2009 Formula One Grand Prix Season So Far...

Australian Grand Prix
Melbourne - 29th March 2009

This was Brawn GP’s first Grand Prix and they pulledoff first and second places. A second career win andfirst pole position for Jenson Button, who at the endof the last season was not even sure of a place in F1in 2009.

The two Brawns were in the first row on the startingline. As the starting light turned green, Button shotforward, but his team-mate, Rubens Barrichello, remainedstuck on the grid. Meanwhile the Toyotasstarted from the pits. There was a crash on the firstcorner involving Barrichello, Heidfeld, Sutil, Webberand Kovalainen. Kovalainen retired to the pits andabandoned the race, while Heidfeld, Webber and Sutilpitted for repairs. On lap 10, Kimi Raikkonen got into difficulty with soft tyres and was overtaken by Rosberg andthen Barrichello. He then headed to the pits to change to hard tyres. On lap 18, Nakajima left the track, hit a walland abandoned. The safety car was deployed from lap 19 to lap 24. Alonso took advantage to refuel. On lap 25,following a momentary loss of concentration, Piquet drove into the sand trap on the first corner and was forcedto abandon. On lap 42, Raikkonen skidded off the track and had to head back to the pits, while team mate FelipeMassa abandoned on lap 46, after breaking his wing support. In doing so, he impeded Button, who was entering thepits to refuel for the second time. Button re-exited in the lead, 1½ seconds in front of Vettel. On lap 55, the safetycar was deployed for a second time after Vettel and Kubica collided and then abandoned the race. On lap 58, thesafety car was withdrawn and Button passed the line first, in front of Barrichello and then Trulli.


Malaysian Grand Prix
Sepang - 5th April 2009

This marked a third victory and 15th pole position for Jenson Button and a second victory in a row for Brawn GP. At the outset, Rosberg, who was in the second row, made a perfect start and reached the first corner before Trulli, Alonso, Button and Raikkonen. Kovalainen veered off the track, ending in the gravel trap andabandoned. On the second lap, Kubica was forced to abandon when his engine broke down. Vettel was the first to pit and refuel on lap 13. When Raikkonen entered the pits on lap 18, his mechanics fitted wet weather tyres anticipating rain. Button, on the other hand, pitted on the following lap and left with slicks. The rain arrived on lap 21 and Alonso skidded into a sand trap. On the following lap, all the drivers pitted to change their tyres to either wets or intermediates. It was an excellent choice for those who chose intermediates, until the rain started to really pour down. Button, fitted intermediates on lap 29, and re-emerged in second place behind Timo Glock, retaking the lead on the following lap when Glock pitted to change his tyres. Driving conditions deteriorated rapidly after that. Button pitted again on lap 31 to change to wets. Drivers were finding it very difficult to keep their cars on the track and once again the safety car was deployed. On lap 32, the stewards brought out the red flag and the drivers were brought to a halt on the straight in front of the pits. After a 50 minute wait, the grand prix was halted definitively for safety reasons and to Button’s surprise he was declared the winner, with Heidfeld in secondand Glock in third. Drivers and constructors were only awarded half points for this race.

Chinese Grand Prix

Shanghai – 19th April 2009

This was yet another similar race in Shanghai, withrain forcing the safety car to be deployed for the start, and Kubica and Glock starting from the pits. On lap 8, the safety car was retired and the race proper started. Vettel was leading, followed by, Webber, Barrichello,Button, Trulli, Raikkonen and Hamilton. The two RedBulls led the two Brawns. Raikkonen got into trouble on lap 11 and was overtaken by Buemi and Massa; Hamilton spun round completely, without damage, but dropped to 10th place. Webber made his first pitstop on lap 14.

Kubica bumped into Trulli’s car, which was making its way slowly to the pits and then had to abandon the race. The safety car was deployed again. Massa quit on lap 20 when his engine died. The safety car was retired on lap 22 with Vettel leading Button and Webber. Bourdais, who was in 8th place, made an error and spun round. On lap 29, Button left the track momentarily, Webber grabbed second place, but went on to make an error a couple of laps later. A heated sequence of overtaking then ensued between Button and Webber. Alonso spun on lap 36 and dropped down to 13th place. By lap 43, the two Red Bulls were in first and second with Vettel leading Webber. On lap 47, Hamilton left the track and lost 5th place to his team mate, Kovalainen. On lap 49, Hamilton lost control again, this time dropping to 7th place behind Sutil. However, on the following lap, Sutil’s Force India aquaplaned across the track into a wall of tyres. Vettel crossed the line first, in his second ever career win, and also his second ever pole position. Webber finished second, which sealed first and second for Red Bull for the first time ever. This was also their first victory and first pole position in 74 grand prix. Fernando Alonso had the fastest lap.

Bahrain Grand Prix

26th April 2009

In a first for Toyota, since their arrival in F1 in 2002, they took first and second on the grid in this fourth Grand Prix of the season, with Jarno Trulli in pole and Timo Glock in second.

Glock had the better start and took the lead at the first bend. Hamilton had a roaring start and although starting in 5th found himself behind Glock after only three corners. Trulli managed to overtake him againbefore the end of the first lap, and on the following lap, Button overtook him. Nakajima had a light scrap with the two BMWs forcing them to head to the pits to change their front wings. On the next lap Kimi Rakkonen and Felipe Massa’s cars touched slightly and the latter also had to pit. On lap 10, Glock, who was in first place, refuelled for the first time and reemerged in10th place. Alonso passed Trulli on lap 13. Meanwhile Button, who had been leading since Trulli’s pitstop, stoppedon lap 15 for more fuel, followed by Hamilton. Sebastien Vettel was now in the lead but refulled on lap 19, reemerging in 4th place. On lap 21, Raikkonen stopped and Button became the new leader, widening his lead with his newsoft tyres. Button, Trulli and Hamilton all made their second pitstop at the same time, which left Vettel in the lead until lap 40, when he made his second stop. Button took advantage of his competitor stops to move into the lead on lap 49, and he held on to this lead until the chequered flag fell. Vettel finished second and Trulli third. This marked Button’s fourth victory - his third of the season.

Spanish Grand Prix

Bercelona – 10th MAY 2009

It had been generally expected that the major teamswould be staging a comeback at the opening eventof the European season in Barcelona, but Brawn GPswept the board and scored its 4th victory out of 5 races this season. For the team it was a one-two onthe finishing line but for Button it was a victory and pole position whilst Barrichello secured the fastest lap time.

Massa had a great start as he took his place at the first bend behind the two Brawns (Barrichello and Button). He was followed by the two Red Bulls, whilst further back there was a crash involving Bourdais, Buemi, Trulli and Sutil. Rosberg came off the track but, as he got on again, Trulli had skidded across. Sutil was unable to avoid the Toyota whilst Buemi braked andwas hit by his team mate Bourdais; Nakajima could not avoid a collision damaging the front of his car and was obliged to pit to have it replaced. The Safety Car was deployed for 5 laps. At lap 7, Kovalainen, placed 11th , pittedand abandoned the race with a broken gearbox. In lap 18, it was Kimi Raikkonen’s turn to retire on account of accelerator problems. The first refuelling series started with Glock during lap 17. Button pulled in one lap later and Barichello in lap 19 as Massa took the lead which Barichello took back in the following lap.

As Rubens refuelled for the second time, a little before halfway through the race, Button was able to regain the race leadership. He never let go of that position until the very finish. Massa had to conserve fuel and dropped a place. Competition is hotting up especially with Scuderia Ferrari who appears to have reacted most promptly although Brawn GP and Toro Rosso remain ahead.