2009 Bahrain Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Toyota locked out the front row in Bahrain, but Jenson Button turned Sunday into another Brawn GP success. A decisive early pass and a stronger tyre strategy carried the championship leader to his third victory in four races, while Sebastian Vettel split the Toyota challenge to finish second.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Jarno Trulli	Toyota
Pole time	1:33.431
Fastest lap	Jarno Trulli	Toyota
Fastest-lap time	1:34.556 on lap 10
First	Jenson Button	Brawn GP
Second	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Third	Jarno Trulli	Toyota

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
24 April 2009	Practice 1	10:00
24 April 2009	Practice 2	14:00
25 April 2009	Practice 3	11:00
25 April 2009	Qualifying	14:00
26 April 2009	Race	15:00

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 4 leading the 2009 F1 World Championship on 21 points, with Rubens Barrichello on 15. Brawn GP headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 36 points.

Race entries

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

Free Practice

Lewis Hamilton led FP1 as McLaren continued its recovery, with both BMW Sauber cars also showing improved pace. Ferrari compared its options with Felipe Massa using KERS and Kimi Räikkönen running without it. Kimi Räikkönen spun during the session, while Sébastien Sebastien Buemi lost substantial track time after stopping his Toro Rosso.

Nico Rosberg headed FP2, but the hot afternoon produced a markedly different order from the morning. BMW Sauber slipped towards the back while Fernando Alonso and Adrian Sutil were more prominent. Force India was assessing a revised aerodynamic package, making Adrian Sutil’s competitive running an encouraging sign for the team’s development work.

Timo Glock set the fastest FP3 time before a brake problem brought his Toyota to a halt. Ferrari and McLaren also showed improved single-lap pace, while Brawn GP appeared unusually far down the order. The changing picture made the session a poor basis for judging the eventual qualifying battle without knowing the fuel programmes.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2009 Bahrain Grand Prix FP1, 24 April 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:33.647	19
2	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.260s	17
3	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.291s	17
4	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.580s	24
5	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.787s	15
6	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.855s	24
7	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.884s	18
8	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.942s	17
9	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.180s	21
10	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.180s	19
11	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.233s	24
12	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+1.291s	21
13	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.327s	21
14	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.374s	18
15	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.389s	22
16	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.395s	16
17	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.686s	20
18	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.701s	24
19	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.706s	22
20	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+1.722s	15

Free Practice 2 Classification

2009 Bahrain Grand Prix FP2, 24 April 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:33.339	36
2	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.191s	25
3	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.277s	37
4	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.322s	29
5	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.337s	32
6	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.355s	35
7	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+0.424s	30
8	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.425s	37
9	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.546s	30
10	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.560s	36
11	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.655s	30
12	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+0.686s	23
13	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+0.788s	37
14	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.027s	26
15	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.072s	29
16	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.225s	34
17	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.266s	31
18	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.331s	28
19	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+1.425s	35
20	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.451s	33

Free Practice 3 Classification

2009 Bahrain Grand Prix FP3, 25 April 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:32.605	16
2	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.123s	20
3	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.301s	18
4	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.370s	16
5	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.381s	18
6	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+0.571s	19
7	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.590s	13
8	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.697s	17
9	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.792s	19
10	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.810s	14
11	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.838s	16
12	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.873s	12
13	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.877s	13
14	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+0.929s	17
15	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.981s	17
16	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+1.081s	17
17	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+1.115s	15
18	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.121s	14
19	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.357s	15
20	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+2.385s	7

Qualifying

Jarno Trulli claimed pole ahead of Timo Glock as Toyota secured its first front-row lockout. Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button followed, with Lewis Hamilton fifth. Both Ferraris reached Q3, offering the team a route towards its first points of the year.

Mark Webber’s prospects suffered when he encountered Adrian Sutil on his final Q1 attempt and was eliminated. The stewards imposed a three-place grid penalty on Adrian Sutil for impeding him, leaving Mark Webber with a long afternoon ahead from near the back.

