Ross Brawn

Lore & Background

Brawn was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England. He became interested in engineering during his early years, often visiting Belle Vue Stadium to watch various forms of motor racing. He moved south aged 11 as his father took a job near Reading, Berkshire, and he subsequently attended Reading School. In 1971, he was taken on as a mechanical craft apprentice by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority at its Atomic Energy Research Establishment in Harwell, Oxfordshire, where he qualified as an instrument mechanic. He went on to start an HNC in Mechanical Engineering, still funded by Harwell. Living in Reading, he found an advertisement for Frank Williams Grand Prix, which were based in Reading at that time; he was interviewed by Patrick Head. Williams were looking for a milling machinist which was one of the skills he learnt at Harwell. Brawn lives in Stoke Row, near Henley-on-Thames. In his spare time he enjoys gardening, fishing and listening to music. In 2006, Brawn received an honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering (DEng) from Brunel University for his services to motorsport. On 18 November 2011, Brawn received a second honorary doctorate from Heriot-Watt University.

In Their Own Story

The silence of the garage was broken only by the hum of laptops and the distant roar of engines warming up on track. Ross Brawn stood by the telemetry screen, his eyes scanning data streams that told a story more complex than any race result. In this moment, he wasn't just managing a car; he was orchestrating a symphony of physics and probability, a skill set that would eventually define the very rules Red Bull Racing had to play by.

Reader's Guide

His career in motorsport began in 1976 when he joined March Engineering in the town of Bicester as a milling machine operator. Soon afterwards, he joined their Formula 3 racing team as a mechanic. Brawn was hired by Frank Williams in 1978 as a machinist for the newly formed Williams team. He quickly moved up through the ranks, working in the R&D department with Frank Dernie and as an aerodynamicist in the team's wind tunnel. Brawn joined the Haas Lola team in 1985 and was part of Neil Oatley's design team at FORCE that produced both the Lola THL1 and THL2 cars used by the team. When the team left Formula One at the end of the 1986 season, Brawn moved to Arrows. There, he designed the Megatron powered Arrows A10 and its update, the A10B for the 1987 and 1988 seasons respectively and the Ford V8 powered Arrows A11 used in 1989. Later in 1989, Brawn moved to the Jaguar Sportscar racing division, and was lead designer on the Jaguar XJR-14 which won the 1991 World Sportscar Championship. Later in 1991 Brawn returned to Formula One as technical director of the Benetton team, helping it win consecutive World Drivers' Championships in 1994 and 1995 with Michael Schumacher, and to take the World Constructors' Championship in 1995. Brawn followed Schumacher to Ferrari in late 1996. As Ferrari technical director, he helped them regain glory when the team won the Constructors' Championship in 1999, the first of six consecutive titles. The Brawn-guided Scuderia also powered Schumacher to five consecutive drivers' titles, from 2000 to 2004. On 26 October 2006, Ferrari announced that Brawn was to leave the team. It was believed that he would take a one-year sabbatical. On 12 November 2007, it was announced that Brawn was to become the new team principal of Honda. With the withdrawal of Honda from Formula One announced in late 2008, Brawn was effectively out of the sport unless a buyer could quickly be found. On 5 March 2009, a 100% buy-out of Honda was completed, with Brawn taking a controlling 54% stake. They announced entry to the 2009 Formula One World Championship under the new name Brawn GP. Brawn GP won the 2009 Constructors' Championship and Button won the Drivers' Championship at the Brazilian Grand Prix. In November 2009, Brawn GP was bought out by Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz. Brawn, as majority shareholder, stood to do very well financially fr

Did You Know?

• Brawn was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours for services to motorsport.
• Brawn earned fame as the 'mastermind' behind Michael Schumacher's seven world championship titles.
• Brawn acquired the Honda team in early 2009 to form Brawn GP, which won both championships in its only season.