The Fast Years

In the summer of 2007, someone walked into a copy shop near Woking with 780 pages of what looked like confidential Ferrari documents. By the end of the season, McLaren had lost every Constructors' point and been fined $100 million, still the biggest fine in the history of the sport.

This is Spygate: Ferrari vs McLaren, Alonso vs Hamilton in the same garage, and a title decided by one point. I'm sticking to what came out of the FIA hearings and court cases.

Whose side were you on in 2007? Team Alonso, Team Hamilton or Team Kimi? Tell me in the comments.

In 2009, a Formula 1 team almost disappeared before the season even began. Then it turned up, shocked the paddock, won both world championships, and vanished after one year.

This is the first episode of The Fast Years, and it tells the story of Brawn GP: Honda's withdrawal, Ross Brawn's rescue, the double diffuser controversy, Jenson Button's title run, Rubens Barrichello's crucial role, and the Mercedes takeover that ended the Brawn name almost as quickly as it arrived.

Welcome to The Fast Years, where we unpack the true stories behind Formula racing history. Episode 1, The F1 Team That Won Everything, Then Vanished, is out Thursday, 5 November at 20:00 AEST. It’s the story of Brawn GP: Honda’s exit, Ross Brawn’s rescue, and a 2009 title run that ended almost as quickly as it began. Follow for one F1 history story every week.