of the 2009 season, the championship winning chassis (02) went to Ross Brawn while Mercedes received chassis 03. Due to a clause in his contract, chassis 01 was gifted to world champion Jenson Button, remaining in his private collection until 2024."

Louis Frankel, Miami head of sale, Bonhams|Cars said: "This car represents the ultimate Formula 1 fairy tale – a revolutionary design that redefined what was possible.

"Chassis 001/01 is a piece of motorsport history, and its offering at auction is sure to captivate collectors worldwide. We are honoured to present this unrepeatable opportunity over the Miami Grand Prix, a stage befitting its legendary status."