2009 Singapore Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton mastered Singapore’s floodlit streets to take his second victory of the season. Penalties removed two of his closest challengers, while Jenson Button recovered from a poor qualifying result to finish ahead of Rubens Barrichello and extend his championship lead.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Pole time	1:47.891
Fastest lap	Fernando Alonso	Renault
Fastest-lap time	1:48.240 on lap 53
First	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Second	Timo Glock	Toyota
Third	Fernando Alonso	Renault

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
25 September 2009	Practice 1	18:00
25 September 2009	Practice 2	21:30
26 September 2009	Practice 3	19:00
26 September 2009	Qualifying	22:00
27 September 2009	Race	20:00

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 14 leading the 2009 F1 World Championship on 80 points, with Rubens Barrichello on 66. Brawn GP headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 146 points.

Race entries

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

Free Practice

Rubens Barrichello led Jenson Button in FP1, but the session was interrupted when Romain Grosjean crashed at the same corner where Nelson Piquet had hit the wall a year earlier. Adrian Sutil and Heikki Kovalainen also had incidents as drivers adjusted to the revised street circuit. Giancarlo Fisichella continued to find the Ferrari difficult to master.

Mark Webber’s accident at the final corner brought out another red flag in FP2, leaving substantial debris beside the pit straight. Sebastian Vettel completed a more productive session and set the pace, with Fernando Alonso close behind. The interruption cost Mark Webber valuable running before a race where walls and heavy braking left little margin for error.

Lewis Hamilton headed an uninterrupted final practice session after a quiet opening quarter-hour. Jenson Button struggled for pace, while Force India’s recent low-downforce success did not translate to Singapore’s tighter layout. Mark Webber also remained well down the order following his Friday accident, leaving Sebastian Vettel as Red Bull Racing’s leading contender.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2009 Singapore Grand Prix FP1, 25 September 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	1:50.179	19
2	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.177s	22
3	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.237s	21
4	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.388s	16
5	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.435s	16
6	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.520s	21
7	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.536s	17
8	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.636s	15
9	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.686s	19
10	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.910s	25
11	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.248s	23
12	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.365s	14
13	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+1.464s	28
14	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.477s	15
15	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.904s	20
16	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.956s	20
17	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Ferrari	+2.211s	24
18	21	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India	+2.726s	23
19	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+3.053s	25
20	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	+3.279s	9

Free Practice 2 Classification

2009 Singapore Grand Prix FP2, 25 September 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:48.650	31
2	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.274s	27
3	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.302s	30
4	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.448s	31
5	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.661s	34
6	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.667s	14
7	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.683s	33
8	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.692s	30
9	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.708s	28
10	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.959s	24
11	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.966s	30
12	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.060s	31
13	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.145s	29
14	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.291s	29
15	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.373s	34
16	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Ferrari	+1.603s	31
17	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+1.877s	29
18	21	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India	+1.955s	28
19	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	+2.322s	17
20	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+2.773s	31

Free Practice 3 Classification

2009 Singapore Grand Prix FP3, 26 September 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:47.632	15
2	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.277s	17
3	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.700s	18
4	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.788s	14
5	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.869s	16
6	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.894s	13
7	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.919s	16
8	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.041s	17
9	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+1.122s	17
10	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.125s	12
11	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.199s	17
12	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.232s	16
13	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.244s	15
14	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+1.289s	17
15	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.400s	15
16	21	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India	+1.423s	16
17	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.490s	17
18	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+1.767s	17
19	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	+2.009s	16
20	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Ferrari	+2.407s	21

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton took pole after Rubens Barrichello crashed near the end of Q3, preventing the remaining drivers from improving. Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber followed, while Rubens Barrichello also faced a five-place gearbox penalty.

Jenson Button could manage only 12th after struggling throughout Q2 and narrowly avoiding the wall on his final attempt. Kimi Räikkönen was also eliminated before the final shootout, while Giancarlo Fisichella and both Force India cars fell in Q1.

Qualifying Classification

2009 Singapore Grand Prix Qualifying, 26 September 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:46.977	1:46.657	1:47.891	14
2	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:47.541	1:46.362	1:48.204	17
3	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:47.390	1:46.197	1:48.348	15
4	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:47.646	1:46.328	1:48.722	19
5	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	1:47.397	1:46.787	1:48.828	20
6	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:47.757	1:46.767	1:49.054	17
7	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:47.770	1:46.707	1:49.180	18
8	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:47.347	1:46.832	1:49.307	19
9	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:47.615	1:46.813	1:49.514	18
10	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:47.542	1:46.842	1:49.778	18
11	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:47.637	1:47.013	—	14
12	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	1:47.180	1:47.141	—	16
13	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:47.293	1:47.177	—	14
14	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	1:47.677	1:47.369	—	16
15	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:47.690	1:47.413	—	13
16	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:48.231	—	—	10
17	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	1:48.340	—	—	9
18	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Ferrari	1:48.350	—	—	11
19	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	1:48.544	—	—	10
20	21	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India	1:48.792	—	—	8

Rubens Barrichello was given a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change prior to qualifying.

