2009 Australian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Formula 1 began a new era in Melbourne, and Brawn GP wasted no time in turning a winter of uncertainty into a remarkable success story. Jenson Button led Rubens Barrichello home for a debut one-two, while a late collision and a controversial stewards’ investigation ensured the 2009 Australian Grand Prix had plenty of drama beyond the winning garage.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Jenson Button	Brawn GP
Pole time	1:26.202
Fastest lap	Nico Rosberg	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:27.706 on lap 48
First	Jenson Button	Brawn GP
Second	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP
Third	Jarno Trulli	Toyota

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
27 March 2009	Practice 1	12:30
27 March 2009	Practice 2	16:30
28 March 2009	Practice 3	14:00
28 March 2009	Qualifying	17:00
29 March 2009	Race	17:00

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

Championship background

The 2009 F1 World Championship began with a fresh points table and the first opportunity to measure the teams in race conditions. Albert Park Circuit hosted the opening contest, where qualifying pace, tyre management and reliability would all shape the result.

Race entries

Brawn GP took over the former Honda operation with Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello retained. Sébastien Sebastien Buemi made his debut for Toro Rosso, replacing Sebastian Vettel, who moved to Red Bull Racing alongside Mark Webber following David Coulthard’s retirement.

Free Practice

Nico Rosberg led a Williams one-two in FP1 as teams began competitive running with the new aerodynamic rules, slick tyres and optional KERS. Brawn GP immediately looked promising, but Sebastian Vettel completed only four laps before a hydraulic failure stopped his Red Bull Racing car. Reigning champion Lewis Hamilton struggled for pace in the McLaren.

Nico Rosberg remained fastest in FP2, with the Brawn GP and Toyota cars reinforcing the encouraging form of the three teams using disputed double diffusers. Sebastian Vettel recovered some lost running before spinning into the gravel. McLaren’s difficulties continued, with both drivers reporting poor grip and finishing well down the order.

Nico Rosberg completed a practice sweep in FP3, although Jarno Trulli was almost level with him. Williams remained cautious about translating its speed into race performance, particularly against Brawn GP. Sebastian Vettel had further excursions, while Kimi Räikkönen’s trip over the grass left the Ferrari driver with a disrupted final session before qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2009 Australian Grand Prix FP1, 27 March 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:26.687	19
2	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.049s	21
3	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.063s	24
4	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.539s	21
5	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.766s	15
6	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.780s	12
7	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.955s	24
8	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.023s	24
9	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.306s	20
10	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.436s	16
11	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.450s	20
12	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.455s	21
13	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.824s	22
14	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.916s	16
15	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+2.098s	27
16	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+2.355s	18
17	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+2.394s	7
18	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+2.774s	25
19	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+2.812s	21
20	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+6.097s	4

Free Practice 2 Classification

2009 Australian Grand Prix FP2, 27 March 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:26.053	36
2	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.104s	38
3	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.297s	42
4	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.317s	30
5	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.321s	38
6	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.390s	42
7	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.507s	33
8	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.687s	19
9	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+0.987s	31
10	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.011s	35
11	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.151s	32
12	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.179s	28
13	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.229s	32
14	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.264s	34
15	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.345s	36
16	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.426s	36
17	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+1.749s	35
18	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+1.760s	31
19	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.775s	35
20	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+2.023s	33

Free Practice 3 Classification

2009 Australian Grand Prix FP3, 28 March 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:25.808	21
2	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.003s	19
3	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.173s	20
4	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.212s	17
5	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.270s	18
6	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.540s	19
7	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.547s	16
8	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.602s	25
9	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.706s	18
10	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.747s	19
11	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.844s	13
12	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.906s	18
13	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+1.201s	12
14	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.254s	12
15	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.344s	16
16	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+1.384s	17
17	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.549s	18
18	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.684s	20
19	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.931s	22
20	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+2.993s	5

Qualifying

Jenson Button claimed pole as Brawn GP locked out the front row on its first Grand Prix appearance. Rubens Barrichello had led the opening two stages, but Jenson Button produced the decisive lap in Q3. Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica followed, while practice pacesetter Nico Rosberg had to settle for fifth.

Toyota’s afternoon then unravelled when both cars were excluded from qualifying for rear-wing infringements. Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock ultimately started from the pit lane. Lewis Hamilton also faced a gearbox-change penalty after a difficult session, leaving the reigning champion with a recovery drive ahead.

