2009 Chinese Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Red Bull Racing finally reached the top step in Shanghai, and did so in style. Sebastian Vettel mastered a soaking track to lead Mark Webber home for the team’s first victory and first one-two, ending Brawn GP’s winning start to the 2009 F1 World Championship.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Pole time	1:36.184
Fastest lap	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP
Fastest-lap time	1:52.592 on lap 42
First	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Second	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing
Third	Jenson Button	Brawn GP

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
17 April 2009	Practice 1	10:00
17 April 2009	Practice 2	14:00
18 April 2009	Practice 3	11:00
18 April 2009	Qualifying	14:00
19 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 3 leading the 2009 F1 World Championship on 15 points, with Rubens Barrichello on 10. Brawn GP headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 25 points.

Race entries

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

Free Practice

Lewis Hamilton led FP1 as McLaren introduced a revised diffuser and front wing following the ruling that cleared the disputed double-diffuser designs. The changes gave the reigning champion a more stable car and an encouraging starting point. Ferrari ran without KERS, while BMW Sauber used Friday to assess the system on Robert Kubica’s car.

Jenson Button restored Brawn GP to the top in FP2 as the afternoon running produced a different competitive order. Red Bull Racing showed useful early pace, but McLaren could not repeat its morning positions. With hurried upgrades and different programmes across the field, the session offered clues rather than a settled picture of qualifying form.

Nico Rosberg recovered from an early excursion to lead FP3. Timo Glock lost running to a gearbox problem that would also bring a grid penalty. Fernando Alonso tried Renault’s new diffuser without KERS, while Robert Kubica also removed the system as teams made their final setup decisions before qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2009 Chinese Grand Prix FP1, 17 April 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:37.334	22
2	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.116s	18
3	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.232s	19
4	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.338s	23
5	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.418s	20
6	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.430s	19
7	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.526s	24
8	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.560s	21
9	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.755s	19
10	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+0.861s	24
11	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.889s	23
12	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.940s	20
13	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+0.973s	26
14	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+0.985s	18
15	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.084s	20
16	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.122s	21
17	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.126s	19
18	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.129s	18
19	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.396s	25
20	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.491s	20

Free Practice 2 Classification

2009 Chinese Grand Prix FP2, 17 April 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	1:35.679	35
2	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.025s	36
3	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.202s	35
4	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.426s	32
5	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.488s	22
6	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.538s	42
7	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.698s	32
8	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.869s	40
9	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.995s	34
10	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.121s	34
11	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.150s	30
12	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.168s	34
13	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+1.262s	28
14	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.375s	33
15	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+1.540s	34
16	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.594s	36
17	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.812s	34
18	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.865s	28
19	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.959s	28
20	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+2.071s	31

Free Practice 3 Classification

2009 Chinese Grand Prix FP3, 18 April 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:36.133	17
2	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.139s	22
3	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.197s	17
4	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.330s	16
5	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+0.331s	16
6	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.395s	18
7	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.414s	13
8	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.427s	17
9	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.435s	17
10	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.509s	17
11	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.569s	14
12	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.609s	14
13	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+0.609s	16
14	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+0.701s	17
15	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.197s	8
16	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+1.216s	7
17	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.401s	17
18	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.599s	18
19	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.870s	6
20	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+2.977s	6

Qualifying

Sebastian Vettel secured Red Bull Racing’s first pole despite a driveshaft concern that restricted him to one flying lap in each of the final two stages. He made those opportunities count, beating Fernando Alonso and teammate Mark Webber. The two Brawn GP cars followed, with Rubens Barrichello ahead of Jenson Button.

Fernando Alonso’s front-row place gave Renault a striking turnaround after its difficult final practice. Sébastien Sebastien Buemi also reached Q3, while Felipe Massa and Heikki Kovalainen missed the final session. Timo Glock’s gearbox penalty changed the starting order, and both he and Robert Kubica eventually began the race from the pit lane.

