10. Australia 2009 – Phoenix from the ashes
At the end of 2008, Honda pulled out of Formula 1, leaving its team at Brackley without a backer. Team boss Ross Brawn bought the team and secured a Mercedes engine, but no one expected them to be competitive – as Honda, the team had only won a single race. In Australia 2009 though, Brawn drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello were utterly dominant, taking the front row of the grid and the top two steps on the podium. Button became the 2009 world champion and Brawn took the constructors’ title.
Source – CokeFIN3
Honourable mention. South Africa 1967 – David vs Goliaths
Grands prix weren’t always just the same 20-odd cars trawling around the world. In the ‘60s, local privateers would have a crack at the big boys at each race. Usually they tooled around at the back, but at the opening event of 1967, the unthinkable almost happened. Rhodesian racer John Love had entered the Kyalami race in his Cooper-Climax, and as big name after big name retired, he found himself in the lead. With just seven laps left he was forced to pit for fuel, handing a maiden victory to Pedro Rodriguez. But privateer Love finished second, ahead of John Surtees, Denny Hulme and Jack Brabham.
