2009 British Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Sebastian Vettel spoiled the home celebrations with a commanding victory at Silverstone. Red Bull Racing’s upgraded car was superb through the fast corners, delivering a one-two ahead of Rubens Barrichello while championship leader Jenson Button could recover only to sixth.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Pole time	1:19.509
Fastest lap	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Fastest-lap time	1:20.735 on lap 16
First	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Second	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing
Third	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
19 June 2009	Practice 1	10:00
19 June 2009	Practice 2	14:00
20 June 2009	Practice 3	10:00
20 June 2009	Qualifying	13:00
21 June 2009	Race	13:00

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 8 leading the 2009 F1 World Championship on 61 points, with Rubens Barrichello on 35. Brawn GP headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 96 points.

Race entries

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

Free Practice

Sebastian Vettel led a Red Bull Racing one-two in FP1 as the team’s updated car immediately looked well suited to Silverstone’s fast, flowing corners. Brawn GP struggled more in the cool conditions. The opening running therefore suggested a genuine change in the competitive balance, rather than simply another Friday shuffle in the order.

Red Bull Racing remained ahead in FP2, but Mark Webber stopped on track with a mechanical problem late in the session. Adrian Sutil’s strong showing offered encouragement for Force India. The wider order remained unsettled as teams completed different programmes, with several established frontrunners appearing unusually far down the timesheet.

Williams used late low-fuel runs to put Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima first and second in FP3. Timo Glock had a small excursion, while BMW Sauber remained unhappy with its performance. The final practice order differed from Friday’s, but Red Bull Racing’s earlier pace remained the central reference before qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2009 British Grand Prix FP1, 19 June 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:19.400	20
2	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.282s	19
3	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.827s	20
4	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.842s	29
5	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.058s	26
6	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.071s	23
7	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.185s	32
8	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+1.250s	26
9	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.415s	32
10	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.438s	25
11	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.513s	22
12	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+1.629s	22
13	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.703s	24
14	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.779s	27
15	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.984s	23
16	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.986s	32
17	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+2.089s	26
18	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+2.125s	30
19	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+2.190s	37
20	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+2.401s	16

Free Practice 2 Classification

2009 British Grand Prix FP2, 19 June 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:19.456	39
2	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.141s	35
3	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+0.685s	41
4	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.753s	36
5	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.781s	36
6	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.788s	26
7	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.961s	35
8	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.002s	40
9	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.012s	42
10	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.152s	37
11	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.166s	23
12	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+1.277s	37
13	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.306s	37
14	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+1.311s	28
15	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.476s	35
16	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.489s	36
17	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.549s	37
18	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.676s	38
19	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.957s	40
20	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+2.212s	37

Free Practice 3 Classification

2009 British Grand Prix FP3, 20 June 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:18.899	20
2	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.203s	19
3	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.226s	15
4	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.472s	15
5	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.697s	19
6	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.956s	13
7	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.969s	19
8	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.018s	14
9	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.047s	15
10	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+1.129s	14
11	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+1.149s	16
12	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+1.258s	17
13	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.333s	18
14	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.560s	17
15	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.649s	15
16	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.673s	17
17	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+1.739s	18
18	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.797s	20
19	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+2.125s	11
20	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+2.140s	13

Qualifying

Sebastian Vettel claimed pole ahead of Rubens Barrichello and Mark Webber, despite carrying more fuel than both. Kazuki Nakajima produced his best qualifying result to take fifth, while Jenson Button could manage only sixth in the cool conditions.

Adrian Sutil crashed heavily at Abbey after a brake failure, bringing Q1 to an early end and preventing Lewis Hamilton from completing his final attempt. The reigning champion was left near the back. Felipe Massa was eliminated in Q2, adding another recovery drive to Sunday’s prospects.

