Rubens Barrichello once recalled how Brawn GP produced ‘one of the best’ days of his life

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It has been 17 years since the miracle of Brawn GP, the old Honda team, which would later become Mercedes, were saved from the brink of extinction.

Ex-Ferrari boss Ross Brawn purchased them for the price of £1, saving hundreds of jobs in the process and keeping the team alive.

Not long after, he struck an engine deal with Mercedes, landing one of the best units on the grid for 2009. Then, he retained the team’s old drivers for another season.

That meant Rubens Barrichello would carry on for his 17th consecutive Formula 1 campaign, with the team he had already spent three years with. Brawn GP had some solid foundations.

Change my mind: Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello are the best Ferrari teammates in history

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The diffuser propelled Brawn to glory – a genius design which took rival teams months to copy. It was already too late by then, as Brawn had built a lead in both championships.

Jenson Button knew he could win the title at testing after hopping into the BGP 001. It was an immediate feeling.

READ MORE: 33-point driver admits he was ‘sent a contract’ to drive 2009 championship-winning Brawn GP car

Rubens Barrichello called the formation of Brawn GP in 2009 ‘one of the best’ days of his life

Barrichello was the ‘best teammate’ Button ever had when it came to developing a car. He knew exactly how to make it better.

His feedback formed part of their 2009 car, having suffered through two dismal campaigns in 2007 and 2008.

They went on to win six of the first seven races in 2009, none of which were won by Barrichello, who did eventually win on two occasions later in the year.

Speaking about the day he was told the team would survive by ex-boss Brawn, he told the BBC at the 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix that it was ‘one of the best’ days of his life.

“My phone was ringing [and] it was Ross [Brawn]. He said, ‘Are you ready?’ It can be very good, or it can be very bad. He said, ‘Can you be here Friday?’ I said, ‘I can be there any time, Ross.’

“‘You have a contract, so we want you to drive next year.’ I went into the house crying, obviously, as you know me. With the gratitude of that moment. When I told Silvana, that was one of the best days of my life.”

READ MORE: Jenson Button shares what ‘everyone’ gets wrong about his 2009 F1 title win with Brawn

Where did Rubens Barrichello finish in the 2009 F1 standings?

After a mediocre start to 2009, Barrichello’s pace picked up just as his teammate’s started to dip a little bit.

The breakthrough win came in Valencia, and two races later in Monza, in front of an adoring Ferrari crowd, he was on the top step again.

To do it in front of the Tifosi was a special moment for him. It was the last race he would ever get to win, and there was something incredible about it being his 11th and final victory.

In the end, he finished well shy of winning the championship, but it was a nice reminder of just how talented he was. One of the greatest to never win a drivers’ title.