Which engine powered the 2009 title-winning Brawn BGP 001?

The 2009 title-winning Brawn BGP 001 was powered by the Mercedes-Benz FO 108W engine.

The FO 108W was a naturally aspirated 2.4-litre V8 supplied to Brawn GP through a customer agreement. Under the 2009 regulations, it was limited to 18,000 rpm and was installed in a car originally developed around a Honda engine.

That engine change followed Honda’s withdrawal from Formula 1 at the end of 2008. Ross Brawn acquired the former Honda team, renamed it Brawn GP and adapted the existing design for Mercedes power. The resulting BGP 001 was quick immediately, helped by its innovative double diffuser and efficient aerodynamic package.

Brawn GP won both the 2009 Drivers’ Championship, with Jenson Button, and the Constructors’ Championship. The engine is often remembered alongside the car’s diffuser controversy, but the Mercedes unit was also a crucial practical choice: Brawn engineers considered it easier to integrate than the alternative Ferrari engine.