2009 Malaysian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Jenson Button made it two wins from two for Brawn GP, but Sepang delivered a very different challenge from Melbourne. A tropical downpour stopped the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix before half distance, leaving Jenson Button the winner of a frantic tyre-strategy contest and the leading eight drivers with half points.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Jenson Button	Brawn GP
Pole time	1:35.181
Fastest lap	Jenson Button	Brawn GP
Fastest-lap time	1:36.641 on lap 18
First	Jenson Button	Brawn GP
Second	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber
Third	Timo Glock	Toyota

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
3 April 2009	Practice 1	10:00
3 April 2009	Practice 2	14:00
4 April 2009	Practice 3	14:00
4 April 2009	Qualifying	17:00
5 April 2009	Race	17:00

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 2 leading the 2009 F1 World Championship on 10 points, with Rubens Barrichello on 8. Brawn GP headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 18 points.

Race entries

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

Free Practice

Nico Rosberg led another Williams one-two in FP1, but reliability provided much of the intrigue. Smoke filled Kimi Räikkönen’s cockpit amid an apparent KERS problem, forcing him to climb out in the pit lane. Heikki Kovalainen also lost useful running, while Nelson Piquet ended the session in the gravel after a front-suspension problem.

Kimi Räikkönen recovered to lead a Ferrari one-two in FP2, giving the team encouragement after its difficult opening race. Red Bull Racing also looked competitive in the dry afternoon running. Giancarlo Fisichella went off and touched the barriers, although the damage was limited and Force India avoided a major rebuilding job.

Dry conditions continued into FP3, with Nico Rosberg returning to the top after Ferrari’s Friday-afternoon improvement. The leading teams again changed positions, and the Brawn GP cars appeared further down the order than their Melbourne pace had suggested. That variation kept the competitive picture open ahead of qualifying, rather than establishing a clear favourite from practice alone.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2009 Malaysian Grand Prix FP1, 3 April 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:36.260	27
2	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.045s	25
3	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.170s	20
4	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.227s	22
5	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.301s	21
6	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.386s	18
7	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.439s	16
8	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.443s	23
9	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.487s	25
10	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.720s	27
11	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.722s	26
12	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+0.765s	20
13	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.779s	18
14	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+0.939s	20
15	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+0.981s	18
16	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.135s	12
17	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+1.374s	22
18	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.380s	17
19	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.762s	19
20	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+2.223s	7

Free Practice 2 Classification

2009 Malaysian Grand Prix FP2, 3 April 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:35.707	40
2	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.125s	38
3	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.247s	40
4	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.308s	39
5	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.319s	36
6	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.454s	37
7	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.547s	31
8	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.583s	35
9	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.690s	40
10	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+0.694s	35
11	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.808s	30
12	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.809s	34
13	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+0.921s	32
14	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.932s	29
15	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.933s	20
16	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.168s	36
17	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.560s	38
18	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.571s	30
19	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.725s	27
20	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+2.223s	37

Free Practice 3 Classification

2009 Malaysian Grand Prix FP3, 4 April 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:35.940	19
2	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.108s	13
3	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.149s	13
4	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.192s	21
5	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.249s	22
6	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.254s	14
7	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.382s	14
8	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.385s	18
9	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.579s	19
10	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.601s	17
11	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.623s	18
12	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.717s	15
13	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.802s	13
14	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.064s	16
15	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.086s	18
16	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.092s	18
17	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.178s	18
18	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+1.342s	17
19	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.382s	16
20	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.458s	19

Qualifying

Jenson Button took his second successive pole, with Jarno Trulli earning a place alongside him. Sebastian Vettel was third fastest but carried a ten-place penalty from his collision with Robert Kubica in Australia. Rubens Barrichello also faced a five-place gearbox penalty, reshuffling the order behind the front row.

Ferrari misjudged the pace of Q1 and kept Felipe Massa in the garage after his initial run. As rivals improved, he slipped to 16th and was eliminated. The mistake left him with a difficult recovery task at a circuit where the threat of rain already made Sunday’s strategy uncertain.

