2009 Brazilian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Jenson Button became World Champion at Interlagos with a fighting drive from 14th to fifth. Mark Webber won the race, but Jenson Button’s overtakes and recovery secured the drivers’ crown as Brawn GP completed an extraordinary debut season by clinching the constructors’ title too.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP
Pole time	1:19.576
Fastest lap	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing
Fastest-lap time	1:13.733 on lap 25
First	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing
Second	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber
Third	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
16 October 2009	Practice 1	10:00
16 October 2009	Practice 2	14:00
17 October 2009	Practice 3	11:00
17 October 2009	Qualifying	14:00
18 October 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 16 leading the 2009 F1 World Championship on 85 points, with Rubens Barrichello on 71. Brawn GP headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 156 points.

Race entries

Kamui Kobayashi made his Grand Prix debut for Toyota in place of the injured Timo Glock. Felipe Massa remained unable to return to Ferrari, but attended his home race and waved the chequered flag.

Free Practice

Mark Webber led opening practice as intermittent rain disrupted the teams’ work. The quickest laps came before the drizzle intensified, so the early times remained decisive. Rubens Barrichello ran strongly at his home circuit, while Kamui Kobayashi began his first full race weekend in conditions that made it difficult to establish a consistent baseline.

Fernando Alonso narrowly beat Sebastien Buemi in FP2 as further light drizzle complicated setup comparisons. Rubens Barrichello remained competitive, giving the home crowd encouragement ahead of a potentially decisive championship race. Giancarlo Fisichella stopped on circuit, adding another interruption to his difficult spell adapting to the Ferrari.

Heavy rain delayed final practice because the medical helicopter could not operate. Cars were finally released with only 18 minutes remaining, then Romain Grosjean’s accident brought proceedings to an early end. Nico Rosberg led Kazuki Nakajima, but many frontrunners had no opportunity to record a representative time before qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2009 Brazilian Grand Prix FP1, 16 October 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:12.463	29
2	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.411s	32
3	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.469s	27
4	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.526s	25
5	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.585s	25
6	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.604s	21
7	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.678s	29
8	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.684s	23
9	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+0.769s	23
10	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.858s	24
11	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.863s	26
12	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.001s	28
13	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+1.040s	24
14	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.100s	24
15	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Ferrari	+1.156s	23
16	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.324s	28
17	21	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India	+1.366s	26
18	10	Kamui Kobayashi	Toyota	+1.566s	27
19	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+1.577s	38
20	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	+1.710s	23

Free Practice 2 Classification

2009 Brazilian Grand Prix FP2, 16 October 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:12.314	27
2	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+0.043s	45
3	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.145s	38
4	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.200s	41
5	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.209s	45
6	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.291s	37
7	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.297s	45
8	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.319s	42
9	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+0.406s	35
10	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.435s	39
11	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	+0.492s	27
12	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.548s	39
13	10	Kamui Kobayashi	Toyota	+0.555s	40
14	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.615s	41
15	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.634s	38
16	21	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India	+0.636s	36
17	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.678s	39
18	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.712s	42
19	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+0.727s	40
20	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Ferrari	+0.961s	38

Free Practice 3 Classification

2009 Brazilian Grand Prix FP3, 17 October 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:23.182	9
2	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.650s	7
3	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.940s	6
4	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.943s	5
5	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+0.967s	4
6	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	+1.207s	5
7	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+1.261s	5
8	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.677s	5
9	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.685s	5
10	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+2.258s	5
11	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+2.326s	4
12	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+2.503s	5
13	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+3.042s	6
14	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+3.348s	4
15	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+3.865s	4
16	21	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India	+4.159s	4
17	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+4.616s	4
18	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Ferrari	+6.103s	4
19	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+6.713s	3
20	10	Kamui Kobayashi	Toyota	+7.077s	4

Qualifying

Rubens Barrichello delighted the crowd with pole after a marathon qualifying session repeatedly interrupted by rain. Mark Webber joined him on the front row, with Adrian Sutil third. Rubens Barrichello’s light fuel load offered an early advantage but left an important strategic question for the race.

Sebastian Vettel and both McLarens were eliminated in Q1, while Jenson Button missed Q3 and qualified 14th after struggling to make the conditions work for him. Vitantonio Liuzzi’s heavy accident caused another red flag in Q2. Nine teams reached the final shootout, illustrating how thoroughly the weather had mixed the field.