Qualifying Classification

2009 Bahrain Grand Prix Qualifying, 25 April 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:32.779	1:32.671	1:33.431	20
2	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:33.165	1:32.613	1:33.712	20
3	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:32.680	1:32.474	1:34.015	18
4	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	1:32.978	1:32.842	1:34.044	20
5	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:32.851	1:32.877	1:34.196	18
6	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	1:33.116	1:32.842	1:34.239	20
7	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:33.627	1:32.860	1:34.578	20
8	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:33.297	1:33.014	1:34.818	19
9	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:33.672	1:33.166	1:35.134	21
10	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:33.117	1:32.827	1:35.380	19
11	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:33.479	1:33.242	—	14
12	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:33.221	1:33.348	—	13
13	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:33.495	1:33.487	—	13
14	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:33.377	1:33.562	—	13
15	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	1:33.608	1:33.941	—	18
16	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:33.722	—	—	10
17	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	1:33.753	—	—	9
18	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	1:33.910	—	—	9
19	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:34.038	—	—	8
20	11	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	1:34.159	—	—	9

Adrian Sutil was issued a 3 place grid-penalty for impeding Mark Webber during qualifying.

What happened in the 2009 Bahrain Grand Prix?

Timo Glock beat Jarno Trulli away, while Lewis Hamilton used KERS to move ahead of Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel. Jenson Button’s response was decisive: he passed Lewis Hamilton at the beginning of lap two and kept the leading Toyotas within reach. Sebastian Vettel remained trapped behind the McLaren, losing valuable time during the opening stint.

Toyota stopped early and put both cars on the harder compound for the middle stint. Jenson Button stayed on the softer tyre and emerged ahead of Jarno Trulli after his own stop, while Timo Glock lost further ground. Sebastian Vettel subsequently found himself behind Jarno Trulli, allowing Jenson Button to stretch his advantage before the final stops reversed their positions.

Jenson Button won ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Jarno Trulli, with Lewis Hamilton fourth after McLaren’s strongest race of the season so far. Rubens Barrichello recovered to fifth on a three-stop strategy, while Kimi Räikkönen finally opened Ferrari’s points account in sixth. Timo Glock and Fernando Alonso completed the scoring places. In the punishing heat, tyre choice and clear track had proved more valuable than Toyota’s front-row advantage.

After the race, Jenson Button headed the drivers’ standings with 31 points, followed by Rubens Barrichello on 19. Brawn GP led the constructors’ table on 50, with Red Bull Racing on 27.5.

2009 Bahrain Grand Prix race results

The 2009 Bahrain Grand Prix was held on 26 April 2009, with a scheduled start of 15:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	57	1:31:48.182	10
2	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	57	+7.187	8
3	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	57	+9.170	6
4	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	57	+22.096	5
5	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	57	+37.779	4
6	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	57	+42.057	3
7	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	57	+42.880	2
8	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	57	+52.775	1
9	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	57	+58.198	0
10	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	57	+1:05.149	0
11	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	57	+1:07.641	0
12	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	57	+1:17.824	0
13	11	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	57	+1:18.805	0
14	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	56	+1 Lap	0
15	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	56	+1 Lap	0
16	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	56	+1 Lap	0
17	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	56	+1 Lap	0
18	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	56	+1 Lap	0
19	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	56	+1 Lap	0
Ret	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	48	Oil pressure	0

2009 Bahrain Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	10	1:34.556	206.049
2	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	6	1:34.574	206.010
3	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	11	1:34.588	205.979
4	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	16	1:34.756	205.614
5	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	25	1:34.901	205.300
6	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	13	1:34.915	205.269
7	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	41	1:35.065	204.946
8	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	50	1:35.165	204.730
9	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	30	1:35.410	204.205
10	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	37	1:35.441	204.138
11	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	42	1:35.498	204.016
12	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	54	1:35.520	203.969
13	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	50	1:35.706	203.573
14	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	29	1:35.722	203.539
15	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	37	1:35.816	203.339
16	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	52	1:35.924	203.110
17	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	39	1:36.153	202.627
18	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	28	1:36.219	202.488
19	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	9	1:36.376	202.158
20	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	38	1:36.473	201.954

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 Bahrain Grand Prix.

2009 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jenson Button	British	Brawn GP	31
2	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Brawn GP	19
3	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	18
4	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	14.5
5	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	12
6	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	9.5
7	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	9
8	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	5
9	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	4
10	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren	4
11	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	3.5
12	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	3
13	Sébastien Buemi	Swiss	Toro Rosso	3
14	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	1
15	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	0
16	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	0
17	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	0
18	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India	0
19	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	0
20	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	0

2009 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Brawn GP	50
2	Red Bull Racing	27.5
3	Toyota	26.5
4	McLaren	13
5	Renault	5
6	BMW Sauber	4
7	Toro Rosso	4
8	Williams	3.5
9	Ferrari	3
10	Force India	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