Jenson Button sealed the drivers' championship with a superb recovery drive at a dramatic Brazilian Grand Prix won by Red Bull's Mark Webber.
Brawn's English driver started from 14th but executed a series of spectacular early overtaking moves before finishing the race fifth.
His main title threat, team-mate Rubens Barrichello, suffered a late puncture which dropped him down to eighth place.
Brawn still clinched the constructors' championship in their debut season.
BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica came second ahead of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton while six drivers retired in Sao Paulo.
Red Bull's talented German Sebastian Vettel, who started just behind Button, finished fourth while Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi finished a season-high seventh.
 | That race, to me, was worthy of becoming world champion. The perfect way to do it Jenson Button |
Button was already in a position to win the title but his path was made smoother when that puncture pushed Barrichello, who so badly wanted to win on a circuit he was born in the shadow of, down the pack.
The results ultimately pale into significance with Button's maiden world title now the talk of Formula 1 and beyond, but the race delivered a fitting scene for that success.
With the stands bubbling over with atmosphere, anticipation was sky-high at a track high in the hills above Sao Paulo where the world championship has now been decided in the past five years.
And, as soon the race got under way, drama ensued.
Barrichello made a rapid start while Ferrari's Kimi Raikonen jumped up to third using his energy-boost (Kers) button before suffering front wing damage in a frenetic dash off the grid.
But a contentious first-lap collision between Toyota's Jarno Trulli and Force India's Adrian Sutil caused the pair to engage in a furious argument at the side of the track - both blaming the other driver - before they were forced to retire from the race, along with Renault's Fernando Alonso.
Seconds later, in the pits, McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen pulled away from his mechanics taking the fuel hose with him.
The leaking fuel immediately caught fire right in Raikkonen's face, although it quickly died away and the Finn was able to drive on instantly.
All the while Button had managed to steer clear, literally, of any trouble to move into ninth place after starting the race in 14th.
Buoyed by another stroke of luck in a season when he has worked so hard for it, he quickly set about improving his position with a sublime display of raw bravery and driving precision once the safety car came in on lap six.
Charging Button first used persistence to take Romain Grosjean on the outside to move into eighth before eating up Kazuki Nakajima to go seventh before quickly setting about Toyota's Kamui Kobayashi.
The Formula 1 debutant defended for all his life but Button, who had been losing real pace in the turbulent air compared to Barrichello and Webber up front, used all his nous to dummy himself into a clever pass on lap 24.
Barrichello, meanwhile, had not quite managed to put enough space between him and Australia's Webber and he lost the lead after coming out after his pit stop after being taken by Vettel and then getting caught up in traffic.
Remaining punchy and still living on the edge despite having moved into a decent position, after pitting on lap 29 an attacking Button managed to execute another overtaking manoeuvre as he crucially slipped past Buemi.
Williams's Nakajima careered off the track at the end of the back straight on lap 31 to briefly bring the safety car out again as Barrichello's chances of winning the race, and keeping the title battle open until the last grand prix in Abu Dhabi, slipped agonisingly away.
At this point Webber clocking fastest laps for fun and team-mate Vettel driving superbly, both drivers pushing their impressive Red Bull cars to the limit.
Button, who won six of the first seven races of 2009 but has endured a tough second half of the season, met the test of nerve he faced until the finish head on and in style.
"The last few races have been a bit stressful for me, especially qualifying," a jubilant Button told BBC Sport.
"But that race today, to me, was worthy of becoming world champion. Kobayashi is absolutely crazy, very aggressive. It was a great race really enjoyable. that was the perfect way to do it."
Hamilton started the race from back in 17th but the man who now hands over his world crown to compatriot Button was typically aggressive as he made the most of the circumstances that he encountered to finish on the podium.
Race stewards are investigating the crash between Sutil and Trulli, along with an incident involving Ferrari's Giancarlo Fisichella and Kovalainen's mishap in the pits.
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