Qualifying Classification

2009 Brazilian Grand Prix Qualifying, 17 October 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	1:24.100	1:21.659	1:19.576	30
2	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:24.722	1:20.803	1:19.668	28
3	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:24.447	1:20.753	1:19.912	28
4	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:24.621	1:20.635	1:20.097	29
5	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:23.047	1:21.378	1:20.168	30
6	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	1:24.591	1:20.701	1:20.250	35
7	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:22.828	1:20.368	1:20.326	31
8	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:23.072	1:21.147	1:20.631	30
9	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:23.161	1:20.427	1:20.674	32
10	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:24.842	1:21.657	1:21.422	27
11	10	Kamui Kobayashi	Toyota	1:24.335	1:21.960	—	22
12	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	1:24.773	1:22.231	—	25
13	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	1:24.394	1:22.477	—	23
14	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	1:24.297	1:22.504	—	23
15	21	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India	1:24.645	No time	—	12
16	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:25.009	—	—	13
17	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:25.052	—	—	12
18	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:25.192	—	—	11
19	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:25.515	—	—	11
20	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Ferrari	1:40.703	—	—	3

What happened in the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix?

The opening lap brought several incidents, including a collision that eliminated Jarno Trulli, Adrian Sutil and Fernando Alonso. In the pits, Heikki Kovalainen departed with his fuel hose attached, spilling fuel that briefly ignited around Kimi Räikkönen’s Ferrari. Both continued. Jenson Button emerged from the early disruption ready to attack, passing Romain Grosjean and Kazuki Nakajima before eventually finding a way around Kamui Kobayashi.

Rubens Barrichello led initially but lost out to Mark Webber and Robert Kubica through the first stops. Lewis Hamilton recovered strongly using an early strategic switch, while Sebastian Vettel also climbed into contention for points. Rubens Barrichello’s hopes faded further when contact as Lewis Hamilton passed contributed to a puncture and an additional stop.

Mark Webber won ahead of Robert Kubica and Lewis Hamilton, with Sebastian Vettel fourth. Jenson Button’s fifth place was enough to secure the championship regardless of the remaining round, and Brawn GP also completed the constructors’ title. The driver who had spent the winter unsure whether he would even have a seat was now World Champion.

After the race, Jenson Button headed the drivers’ standings with 89 points, followed by Sebastian Vettel on 74. Brawn GP led the constructors’ table on 161, with Red Bull Racing on 135.5.

2009 Brazilian Grand Prix race results

The 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix was held on 18 October 2009, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	71	1:32:23.081	10
2	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	71	+ 7.626	8
3	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	71	+ 18.944	6
4	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	71	+ 19.652	5
5	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	71	+ 29.005	4
6	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	71	+ 33.340	3
7	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	71	+ 35.991	2
8	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	71	+ 45.454	1
9	10	Kamui Kobayashi	Toyota	71	+ 1:03.324	0
10	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Ferrari	71	+ 1:10.665	0
11	21	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India	71	+ 1:11.388	0
12	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	71	+ 1:13.499	0
13	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	70	+ 1 Lap	0
14	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	70	+ 1 Lap	0
Ret	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	30	Collision	0
Ret	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	27	Gearbox	0
Ret	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	21	Fuel system	0
Ret	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	0	Collision	0
Ret	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	0	Collision	0
Ret	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	0	Collision	0

2009 Brazilian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	25	1:13.733	210.386
2	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	59	1:13.890	209.939
3	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	20	1:13.950	209.768
4	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	38	1:14.155	209.188
5	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	68	1:14.303	208.772
6	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	59	1:14.345	208.654
7	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	46	1:14.353	208.631
8	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	16	1:14.370	208.584
9	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	47	1:14.558	208.058
10	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	58	1:14.563	208.044
11	10	Kamui Kobayashi	Toyota	71	1:14.676	207.729
12	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	54	1:14.789	207.415
13	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	59	1:14.861	207.216
14	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Ferrari	55	1:14.931	207.022
15	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	19	1:14.988	206.865
16	21	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India	43	1:14.990	206.859
17	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	21	1:15.073	206.630

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 Brazilian Grand Prix.

2009 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jenson Button	British	Brawn GP	89
2	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	74
3	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Brawn GP	72
4	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	61.5
5	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	49
6	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	48
7	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	34.5
8	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	30.5
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	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	17
14	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	15
15	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India / Ferrari	8
16	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	5
17	Sébastien Buemi	Swiss	Toro Rosso	5
18	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	2
19	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	0
20	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	0
21	Kamui Kobayashi	Japanese	Toyota	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	161
2	Red Bull Racing	135.5
3	McLaren	71
4	Ferrari	70
5	Toyota	54.5
6	Williams	34.5
7	BMW Sauber	32
8	Renault	26
9	Force India	13
10	Toro Rosso	7

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