2009 Belgian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Kimi Räikkönen returned Ferrari to winning ways at Spa-Francorchamps, but Giancarlo Fisichella and Force India nearly stole the show. A shock pole became a remarkable second place as Kimi Räikkönen used KERS to make the decisive pass and resisted pressure all the way to the flag.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India
Pole time	1:46.308
Fastest lap	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Fastest-lap time	1:47.263 on lap 38
First	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari
Second	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India
Third	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
28 August 2009	Practice 1	10:00
28 August 2009	Practice 2	14:00
29 August 2009	Practice 3	11:00
29 August 2009	Qualifying	14:00
30 August 2009	Race	14:00

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 12 leading the 2009 F1 World Championship on 72 points, with Rubens Barrichello on 54. Brawn GP headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 126 points.

Race entries

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

Free Practice

Rain split FP1 into two very different contests. Jarno Trulli was quickest among those who managed a dry lap, while Giancarlo Fisichella led the wet-weather runners. Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel did not record a lap time, limiting the value of the overall order and leaving much of the field without representative dry running.

A dry FP2 allowed a much closer comparison, with 18 drivers finishing within a second of Lewis Hamilton. Force India again looked competitive, whereas both Brawn GP cars were near the back. Kimi Räikkönen stopped on circuit at the end, adding a reliability concern to Ferrari’s otherwise encouraging pace.

Nick Heidfeld led final practice in cool conditions as BMW Sauber, Toyota and Force India again challenged the usual frontrunners. Mark Webber managed only three laps before engine trouble stopped his programme. Red Bull Racing’s continuing engine problems were becoming a significant concern as the championship entered its decisive phase.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2009 Belgian Grand Prix FP1, 28 August 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:49.675	13
2	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.608s	18
3	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.693s	13
4	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+1.370s	20
5	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+1.854s	24
6	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+2.646s	18
7	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+3.255s	16
8	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+3.708s	11
9	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+3.975s	12
10	3	Luca Badoer	Ferrari	+5.393s	20
11	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+14.297s	11
12	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+14.830s	13
13	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	+15.838s	13
14	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+15.939s	14
15	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+16.030s	15
16	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+16.164s	10
17	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+16.506s	6
18	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+16.656s	15
19	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	No time	1
20	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	No time	4

Free Practice 2 Classification

2009 Belgian Grand Prix FP2, 28 August 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:47.201	29
2	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.016s	29
3	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.084s	26
4	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.128s	31
5	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	+0.132s	34
6	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+0.305s	27
7	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.358s	33
8	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.377s	33
9	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+0.378s	36
10	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.401s	25
11	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+0.501s	38
12	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.542s	33
13	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+0.589s	29
14	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.661s	30
15	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.760s	32
16	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.816s	30
17	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.924s	34
18	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.929s	37
19	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.159s	29
20	3	Luca Badoer	Ferrari	+2.010s	30

Free Practice 3 Classification

2009 Belgian Grand Prix FP3, 29 August 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:45.388	17
2	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.074s	18
3	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+0.289s	20
4	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	+0.490s	18
5	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.520s	18
6	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.599s	18
7	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.652s	19
8	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+0.726s	21
9	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.913s	17
10	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+1.018s	20
11	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.021s	19
12	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+1.029s	19
13	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+1.074s	17
14	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+1.359s	14
15	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+1.426s	22
16	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+1.427s	19
17	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.538s	14
18	3	Luca Badoer	Ferrari	+1.667s	20
19	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.690s	19
20	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	No time	3

Qualifying

Giancarlo Fisichella delivered a stunning pole for Force India, beating Jarno Trulli and Nick Heidfeld. The team’s speed through the weekend proved genuine, and the Italian secured its first front-row start. Rubens Barrichello qualified fourth, while Kimi Räikkönen was sixth and Sebastian Vettel eighth.

Jenson Button’s difficult weekend continued with elimination in Q2, alongside both McLarens and Fernando Alonso. Luca Badoer crashed late in Q1 and qualified last again, while Williams also struggled to make its updated package work effectively.