Qualifying Classification

2009 Malaysian Grand Prix Qualifying, 4 April 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	1:35.058	1:33.784	1:35.181	18
2	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:34.745	1:33.990	1:35.273	20
3	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:34.935	1:34.276	1:35.518	17
4	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	1:34.681	1:34.387	1:35.651	20
5	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:34.907	1:34.258	1:35.690	24
6	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:35.083	1:34.547	1:35.750	21
7	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:35.027	1:34.222	1:35.797	19
8	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:35.166	1:34.562	1:36.106	19
9	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:35.476	1:34.456	1:36.170	17
10	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:35.260	1:34.706	1:37.659	15
11	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:35.110	1:34.769	—	14
12	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:35.341	1:34.788	—	13
13	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:35.280	1:34.905	—	13
14	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:35.023	1:34.924	—	14
15	11	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	1:35.507	1:35.431	—	16
16	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:35.642	—	—	4
17	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	1:35.708	—	—	11
18	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	1:35.908	—	—	8
19	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:35.951	—	—	10
20	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	1:36.107	—	—	9

Sebastian Vettel received a 10-place grid penalty for causing an avoidable accident involving Robert Kubica at the Australian Grand Prix.

Rubens Barrichello received a 5-place grid penalty for a gearbox change.

What happened in the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix?

Nico Rosberg launched from fourth into the lead, while Jenson Button dropped behind Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso. The championship leader soon passed Fernando Alonso and used a longer opening stint to move ahead of both Nico Rosberg and Jarno Trulli through the first pit-stop sequence. Behind them, Robert Kubica retired with an engine problem and Heikki Kovalainen spun out on the opening lap.

The anticipated rain then turned the race into a succession of tyre decisions. Ferrari fitted Kimi Räikkönen with full wets too early, costing him heavily on the still-dry surface. Timo Glock made excellent progress on intermediates while rivals struggled on wet tyres, but conditions deteriorated so quickly that another change was soon required.

The race was suspended during lap 33 and never restarted as heavy rain and fading light made further running unsafe. Countback to the end of lap 31 put Jenson Button first, Nick Heidfeld second and Timo Glock third. Only half points were awarded because the race had fallen short of 75 per cent distance, giving Jenson Button five points for his second consecutive victory. Nick Heidfeld’s podium also marked the first for a KERS-equipped Formula 1 car.

After the race, Jenson Button headed the drivers’ standings with 15 points, followed by Rubens Barrichello on 10. Brawn GP led the constructors’ table on 25, with Toyota on 16.5.

2009 Malaysian Grand Prix race results

The 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix was held on 5 April 2009, with a scheduled start of 17:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	31	55:30.622	5
2	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	31	+ 22.722	4
3	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	31	+ 23.513	3
4	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	31	+ 46.173	2.5
5	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	31	+ 47.360	2
6	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	31	+ 52.333	1.5
7	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	31	+ 1:00.733	1
8	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	31	+ 1:11.576	0.5
9	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	31	+ 1:16.932	0
10	11	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	31	+ 1:42.164	0
11	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	31	+ 1:49.422	0
12	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	31	+ 1:56.130	0
13	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	31	+ 1:56.713	0
14	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	31	+ 2:22.841	0
15	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	30	Spun Off	0
16	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	30	Spun Off	0
17	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	30	+ 1 Lap	0
18	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	29	Spun Off	0
Ret	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1	Engine	0
Ret	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	0	Spun Off	0

2009 Malaysian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	18	1:36.641	206.483
2	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	17	1:37.484	204.698
3	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	12	1:37.591	204.473
4	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	13	1:37.598	204.459
5	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	14	1:37.672	204.304
6	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	10	1:38.427	202.737
7	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	17	1:38.453	202.683
8	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	16	1:38.938	201.689
9	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	17	1:39.006	201.551
10	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	17	1:39.084	201.392
11	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	17	1:39.141	201.276
12	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	17	1:39.242	201.072
13	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	17	1:39.250	201.055
14	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	18	1:39.268	201.019
15	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	17	1:39.387	200.778
16	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	18	1:39.406	200.740
17	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	16	1:39.407	200.738
18	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	17	1:39.464	200.623

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 Malaysian Grand Prix.

2009 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jenson Button	British	Brawn GP	15
2	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Brawn GP	10
3	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	8.5
4	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	8
5	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	4
6	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	4
7	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	3.5
8	Sébastien Buemi	Swiss	Toro Rosso	2
9	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	1.5
10	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	1
11	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	1
12	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	0
13	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	0
14	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India	0
15	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	0
16	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	0
17	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	0
18	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	0
19	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	0
–	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren	0

2009 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Brawn GP	25
2	Toyota	16.5
3	BMW Sauber	4
4	Renault	4
5	Williams	3.5
6	Toro Rosso	3
7	Red Bull Racing	1.5
8	McLaren	1
9	Force India	0
10	Ferrari	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