Qualifying Classification

2009 Australian Grand Prix Qualifying, 28 March 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	1:25.211	1:24.855	1:26.202	19
2	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	1:25.006	1:24.783	1:26.505	21
3	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:25.938	1:25.121	1:26.830	21
4	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:25.922	1:25.152	1:26.914	19
5	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:25.846	1:25.123	1:26.973	21
6	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:25.499	1:25.281	1:26.975	19
7	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:25.844	1:25.319	1:27.033	21
8	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:26.194	1:25.265	1:27.127	20
9	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:25.899	1:25.380	1:27.163	21
10	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:25.427	1:25.241	1:27.246	20
11	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:25.827	1:25.504	—	14
12	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:26.026	1:25.605	—	12
13	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:26.074	1:25.607	—	16
14	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:26.184	1:25.726	—	15
15	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:26.454	No time	—	5
16	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	1:26.503	—	—	10
17	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	1:26.598	—	—	12
18	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	1:26.677	—	—	10
19	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:26.742	—	—	9
20	11	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	1:26.964	—	—	10

Both Toyotas were demoted to the back of the grid for running illegal rear wings and opted to start from the pit lane.

Lewis Hamilton was given a five-place grid penalty for gearbox change.

What happened in the 2009 Australian Grand Prix?

Jenson Button made a clean start and controlled the race from the front, but Rubens Barrichello’s afternoon was considerably less straightforward. An anti-stall intervention dropped him into the pack, where first-corner contact damaged several cars and ended Heikki Kovalainen’s race. Rubens Barrichello survived, then worked his way back into contention despite further contact with Kimi Räikkönen.

Kazuki Nakajima’s crash brought out the safety car and erased Jenson Button’s early advantage. The Brawn driver rebuilt his lead after the restart, although a slow final stop briefly complicated matters. Behind him, Sebastian Vettel’s fading soft tyres brought Robert Kubica into the fight for second. Their battle ended in contact at Turn 3 with three laps remaining, and both subsequently hit the barriers.

The resulting safety car secured Jenson Button’s victory and lifted Rubens Barrichello into second. Jarno Trulli recovered from his pit-lane start to finish third, with Timo Glock fourth and Fernando Alonso fifth. Sebastien Buemi also scored on his debut. Jarno Trulli initially lost his podium to a time penalty, but a subsequent inquiry reinstated him and disqualified Lewis Hamilton after the stewards found that he and McLaren had supplied misleading information about their safety-car exchange. The final result gave Brawn GP the maximum 18 points from its first race.

After the race, Jenson Button headed the drivers’ standings with 10 points, followed by Rubens Barrichello on 8. Brawn GP led the constructors’ table on 18, with Toyota on 11.

2009 Australian Grand Prix race results

The 2009 Australian Grand Prix was held on 29 March 2009, with a scheduled start of 17:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	58	1:34:15.784	10
2	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	58	+0.807	8
3	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	58	+1.604	6
4	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	58	+4.435	5
5	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	58	+4.879	4
6	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	58	+5.722	3
7	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	58	+6.004	2
8	11	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	58	+6.298	1
9	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	58	+6.335	0
10	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	58	+7.085	0
11	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	58	+7.374	0
12	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	57	+1 lap	0
13	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	56	Collision damage/Accident	0
14	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	55	Collision damage/Accident	0
15	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	55	Differential	0
Ret	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	45	Suspension	0
Ret	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	24	Brakes	0
Ret	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	17	Accident	0
Ret	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	0	Collision damage	0
DSQ	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	58	Misled stewards post-race	0

Lewis Hamilton and McLaren were disqualified from the Grand Prix after the stewards found that they had provided deceptive information about the circumstances under which Jarno Trulli passed Hamilton under the safety car.

Jarno Trulli was issued a 25-second penalty for overtaking Hamilton under the safety car, but was later reinstated back into third, after Hamilton was disqualified for misleading the stewards.

2009 Australian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	48	1:27.706	217.668
2	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	36	1:27.988	216.970
3	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	17	1:28.020	216.891
4	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	8	1:28.140	216.596
5	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	48	1:28.283	216.245
6	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	53	1:28.416	215.920
7	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	35	1:28.488	215.744
8	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	38	1:28.508	215.695
9	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	53	1:28.712	215.199
10	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	50	1:28.916	214.706
11	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	43	1:28.943	214.640
12	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	51	1:29.005	214.491
13	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	39	1:29.020	214.455
14	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	43	1:29.066	214.344
15	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	30	1:29.141	214.164
16	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	34	1:29.230	213.950
17	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	50	1:29.823	212.537
18	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	6	1:29.923	212.301
19	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	17	1:30.502	210.943

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 Australian Grand Prix.

2009 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jenson Button	British	Brawn GP	10
2	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Brawn GP	8
3	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	6
4	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	5
5	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	4
6	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	3
7	Sébastien Buemi	Swiss	Toro Rosso	2
8	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	1
9	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	0
10	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	0
11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India	0
12	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	0
13	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	0
14	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	0
15	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	0
–	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	0
–	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	0
–	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	0
–	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren	0
–	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	0

2009 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Brawn GP	18
2	Toyota	11
3	Renault	4
4	Williams	3
5	Toro Rosso	3
6	Force India	0
7	BMW Sauber	0
8	Red Bull Racing	0
9	Ferrari	0
–	McLaren	0

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