2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Sebastian Vettel won Formula 1’s first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as Yas Marina staged a spectacular transition from daylight to darkness. Red Bull Racing finished one-two after Lewis Hamilton retired, while newly crowned champion Jenson Button ended the season with a spirited podium challenge.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Pole time	1:40.948
Fastest lap	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Fastest-lap time	1:40.279 on lap 54
First	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Second	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing
Third	Jenson Button	Brawn GP

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
30 October 2009	Practice 1	13:00
30 October 2009	Practice 2	17:00
31 October 2009	Practice 3	14:00
31 October 2009	Qualifying	17:00
1 November 2009	Race	17:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Jenson Button arrived at round 17 leading the 2009 F1 World Championship on 89 points, with Sebastian Vettel on 74. Brawn GP headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 161 points.

Race entries

The 10 teams kept the same race line-ups for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Free Practice

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button traded quick laps as the field learned the new Yas Marina Circuit in FP1. The unfamiliar layout and unusual underground pit exit gave drivers plenty to assess. Adrian Sutil lost early running to brake trouble before joining the session, while Ferrari and Renault struggled to match the leading pace.

Heikki Kovalainen headed a McLaren one-two as FP2 followed the circuit’s transition into evening conditions. Robert Kubica stopped with an engine problem, although using an older unit meant the failure did not automatically trigger an allocation penalty. Kamui Kobayashi’s competitive short runs also attracted attention during only his second race weekend.

Jenson Button edged Lewis Hamilton in final practice, but Jaime Alguersuari missed the session because of a hydraulic problem. Nick Heidfeld improved markedly on his later runs after earlier difficulty understanding BMW Sauber’s pace. The changing track conditions and time needed to bring the tyres up to temperature remained important considerations before qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix FP1, 30 October 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:43.939	18
2	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.096s	20
3	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.214s	28
4	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.268s	23
5	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.728s	23
6	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+0.748s	32
7	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+0.749s	14
8	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.866s	25
9	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+1.016s	33
10	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.019s	25
11	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.049s	22
12	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+1.184s	20
13	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.710s	27
14	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.740s	25
15	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.765s	27
16	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.926s	23
17	21	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India	+2.300s	22
18	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Ferrari	+2.328s	26
19	10	Kamui Kobayashi	Toyota	+2.425s	28
20	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	+2.472s	27

Free Practice 2 Classification

2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix FP2, 30 October 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:41.307	35
2	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.197s	34
3	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.234s	39
4	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.284s	37
5	10	Kamui Kobayashi	Toyota	+0.329s	34
6	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+0.376s	37
7	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.377s	34
8	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.524s	38
9	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.624s	39
10	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.680s	39
11	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+0.873s	28
12	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.938s	36
13	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.971s	36
14	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.102s	30
15	21	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India	+1.223s	33
16	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.475s	29
17	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Ferrari	+1.625s	37
18	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	+1.714s	37
19	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+1.715s	39
20	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+2.401s	13

Free Practice 3 Classification

2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix FP3, 31 October 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	1:40.625	21
2	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.002s	18
3	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.282s	20
4	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+0.309s	22
5	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.616s	18
6	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.638s	20
7	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.685s	23
8	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.697s	20
9	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+0.747s	22
10	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.748s	23
11	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.778s	19
12	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.853s	22
13	10	Kamui Kobayashi	Toyota	+0.874s	24
14	21	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India	+1.050s	20
15	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.057s	15
16	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.272s	19
17	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.531s	21
18	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	+1.588s	19
19	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Ferrari	+1.726s	23

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton dominated qualifying and secured pole ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. In Q3, drivers stayed out for extended runs to bring the tyres into their working range, with Lewis Hamilton’s final effort restoring a clear advantage over the Red Bull Racing pair.

Heikki Kovalainen’s gearbox failed in Q2, leaving him with a grid penalty as well as an early exit. Both Renaults and Force India cars fell in Q1, and neither Ferrari reached the final shootout. Rubens Barrichello qualified fourth ahead of Jenson Button for Brawn GP’s final race.

Qualifying Classification

2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Qualifying, 31 October 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:39.873	1:39.695	1:40.948	20
2	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:40.666	1:39.984	1:41.615	21
3	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:40.667	1:40.272	1:41.726	21
4	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	1:40.574	1:40.421	1:41.786	24
5	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	1:40.378	1:40.148	1:41.892	25
6	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:40.517	1:40.373	1:41.897	24
7	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:40.520	1:40.545	1:41.992	25
8	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:40.558	1:40.635	1:42.343	24
9	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:40.842	1:40.661	1:42.583	25
10	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	1:40.908	1:40.430	1:42.713	27
11	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:41.100	1:40.726	—	20
12	10	Kamui Kobayashi	Toyota	1:41.035	1:40.777	—	17
13	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:40.808	1:40.983	—	16
14	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:41.096	1:41.148	—	18
15	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	1:41.503	1:41.689	—	19
16	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:41.667	—	—	12
17	21	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India	1:41.701	—	—	10
18	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:41.863	—	—	10
19	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	1:41.950	—	—	12
20	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Ferrari	1:42.184	—	—	12

Heikki Kovalainen dropped five places on the grid, after his gearbox required changing after a failure in qualifying.