Qualifying Classification

2009 British Grand Prix Qualifying, 20 June 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:18.685	1:18.119	1:19.509	21
2	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	1:19.325	1:18.335	1:19.856	23
3	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:18.674	1:18.209	1:19.868	18
4	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:18.886	1:18.240	1:20.091	21
5	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:18.530	1:18.575	1:20.216	27
6	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	1:18.957	1:18.663	1:20.289	25
7	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:19.228	1:18.591	1:20.361	21
8	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:19.198	1:18.791	1:20.490	25
9	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:19.010	1:18.566	1:20.715	24
10	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:19.167	1:18.761	1:20.741	22
11	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:19.148	1:18.927	—	19
12	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:19.730	1:19.308	—	21
13	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:19.732	1:19.353	—	19
14	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	1:19.555	1:19.392	—	18
15	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:19.559	1:19.448	—	19
16	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	1:19.802	—	—	11
17	11	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	1:19.898	—	—	10
18	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:19.909	—	—	10
19	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:19.917	—	—	7
20	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	1:20.236	—	—	12

What happened in the 2009 British Grand Prix?

Sebastian Vettel pulled away immediately while Mark Webber spent the opening stint behind Rubens Barrichello. Jenson Button dropped to ninth at the start, leaving him with work to do in front of his home crowd. Red Bull Racing’s pace was emphatic, and Mark Webber moved into second by staying out one lap longer than Rubens Barrichello at the first stops.

Felipe Massa and Nico Rosberg made progress through the pit-stop cycles, while Jenson Button used a long middle stint to recover to sixth. He closed on both in the final laps but could not pass. Further back, contact between Sébastien Sebastien Bourdais and Heikki Kovalainen ended their races, and Lewis Hamilton endured several excursions on his way to 16th.

Sebastian Vettel completed victory ahead of Mark Webber and Rubens Barrichello, also claiming fastest lap. Felipe Massa’s rise from 11th to fourth was an excellent result for Ferrari, with Nico Rosberg fifth and Jenson Button sixth. Brawn GP retained a substantial championship advantage, but Red Bull Racing had demonstrated the pace to put it under pressure.

After the race, Jenson Button headed the drivers’ standings with 64 points, followed by Rubens Barrichello on 41. Brawn GP led the constructors’ table on 105, with Red Bull Racing on 74.5.

2009 British Grand Prix race results

The 2009 British Grand Prix was held on 21 June 2009, with a scheduled start of 13:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	60	1:22:49.328	10
2	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	60	+15.188	8
3	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	60	+41.175	6
4	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	60	+45.043	5
5	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	60	+45.915	4
6	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	60	+46.285	3
7	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	60	+1:08.307	2
8	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	60	+1:09.622	1
9	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	60	+1:09.823	0
10	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	60	+1:11.522	0
11	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	60	+1:14.023	0
12	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	59	+1 lap	0
13	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	59	+1 lap	0
14	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	59	+1 lap	0
15	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	59	+1 lap	0
16	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	59	+1 lap	0
17	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	59	+1 lap	0
18	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	59	+1 lap	0
Ret	11	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	37	Collision damage	0
Ret	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	36	Collision damage	0

2009 British Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	16	1:20.735	229.238
2	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	57	1:20.915	228.728
3	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	17	1:21.054	228.336
4	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	54	1:21.189	227.956
5	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	18	1:21.429	227.285
6	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	22	1:21.509	227.062
7	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	14	1:21.656	226.653
8	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	51	1:21.671	226.611
9	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	17	1:21.806	226.237
10	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	20	1:21.810	226.226
11	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	14	1:21.845	226.129
12	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	36	1:21.852	226.110
13	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	59	1:21.956	225.823
14	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	41	1:22.182	225.202
15	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	32	1:22.418	224.557
16	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	26	1:22.466	224.427
17	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	25	1:22.505	224.320
18	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	24	1:22.576	224.128
19	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	24	1:22.711	223.762
20	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	50	1:23.475	221.714

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 British Grand Prix.

2009 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jenson Button	British	Brawn GP	64
2	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Brawn GP	41
3	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	39
4	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	35.5
5	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	21.5
6	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	16
7	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	15.5
8	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	13
9	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	11
10	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	10
11	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	9
12	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	6
13	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren	4
14	Sébastien Buemi	Swiss	Toro Rosso	3
15	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	2
16	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	2
17	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India	0
18	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	0
19	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	0
20	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	0

2009 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Brawn GP	105
2	Red Bull Racing	74.5
3	Toyota	34.5
4	Ferrari	26
5	Williams	15.5
6	McLaren	13
7	Renault	11
8	BMW Sauber	8
9	Toro Rosso	5
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