Qualifying Classification

2009 Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying, 29 August 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	1:45.102	1:44.667	1:46.308	23
2	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:45.140	1:44.503	1:46.395	24
3	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:45.566	1:44.709	1:46.500	18
4	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	1:45.237	1:44.834	1:46.513	23
5	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:45.655	1:44.557	1:46.586	22
6	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:45.579	1:44.953	1:46.633	21
7	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:45.450	1:44.877	1:46.677	21
8	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:45.372	1:44.592	1:46.761	20
9	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:45.350	1:44.924	1:46.788	22
10	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:45.486	1:45.047	1:47.362	20
11	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:45.239	1:45.119	—	18
12	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:45.767	1:45.122	—	16
13	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:45.707	1:45.136	—	16
14	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	1:45.761	1:45.251	—	18
15	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:45.705	1:45.259	—	19
16	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	1:45.951	—	—	7
17	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	1:46.032	—	—	10
18	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:46.307	—	—	10
19	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	1:46.359	—	—	11
20	3	Luca Badoer	Ferrari	1:46.957	—	—	11

What happened in the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix?

Kimi Räikkönen made rapid progress from sixth as Rubens Barrichello nearly stalled. At Les Combes, a chain of collisions eliminated Jenson Button, Romain Grosjean, Lewis Hamilton and Jaime Alguersuari, bringing out the safety car. Giancarlo Fisichella led at the restart, but Kimi Räikkönen used KERS on the climb towards Les Combes to take first place.

Giancarlo Fisichella stayed close throughout, matching the Ferrari’s pace and refusing to let the victory escape easily. Both leaders made their final stops on the same lap, preserving their order. Mark Webber’s unsafe pit release earned a drive-through penalty, while Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso retired after earlier contact had compromised their races.

Kimi Räikkönen held on for Ferrari’s only win of the season, with Giancarlo Fisichella securing Force India’s first points and podium. Sebastian Vettel finished third ahead of the BMW Sauber pair. Rubens Barrichello recovered to seventh despite smoke pouring from his car late on, reducing Jenson Button’s championship lead before his Brawn GP car caught fire in parc fermé.

After the race, Jenson Button headed the drivers’ standings with 72 points, followed by Rubens Barrichello on 56. Brawn GP led the constructors’ table on 128, with Red Bull Racing on 104.5.

2009 Belgian Grand Prix race results

The 2009 Belgian Grand Prix was held on 30 August 2009, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	44	1:23:50.995	10
2	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	44	+0.939	8
3	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	44	+3.875	6
4	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	44	+9.966	5
5	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	44	+11.276	4
6	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	44	+32.763	3
7	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	44	+35.461	2
8	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	44	+36.208	1
9	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	44	+36.959	0
10	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	44	+41.490	0
11	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	44	+42.636	0
12	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	44	+46.106	0
13	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	44	+54.241	0
14	3	Luca Badoer	Ferrari	44	+1:42.177	0
Ret	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	26	Wheel	0
Ret	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	21	Brakes	0
Ret	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	0	Collision	0
Ret	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	0	Collision	0
Ret	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	0	Collision	0
Ret	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	0	Collision	0

2009 Belgian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	38	1:47.263	235.070
2	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	35	1:47.371	234.834
3	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	41	1:47.664	234.195
4	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	42	1:47.674	234.173
5	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	40	1:47.736	234.038
6	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	43	1:47.737	234.036
7	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	42	1:47.763	233.980
8	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	41	1:47.766	233.973
9	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	39	1:47.783	233.936
10	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	42	1:47.859	233.771
11	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	42	1:48.205	233.024
12	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	37	1:48.257	232.912
13	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	24	1:48.348	232.716
14	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	23	1:48.634	232.104
15	3	Luca Badoer	Ferrari	41	1:49.803	229.633
16	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	16	1:50.029	229.161

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 Belgian Grand Prix.

2009 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jenson Button	British	Brawn GP	72
2	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Brawn GP	56
3	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	53
4	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	51.5
5	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	34
6	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	30.5
7	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	27
8	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	22.5
9	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	22
10	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren	17
11	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	16
12	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	16
13	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	10
14	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India	8
15	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	8
16	Sébastien Buemi	Swiss	Toro Rosso	3
17	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	2
18	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	0
19	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	0
20	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	0
21	Luca Badoer	Italian	Ferrari	0
22	Jaime Alguersuari	Spanish	Toro Rosso	0
23	Romain Grosjean	French	Renault	0

2009 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Brawn GP	128
2	Red Bull Racing	104.5
3	Ferrari	56
4	McLaren	44
5	Toyota	38.5
6	Williams	30.5
7	BMW Sauber	18
8	Renault	16
9	Force India	8
10	Toro Rosso	5

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