Qualifying Classification

2009 Chinese Grand Prix Qualifying, 18 April 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:36.565	1:35.130	1:36.184	11
2	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:36.443	1:35.803	1:36.381	21
3	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:35.751	1:35.173	1:36.466	19
4	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	1:35.701	1:35.503	1:36.493	21
5	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	1:35.533	1:35.556	1:36.532	19
6	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:36.308	1:35.645	1:36.835	21
7	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:35.941	1:35.809	1:37.397	23
8	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:36.137	1:35.856	1:38.089	19
9	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:35.776	1:35.740	1:38.595	17
10	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	1:36.284	1:35.965	1:39.321	21
11	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:36.525	1:35.975	—	14
12	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:36.646	1:36.032	—	10
13	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:36.178	1:36.033	—	11
14	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:36.364	1:36.066	—	14
15	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:36.673	1:36.193	—	13
16	11	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	1:36.906	—	—	10
17	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	1:36.908	—	—	10
18	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:36.966	—	—	8
19	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:37.669	—	—	10
20	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	1:37.672	—	—	10

Timo Glock was issued a 5 place grid-penalty for changing a gearbox during Saturday practice.

What happened in the 2009 Chinese Grand Prix?

Heavy rain forced a safety-car start, with Sebastian Vettel leading the field through eight cautious opening laps. Fernando Alonso stopped during that period and surrendered his front-row position. Once racing began, Red Bull Racing’s wet-weather pace became clear, although a collision between Robert Kubica and Jarno Trulli brought another safety car and kept the contest unsettled.

Sebastian Vettel retained control while Mark Webber fought Jenson Button for second. The pair exchanged positions after errors before Mark Webber completed a decisive move around the outside at Turn 7. Further back, Felipe Massa stopped with an electrical problem, Lewis Hamilton mixed overtaking moves with costly spins, and Nico Rosberg’s switch to intermediates proved premature.

Adrian Sutil was heading towards points for Force India when a heavy late crash ended his charge. Sebastian Vettel stayed clear of the trouble to claim the team’s breakthrough win, with Mark Webber completing the one-two and Jenson Button third. Heikki Kovalainen led Lewis Hamilton home for McLaren, while Timo Glock and Sebastien Buemi completed the points. Brawn GP still led both championships, but Red Bull Racing had announced itself as a serious challenger.

After the race, Jenson Button headed the drivers’ standings with 21 points, followed by Rubens Barrichello on 15. Brawn GP led the constructors’ table on 36, with Red Bull Racing on 19.5.

2009 Chinese Grand Prix race results

The 2009 Chinese Grand Prix was held on 19 April 2009, with a scheduled start of 15:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	56	1:57:43.485	10
2	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	56	+10.970	8
3	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	56	+44.975	6
4	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	56	+1:03.704	5
5	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	56	+1:05.102	4
6	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	56	+1:11.866	3
7	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	56	+1:14.476	2
8	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	56	+1:16.439	1
9	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	56	+1:24.309	0
10	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	56	+1:31.750	0
11	11	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	56	+1:34.156	0
12	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	56	+1:35.834	0
13	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	56	+1:46.853	0
14	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	55	+1 Lap	0
15	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	55	+1 Lap	0
16	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	54	+2 Laps	0
17	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	50	Accident	0
Ret	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	43	Transmission	0
Ret	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	20	Electrical	0
Ret	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	18	Collision damage	0

2009 Chinese Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	42	1:52.592	174.289
2	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	42	1:52.627	174.235
3	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	42	1:52.703	174.117
4	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	42	1:52.980	173.690
5	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	43	1:53.474	172.934
6	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	44	1:53.546	172.825
7	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	40	1:54.158	171.898
8	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	55	1:54.243	171.770
9	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	38	1:54.481	171.413
10	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	41	1:54.516	171.361
11	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	42	1:54.590	171.250
12	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	39	1:54.665	171.138
13	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	41	1:54.777	170.971
14	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	44	1:55.350	170.122
15	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	38	1:55.396	170.054
16	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	42	1:55.535	169.849
17	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	38	1:56.167	168.925
18	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	37	1:56.239	168.821
19	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	16	1:56.484	168.466
20	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	14	2:00.330	163.081

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 Chinese Grand Prix.

2009 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jenson Button	British	Brawn GP	21
2	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Brawn GP	15
3	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	10
4	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	10
5	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	9.5
6	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	8.5
7	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	4
8	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	4
9	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren	4
10	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	4
11	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	3.5
12	Sébastien Buemi	Swiss	Toro Rosso	3
13	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	1
14	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	0
15	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	0
16	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	0
17	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India	0
18	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	0
19	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	0
20	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	0

2009 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Brawn GP	36
2	Red Bull Racing	19.5
3	Toyota	18.5
4	McLaren	8
5	BMW Sauber	4
6	Renault	4
7	Toro Rosso	4
8	Williams	3.5
9	Ferrari	0
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