Why the Brawn GP story was no fairytale
Brawn GP's rise from the ashes of Honda's moribund F1 team to world championship success 10 years ago was a rare story of triumph against adversity. But was that really the case? STUART CODLING assess the biggest talking point of the 2009 season
"This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."
The punchline of the classic western The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance aptly sums up the theme of a film that meditates upon the enduring power of myth on the human psyche: a quarter of a century after a celebrated shoot-out, a newspaperman learns the truth about what happened but burns his story rather than publish it.
Formula 1 history is redolent with powerful myths treasured by fans, and few in recent years have proved so potently alluring - intoxicating, even - as the underdog narrative of Brawn GP, the team that came from virtually nowhere to snatch the 2009 world championship. Just over ten years have passed since Jenson Button swept to victory in the season-opening Australian GP, which is why you'll have seen plenty of features celebrating the anniversary in recent weeks.
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