2009 Spanish Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

The European season opened with a flood of upgrades, but Brawn GP remained the team to beat. Jenson Button won the 2009 Spanish Grand Prix after switching strategy, leading Rubens Barrichello home for another one-two as Mark Webber completed the podium.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Jenson Button	Brawn GP
Pole time	1:20.527
Fastest lap	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP
Fastest-lap time	1:22.762 on lap 28
First	Jenson Button	Brawn GP
Second	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP
Third	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
8 May 2009	Practice 1	10:00
8 May 2009	Practice 2	14:00
9 May 2009	Practice 3	11:00
9 May 2009	Qualifying	14:00
10 May 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 5 leading the 2009 F1 World Championship on 31 points, with Rubens Barrichello on 19. Brawn GP headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 50 points.

Race entries

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

Free Practice

Jenson Button led FP1 as teams devoted much of their running to new parts. Brawn GP introduced its first substantial updates, Ferrari arrived with a double diffuser, and BMW Sauber assessed a revised aerodynamic package without KERS. With comparison work taking priority, the opening times offered only an initial guide to the effectiveness of those changes.

Williams moved to the front in FP2, with Nico Rosberg leading Kazuki Nakajima. Nelson Piquet made several excursions as Renault worked through its programme, while Adrian Sutil completed no timed running. Different approaches across the field left some normally competitive cars near the bottom, keeping the significance of the order in perspective.

Ferrari led FP3 through Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen, an encouraging response to its troubled start to the season. Nick Heidfeld damaged his nose in an excursion, compromising his preparation. The absence of Red Bull Racing and Williams from the leading positions also underlined how little could be assumed before qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2009 Spanish Grand Prix FP1, 8 May 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	1:21.799	21
2	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.355s	30
3	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.422s	24
4	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.859s	14
5	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.860s	24
6	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.868s	26
7	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+0.954s	24
8	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.029s	29
9	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.056s	15
10	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+1.060s	24
11	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.074s	20
12	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.135s	25
13	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+1.160s	24
14	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+1.278s	21
15	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.289s	30
16	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.290s	25
17	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.358s	18
18	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+1.386s	31
19	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+1.723s	17
20	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.737s	19

Free Practice 2 Classification

2009 Spanish Grand Prix FP2, 8 May 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:21.588	43
2	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.152s	40
3	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.193s	36
4	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.255s	39
5	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.439s	37
6	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.464s	35
7	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.494s	45
8	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+0.761s	26
9	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+0.983s	17
10	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.011s	40
11	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.027s	30
12	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.082s	32
13	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+1.221s	31
14	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+1.288s	29
15	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.290s	35
16	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.360s	40
17	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.585s	39
18	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.772s	46
19	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+2.035s	47

Free Practice 3 Classification

2009 Spanish Grand Prix FP3, 9 May 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:20.553	18
2	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.082s	22
3	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	+0.497s	19
4	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	+0.610s	17
5	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.686s	21
6	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.703s	23
7	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.793s	16
8	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.824s	26
9	12	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+0.871s	19
10	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.946s	17
11	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.966s	15
12	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.041s	20
13	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.076s	19
14	11	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.096s	19
15	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.132s	18
16	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+1.136s	18
17	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.356s	19
18	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.490s	19
19	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.679s	19
20	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+2.904s	8

Qualifying

Jenson Button began his final lap with only seconds remaining and snatched pole from Sebastian Vettel. Rubens Barrichello was third, ahead of Felipe Massa and Mark Webber, as the leading teams converted their practice programmes into a tightly fought qualifying session.

Kimi Räikkönen was eliminated in Q1 after Ferrari again underestimated how much the track would improve. Lewis Hamilton missed Q3, while Fernando Alonso reached the final session in front of his home crowd. Felipe Massa’s fourth place nevertheless gave Ferrari a useful platform for Sunday.

