Team of the season 2009 [Archive]

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Mark

27th October 2009, 10:40

Since we have drivers, why not teams too.

I don't think there is any question that the team of 2009 is Brawn. Going from the wilderness to winning both championships is extraordinary. Of course they didn't quite do it from a standing start since the car was in development with Honda funding from early 2008.

So the race is really for second place, and even here I think it's fairly obvious that Red Bull takes the prize.

Honourable mention goes to McLaren for turning an absolute dog of car to a race winner in the second half of the year.

There was a remarkable lack of donkey teams, but it can't be ignored that Toyota once again under performed compared to their funding levels. And of course Renault completely embarrassed F1 as a whole.

F1boat

27th October 2009, 11:34

Brawn GP are the team of the year, obviously. The story of their team is like a faeria tale or from a gamebook. From zero to hero - even if you include the past of the Honda racing team. For 2nd, for me it is tough to decide between Red Bull and McLaren-Mercedes. Red Bull fought great, but to me showed their true colours when they tried to unsettle Jenson with cheap remarks, at the beginning of the season, with the diffuser gate, and at the end of it, when they put the whole blame for the defeat on Renault. IMO Newey is the sole reason for their success and they are very unlikeable with their boasting. Much unlike Brawn GP who seem humble and pleasant, always thankful to Mercedes and respectful to their rivals. Much inlike McLaren as well - they too wen from zero to hero in a single season and I am very happy for MW, who IMO is much more likeable as team boss than Ron.
For bad team of the year, Renault wins easily with the crashgate and their slow, uncompetitive car. The strategy of late attack in 2008 proved to be a huge mistake. Hopefully next year will be better. In the anti-list I want to mention also BMW and Ferrari. BMW for their bitterness at the beginning of the season, in the diffuser gate scandal, and for their appaling lack of any results, epic fail of aerodynamics, KERS, everything. Ferrari also deserve a mention. They were even more bitter than BMW and Red Bull in the diffuser gate, produced a dog of a car which is impossible to set up and backstabbed the driver who saved their season in Spa.

Marshall

27th October 2009, 11:40

Force India deserves a mention for their efforts as well...they've done a good job and have had serious pace from time to time.

CNR

27th October 2009, 12:35

i think honda deserves as much credit as brawn

lets see how well brawn go when they have a lot less money to develop the 2010 car

Koz

27th October 2009, 13:32

ozrevhead

27th October 2009, 14:01

Without a doubt Honda/Brawn, just a pity they couldn't keep there original pace throughout the season. Redbull did very well also. Honorable mentions to McLaren and FI who also did a great job.

Donkies: Ferrari, lack of development. Horrible treatment of Kimi. And the stupidity of their qualifying strategy. Renault, crap car, crap attitude, crap people. Toyota, lots of promise at the begining, strategic failures. And last but not least, Honda, for pulling out just before glory.
Brawn the best team followed by RedBull

honorable metion to Forca India - they has some great performces

Donkey would have to be Honda for giving up on BrawnF1 - they could of been world champs if they stuck it our by a year.......egg on face BIGTIME!

jens

27th October 2009, 14:04

Besides the current Top2... Force India! :D Unlike Honda (Brawn) and Red Bull they haven't had a big budget, not even a star designer (Gascoyne got sacked last year). Mallya has said that he has given an opportunity to young engineers and look, where has that brought them. There seem to be some really talented people in the team, but we don't know about them yet. Hopefully they can keep it up. In terms of points accumulation they don't look that impressive, but I think there is clearly more potential in the car than it has been reflected in the overall standings.

MrJan

27th October 2009, 14:10

No contest really, Brawn didn't exist until the last minute and somehow had a car which worked perfectly with the new rules. Other teams caught up a bit but when you have 2 drivers battling for the WDC you're pretty much a shoe in for team of the season :)

Hondo

27th October 2009, 15:11

Force India.

ShiftingGears

28th October 2009, 09:46

Brawn, Red Bull, Force India.

leopard

28th October 2009, 09:58

Force India let their driver go elsewhere while being on top of performance and the season is running that may indicate weak commitment to the sport, so Brawn and Red Bull definitely.

Valve Bounce

28th October 2009, 10:06

Force India deserves a mention for their efforts as well...they've done a good job and have had serious pace from time to time.

Absolutely. This team has unlimited resources compared with any of the other teams. Fisi made a fatal mistake by going to Ferrari - had he remained at Force India, he would have done a helluva lot better, both this year and next.

