The Brawn GP BGP 001 is the Formula One car most famous for having a double diffuser, and was engineered by the Brawn GP team for the 2009 season.

It’s ingenious design won the team the constructor’s title in its only season in the sport, before becoming the Mercedes F1 team that every current F1 fan knows and loves.

Design

The BGP-001 was most famed for having a double-diffuser design. Learn more about the double diffuser, as well as other diffuser designs, here. However, other teams also had this design, but could not match the success of their implementation.

Its front wing endplate design to optimise the outwash, which was the term for air that was guided away from the front tyre, and therefore reduced drag.

Fun Facts

1. After the unexpected backing out of the Honda F1 team for the 2009 season, team principal Ross Brawn purchased the team for a mere £1
2. The double-diffuser design was controversial; teams like Red Bull and Ferrari lodged protests questioning its legality in the FIA Court of Appeal. The design was deemed legal.
3. Due to a lack of funding the BGP-001 didn’t match the pace of development of other teams like Red Bull; by the end of the season it actually fell behind in terms of pace.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brawn_BGP_001

https://drivetribe.com/p/11-years-ago-ross-brawn-bought-aDONgwj4T96TkuMfzRSg6w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN-K1trQFPQ&list=WL&index=5&t=3s