What happened in the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?

Lewis Hamilton retained the lead but could not escape Sebastian Vettel, who moved ahead through the first pit-stop sequence. McLaren then retired Lewis Hamilton with a right-rear brake problem. Rubens Barrichello had damaged his front wing in first-corner contact with Mark Webber, while Jaime Alguersuari’s confused stop at the Red Bull Racing pit preceded his retirement.

Sebastian Vettel pulled away as Mark Webber held second. Kamui Kobayashi impressed on a one-stop strategy, passing Jenson Button when the champion emerged from the pits with heavier fuel and cooler tyres. The Toyota driver went on to score his first points in sixth, a strong finish to his brief opportunity with the team.

Jenson Button closed on Mark Webber late and attacked repeatedly on the final lap, but the Australian defended second to complete a Red Bull Racing one-two. Sebastian Vettel secured runner-up in the championship, while Ferrari’s failure to score confirmed McLaren in third among the constructors. The race also closed the refuelling era that had begun in 1994, ahead of its prohibition for 2010.

After the race, Jenson Button headed the drivers’ standings with 95 points, followed by Sebastian Vettel on 84. Brawn GP led the constructors’ table on 172, with Red Bull Racing on 153.5.

2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race results

The 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was held on 1 November 2009, with a scheduled start of 17:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	55	1:34:03.414	10
2	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	55	+17.857	8
3	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	55	+18.467	6
4	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	55	+22.735	5
5	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	55	+26.253	4
6	10	Kamui Kobayashi	Toyota	55	+28.343	3
7	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	55	+34.366	2
8	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	55	+41.294	1
9	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	55	+45.941	0
10	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	55	+48.180	0
11	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	55	+52.798	0
12	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	55	+54.317	0
13	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	55	+59.839	0
14	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	55	+1:09.687	0
15	21	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India	55	+1:34.450	0
16	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Ferrari	54	+1 Lap	0
17	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	54	+1 Lap	0
18	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	54	+1 Lap	0
Ret	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	20	Brakes	0
Ret	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	18	Gearbox	0

2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	54	1:40.279	199.387
2	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	55	1:40.326	199.294
3	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	16	1:40.367	199.212
4	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	54	1:40.449	199.050
5	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	14	1:40.571	198.808
6	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	49	1:40.642	198.668
7	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	54	1:40.672	198.609
8	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	49	1:40.723	198.508
9	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	54	1:40.754	198.447
10	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	54	1:40.757	198.441
11	10	Kamui Kobayashi	Toyota	55	1:40.779	198.398
12	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	54	1:40.843	198.272
13	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	34	1:40.904	198.152
14	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	54	1:40.924	198.113
15	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	49	1:40.997	197.970
16	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Ferrari	54	1:41.132	197.705
17	21	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India	54	1:41.277	197.422
18	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	53	1:41.316	197.346
19	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	47	1:42.274	195.498
20	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	16	1:43.318	193.522

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2009 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

2009 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jenson Button	British	Brawn GP	95
2	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	84
3	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Brawn GP	77
4	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	69.5
5	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	49
6	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	48
7	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	34.5
8	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	32.5
9	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	26
10	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	24
11	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	22
12	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren	22
13	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	19
14	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	17
15	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India / Ferrari	8
16	Sébastien Buemi	Swiss	Toro Rosso	6
17	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	5
18	Kamui Kobayashi	Japanese	Toyota	3
19	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	2
20	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	0
21	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	0
22	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Italian	Force India	0
23	Romain Grosjean	French	Renault	0
24	Jaime Alguersuari	Spanish	Toro Rosso	0
25	Luca Badoer	Italian	Ferrari	0

2009 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Brawn GP	172
2	Red Bull Racing	153.5
3	McLaren	71
4	Ferrari	70
5	Toyota	59.5
6	BMW Sauber	36
7	Williams	34.5
8	Renault	26
9	Force India	13
10	Toro Rosso	8

2009 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2009 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	29 March
2	2009 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	5 April
3	2009 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	19 April
4	2009 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	26 April
5	2009 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	10 May
6	2009 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	24 May
7	2009 Turkish Grand Prix	Istanbul Park, Istanbul	7 June
8	2009 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	21 June
9	2009 German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	12 July
10	2009 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	26 July
11	2009 European Grand Prix	Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia	23 August
12	2009 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	30 August
13	2009 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	13 September
14	2009 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	27 September
15	2009 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	4 October
16	2009 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	18 October
17	2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	1 November