ArrowsFA1

28th October 2009, 10:16

Team of the year has to be Brawn. From where they were at the start of the year to winning both titles is a massive achievement.

I think Force India deserve all the plaudits they get as well. I was reading that they have improved their car by up to 2secs over the course of the year and given their resouces that's a great job. Their performance at Spa was one of the highlights of the year for me.

Red Bull. Maybe not team of the year, but certainly car of the year IMHO.

McLaren have done well to turn their season around, but really that's no more than is expected of a team of their standing.

stevie_gerrard

9th November 2009, 16:21

Saint Devote

10th November 2009, 01:50

I say Ross Brawn.

The effort required to rescue a company and put it back together is enormous. It was his personal credibility that has been built over the years that decided MBHPE to agree to an engine agreement. Nothing else.

Ross is a true leader and he has led this team with Nick Fry to the highest point possible. Even if they win again, it will never reach the levels seen this year.

I consider it a privilege as a decades long formula one enthusiast to have witnessed and enjoyed the 2009 season. And of course being a member of Jense's Barmy Army and therefore having my longtime favorite driver Jenson Button win the title is just amazing.

Remembering where we were just twelve months back - I can onlyimagine what it must have been like for those directly involved.

The good guys REALLY did win this time!!

It is now included in my handful of alltime favorite seasons.

I rate Ross Brawn alongside the "great grandfather" of Brawn, "uncle" Ken Tyrrell. He would be proud.

So my answer to this thread has to be Brawn Grand Prix only.

No other.

VkmSpouge

11th November 2009, 00:41

I would have to say Brawn.

Honourable mentions to Force India and McLaren who managed to get from the back of the grid to the front within half a season.

Saint Devote

11th November 2009, 01:09

Force India are my team of the year for making the biggest improvement in their car over the season, and getting some well deserved points out of it. Hopefully they will push on next season and continue this fine ascent into form.

In his Autosport writing, Gary Anderson actually selects them for team of the season.

He ends by complimenting them on achieving so much with the most limited resources and suggests that the other teams learn from them.

That being succesful by having to actually husband resources is far more satisfying.

He makes a good point.

Garry Walker

11th November 2009, 01:59

I rate Ross Brawn alongside the "great grandfather" of Brawn, "uncle" Ken Tyrrell. He would be proud.

.

Why? What did Tyrrell achieve to rate him alongside Ross Brawn who has been an important part of 8 WDC and 8 WCC titles?

aryan

11th November 2009, 02:15

Why? What did Tyrrell achieve to rate him alongside Ross Brawn who has been an important part of 8 WDC and 8 WCC titles?

Three drivers' championships and one constructors' championship is nothing to sniff at. OK, it's not eight, but I see nothing wrong with putting Tyrrell's name next to Brawn's.

Tyrrell --> B.A.R --> Honda --> Brawn, so Tyrrell can rightfully be called the great grandfather of this team.

Saint Devote

11th November 2009, 02:18

Why? What did Tyrrell achieve to rate him alongside Ross Brawn who has been an important part of 8 WDC and 8 WCC titles?

:eek: I could answer you easily and would like to - but it would be off topic to discuss Tyrrell.

Ross Brawn has one year only as a team owner, but an immense year only flawed by Barrichello not achieiving second place in the championship.

Ranger

11th November 2009, 04:34

Force India would definitely have won races this year if they had the driver line-up of at least 3 other teams.

woody2goody

11th November 2009, 05:42

Force India would definitely have won races this year if they had the driver line-up of at least 3 other teams.

Keeping Fisi for the Italian GP would have got them a victory IMO. That was his best race in the Ferrari by far, so just think what he would have done in the car he got on the podium with the race before...

Anyway, team of the season - Brawn GP, no doubt. Second place goes to Red Bull because they made such a good car for pure speed, and third to Force India because for the smallest and supposedly weakest team on the grid to bag a pole position, their first podium, and 12/13 points is brilliant.

AndyL

11th November 2009, 12:02

In his Autosport writing, Gary Anderson actually selects them for team of the season.

He ends by complimenting them on achieving so much with the most limited resources and suggests that the other teams learn from them.

That being succesful by having to actually husband resources is far more satisfying.

He makes a good point.

It is a fair point, but on the other hand I'm sure they'd find being the best even more satisfying than being the best value.