Jenson Button: Ross Brawn Was Honda's 'Saviour' After 2007 Disaster

Jenson Button has described Honda's 2007 F1 season as an 'absolute disaster' and credited Ross Brawn as the team's 'saviour' when he arrived at the end of that year. Speaking on the F1 Beyond The Grid podcast, the 2009 world champion revealed how the team's performance plummeted after his maiden victory in 2006.

Why it matters:

Brawn's leadership transformed a struggling Honda squad into a championship-winning outfit within 18 months. His approach—removing blame culture, encouraging risk-taking—became a blueprint for team recovery in F1. The story underscores how one person can shift an entire organization's trajectory.

The details:

• 2007 disaster: Button admitted that Super Aguri, using Honda's 2006 car, was beating the factory team. 'We were driving something we couldn't even get into the points with.'
• Brawn's arrival: Announced at a full factory assembly, Brawn walked down the aisle to a room that didn't know he was coming. 'That was the moment it's like, "Oh, this is going to turn around."'
• Leadership shift: Brawn stopped the blame culture and gave engineers freedom to try 'crazy ideas.' Button: 'Sometimes they don't work, but they've got to take risks, otherwise you're never going to get to the front.'

The big picture:

The 2007-2008 Honda struggles and subsequent Brawn takeover directly led to one of F1's greatest fairy tales: Brawn GP winning both titles in 2009. Button's reflection, years later, highlights how crucial strong leadership is when a team hits rock bottom. It's a reminder that culture and direction matter as much as technical resources.