Qualifying Classification

2009 Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying, 9 May 2009

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	1:20.707	1:20.192	1:20.527	21
2	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:20.715	1:20.220	1:20.660	15
3	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	1:20.808	1:19.954	1:20.762	20
4	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:20.484	1:20.149	1:20.934	18
5	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:20.689	1:20.007	1:21.049	17
6	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:20.877	1:20.107	1:21.247	25
7	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:21.189	1:20.420	1:21.254	25
8	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:21.186	1:20.509	1:21.392	20
9	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:20.745	1:20.256	1:22.558	22
10	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:20.931	1:20.408	1:22.685	15
11	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:20.818	1:20.531	—	16
12	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	1:21.128	1:20.604	—	20
13	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:21.095	1:20.676	—	16
14	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:20.991	1:20.805	—	12
15	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	1:21.033	1:21.067	—	15
16	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:21.291	—	—	5
17	11	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	1:21.300	—	—	8
18	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:21.675	—	—	10
19	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:21.742	—	—	11
20	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	1:22.204	—	—	11

What happened in the 2009 Spanish Grand Prix?

Rubens Barrichello swept around the outside into the lead at the start, while Felipe Massa used KERS to get ahead of Sebastian Vettel. Behind them, an accident eliminated Jarno Trulli, Adrian Sutil and both Toro Rosso drivers, bringing out the safety car. Heikki Kovalainen then retired with a gearbox problem soon after racing resumed.

Brawn GP split its strategies, moving Jenson Button to two stops while Rubens Barrichello continued on three. Rubens Barrichello could not build the advantage needed to offset his extra visit, and Jenson Button took control. Mark Webber’s long middle stint helped him escape the traffic behind Felipe Massa and move into third.

Felipe Massa held Sebastian Vettel back for much of the race, but Ferrari’s fuel concerns forced him to slow dramatically near the finish. Sebastian Vettel passed, then Fernando Alonso took fifth on the final lap, leaving Felipe Massa sixth. Kimi Räikkönen had already retired with a hydraulic failure. Jenson Button’s fourth victory in five races extended his championship lead, with Rubens Barrichello second and Mark Webber completing the podium.

After the race, Jenson Button headed the drivers’ standings with 41 points, followed by Rubens Barrichello on 27. Brawn GP led the constructors’ table on 68, with Red Bull Racing on 38.5.

2009 Spanish Grand Prix race results

The 2009 Spanish Grand Prix was held on 10 May 2009, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	66	1:37:19.202	10
2	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	66	+13.056	8
3	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	66	+13.924	6
4	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	66	+18.941	5
5	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	66	+43.166	4
6	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	66	+50.827	3
7	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	66	+52.312	2
8	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	66	+1:05.211	1
9	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	65	+1 Lap	0
10	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	65	+1 Lap	0
11	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	65	+1 Lap	0
12	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	65	+1 Lap	0
13	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	65	+1 Lap	0
14	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	65	+1 Lap	0
Ret	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	17	Hydraulics	0
Ret	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	7	Gearbox	0
Ret	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	0	Collision	0
Ret	12	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	0	Collision	0
Ret	11	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	0	Collision	0
Ret	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	0	Collision	0

2009 Spanish Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn GP	28	1:22.762	202.484
2	22	Jenson Button	Brawn GP	17	1:22.899	202.149
3	3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	14	1:23.089	201.687
4	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	41	1:23.090	201.684
5	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	18	1:23.112	201.631
6	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	14	1:23.420	200.887
7	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	24	1:23.621	200.404
8	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	63	1:23.796	199.985
9	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	29	1:23.839	199.883
10	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	29	1:23.878	199.790
11	5	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	26	1:24.078	199.314
12	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	44	1:24.134	199.182
13	17	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	38	1:24.155	199.132
14	8	Nelson Piquet	Renault	41	1:24.286	198.823
15	4	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	16	1:24.490	198.342
16	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	6	1:28.719	188.888

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 Spanish Grand Prix.

2009 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jenson Button	British	Brawn GP	41
2	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Brawn GP	27
3	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	23
4	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	15.5
5	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	14.5
6	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	12
7	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	9
8	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	9
9	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	6
10	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	4.5
11	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren	4
12	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	3
13	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	3
14	Sébastien Buemi	Swiss	Toro Rosso	3
15	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	1
16	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	0
17	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	0
18	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	0
19	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India	0
20	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	0

2009 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Brawn GP	68
2	Red Bull Racing	38.5
3	Toyota	26.5
4	McLaren	13
5	Renault	9
6	BMW Sauber	6
7	Ferrari	6
8	Williams	4.5
9	Toro Rosso	4
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