Nick Heidfeld was excluded from the qualifying results for an underweight car. He has also had gearbox and engine change prior to race, and he started from the pit lane.

What happened in the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix?

Lewis Hamilton led from pole as Nico Rosberg passed Sebastian Vettel. Nico Rosberg’s challenge unravelled when he crossed the pit-exit line and received a drive-through penalty. A subsequent collision between Adrian Sutil and Nick Heidfeld brought out the safety car, bunching the field before Nico Rosberg could serve his punishment and making the loss of position much worse.

Sebastian Vettel then chased Lewis Hamilton but received his own drive-through for speeding in the pit lane. Mark Webber retired after a brake failure, ending his remaining title chances. Jenson Button used a longer second stint to move ahead of Rubens Barrichello, whose stop had been delayed, before managing brake concerns of his own.

Lewis Hamilton won ahead of Timo Glock and Fernando Alonso, with Sebastian Vettel recovering to fourth. Jenson Button’s fifth place, one ahead of Rubens Barrichello, increased his championship advantage to 15 points. It was the season’s only podium without either a Brawn GP or Red Bull Racing driver, and a strong reward for Toyota and Renault under the lights.

After the race, Jenson Button headed the drivers’ standings with 84 points, followed by Rubens Barrichello on 69. Brawn GP led the constructors’ table on 153, with Red Bull Racing on 110.5.

2009 Singapore Grand Prix race results

The 2009 Singapore Grand Prix was held on 27 September 2009, with a scheduled start of 20:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	61	1:56:06.337	10
2	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	61	+9.634	8
3	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	61	+16.624	6
4	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	61	+20.621	5
5	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	61	+30.015	4
6	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	61	+31.858	3
7	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	61	+36.157	2
8	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	61	+55.054	1
9	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	61	+56.054	0
10	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	61	+58.892	0
11	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	61	+59.777	0
12	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	61	+1:13.009	0
13	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Ferrari	61	+1:19.890	0
14	21	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India	61	+1:33.502	0
Ret	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	47	Brakes	0
Ret	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	47	Gearbox	0
Ret	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	45	Brakes/accident	0
Ret	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	23	Collision damage	0
Ret	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	19	Collision	0
Ret	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	3	Brakes	0

Nick Heidfeld started the race from the pit lane.

2009 Singapore Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	53	1:48.240	168.725
2	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	36	1:48.345	168.561
3	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	9	1:48.352	168.550
4	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	54	1:48.369	168.524
5	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	54	1:48.391	168.490
6	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	34	1:48.396	168.482
7	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	10	1:48.398	168.479
8	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	50	1:48.598	168.168
9	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	54	1:48.816	167.831
10	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	44	1:48.847	167.784
11	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	36	1:49.283	167.114
12	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	35	1:49.319	167.059
13	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	45	1:49.371	166.980
14	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Ferrari	49	1:49.417	166.910
15	21	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India	48	1:49.852	166.249
16	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	17	1:50.636	165.071
17	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	18	1:51.346	164.018
18	11	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	32	1:52.483	162.360
19	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	15	1:52.623	162.158
20	8	Romain Grosjean	Renault	2	1:57.192	155.836

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 Singapore Grand Prix.

2009 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jenson Button	British	Brawn GP	84
2	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Brawn GP	69
3	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	59
4	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	51.5
5	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	40
6	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	37
7	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	30.5
8	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	26
9	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	24
10	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	22.5
11	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	22
12	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren	22
13	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	12
14	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	9
15	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India / Ferrari	8
16	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	5
17	Sébastien Buemi	Swiss	Toro Rosso	3
18	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	2
19	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	0
20	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	0
21	Luca Badoer	Italian	Ferrari	0
22	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Italian	Force India	0
23	Romain Grosjean	French	Renault	0
24	Jaime Alguersuari	Spanish	Toro Rosso	0

2009 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Brawn GP	153
2	Red Bull Racing	110.5
3	Ferrari	62
4	McLaren	59
5	Toyota	46.5
6	Williams	30.5
7	Renault	26
8	BMW Sauber	21
9	Force India	13
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