2009 European Grand Prix

The 2009 European Grand Prix, formally the 2009 Formula 1 Telefónica Grand Prix of Europe, was the eleventh round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Valencia Street Circuit in Valencia, Spain, on 23 August 2009.'11. Europe 2009', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/europe.aspx, (Accessed 22/03/2020)'Barrichello pays tribute to Massa with Valencia triumph', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 23/08/2009), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/151336/1/281-not-out-as-barrichello-pays-tribute-to-massa, (Accessed 22/03/2020) The race would be won by Rubens Barrichello of , five years after his last race victory at the 2004 Chinese Grand Prix.
Ahead of the race it was announced that Massa would be out of action for the rest of the season, but had survived major surgery to correct a skull fracture and was therefore out of intensive care.[Archived] Jonathan Noble, 'Badoer to replace Massa at Valencia', autosport.com, (Haymarket Media, 11/08/2009), https://www.webcitation.org/5j0uZhmGK, (Accessed 23/03/2020) His seat was handed to their Italian test driver Luca Badoer, who would make his first F1 appearance since the 1999 Japanese Grand Prix. Elsewhere, had an initial ban for an unsafe release overturned, as they replaced Nelson Piquet, Jr. with GP2 Series front runner Romain Grosjean.Steven English, 'Renault to race at Valencia after appeal', autosport.com, (Haymarket Media, 17/08/2009), https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/77736/renault-to-race-at-valencia-after-appeal, (Accessed 23/03/2020)'Renault drive chance for Grosjean', news.bbc.co.uk, British Broadcasting Company, 18/08/2009), http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8206904.stm, (Accessed 23/03/2020)
Qualifying would result in a surprise result for , as they scored a surprise one-two with Lewis Hamilton on pole position ahead of Heikki Kovalainen. Rubens Barrichello was next ahead of Sebastian Vettel, while Championship leader Jenson Button claimed fifth on the grid ahead of Kimi Räikkönen.
The start of the race saw the two KERS equipped McLarens sprint into an early lead, Hamilton ahead of Kovalainen, while Barrichello went with them in third. Räikkönen would likewise exploit his KERS assistance to secure fourth, Button tumbled to ninth after a poor launch, while Badoer leapt up from last to fourteenth with his KERS launch.
That, however, would be as good as it got for Badoer, as he was tipped into a spin by the debuting Grosjean at turn one and fell to the back of the field once again. Further around Sébastien Buemi and Timo Glock clashed and were both left with wounded equipment, while Button inadvertently cut the chicane defending eighth from Webber, and hence allowed the Australian through on the next straight.
With that the on-track action was effectively over, with the field spacing out fairly quickly on the second lap as Hamilton led Kovalainen and Barrichello away from Räikkönen. The order hence remained stable until Hamilton and Vettel disappeared into the pits on lap fifteen, with Hamilton dropping to sixth while Vettel had to stop on the following lap after the fuel rig had failed.
Kovalainen would lead for a lap before pitting, releasing Barrichello whom had been stuck behind the #2 McLaren. The Brazilian duly delivered a barrage of flying laps before making his stop on lap nineteen, and duly rejoined right on Hamilton's tail having made up over ten seconds during the four lap sprint.
Hamilton would, however, manage to escape the immediate attentions of the #23 during the second stint, although he was not able to establish a significant lead. This hence left him vulnerable to a mistake, which duly occurred during his second stop, as the McLaren pitcrew fumbled with his tyres resulting in a slow stop for the Brit.
Three quick laps and a swift stop later and the damage was done, for Barrichello would shoot out of the pitlane clear of the #1 McLaren to secure the lead. Their antics overshadowed Räikkönen's jump on Kovalainen for third, while Webber lost a lot of time in traffic and slipped behind Button and Robert Kubica outside of the points.
With that the race was over, for there would be no on-track overtakes after the opening lap for only the third time in F1 history. That meant that Barrichello claimed his first victory in almost five years ahead of Hamilton and Räikkönen, with Kovalainen, Nico Rosberg, Fernando Alonso, Button and Kubica claiming the remaining points.
==Background==
The rather confused order to the Hungarian Grand Prix meant that Jenson Button had once again retained a healthy advantage in the Championship hunt, leaving Hungary with 70 points to his credit. That translated to an 18.5 point lead over a now second placed Mark Webber, who had moved 4.5 points ahead of his teammate Sebastian Vettel. Behind, Rubens Barrichello had retained fourth ahead of Nico Rosberg, while race winner Lewis Hamilton had jumped to eighth.
In the Constructors Championship would head into the summer break with 114 points, meaning they still held an ever dwindling advantage atop the Championship. had hence reduced the gap in Hungary, leaving the Eastern European circuit 15.5 points behind the Anglo-German alliance. Behind, had eased into third ahead of , while had moved back into fifth ahead of .
===Entry List===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Lewis Hamilton 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-24 	 	FO 108W 2.4 V8 	
2 	Heikki Kovalainen 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-24 	 	FO 108W 2.4 V8 	
3 	Luca Badoer 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F60 	 	056 2009 2.4 V8 	
4 	Kimi Räikkönen 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F60 	 	056 2009 2.4 V8 	
5 	Robert Kubica 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.09 	 	P86/9 2.4 V8 	
6 	Nick Heidfeld 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.09 	 	P86/9 2.4 V8 	
7 	Fernando Alonso 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R29 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
8 	Romain Grosjean 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R29 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
9 	Jarno Trulli 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF109 	 	RVX-09 2.4 V8 	
10 	Timo Glock 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF109 	 	RVX-09 2.4 V8 	
11 	Jaime Alguersuari 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR4 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
12 	Sébastien Buemi 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR4 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
14 	Mark Webber 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB5 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
15 	Sebastian Vettel 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB5 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
16 	Nico Rosberg 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW31 	 	RVX-09 2.4 V8 	
17 	Kazuki Nakajima 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW31 	 	RVX-09 2.4 V8 	
20 	Adrian Sutil 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM02 	 	FO 108W 2.4 V8 	
21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM02 	 	FO 108W 2.4 V8 	
22 	Jenson Button 	Brawn GP F1 Team 	 	BGP 001 	 	FO 108W 2.4 V8 	
23 	Rubens Barrichello 	Brawn GP F1 Team 	 	BGP 001 	 	FO 108W 2.4 V8 	
Source:'Europe 2009: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/03/2020)	Source:'Europe 2009: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/03/2020)	Source:'Europe 2009: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/03/2020)	Source:'Europe 2009: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/03/2020)	Source:'Europe 2009: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/03/2020)	Source:'Europe 2009: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/03/2020)	Source:'Europe 2009: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/03/2020)	Source:'Europe 2009: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/03/2020)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Q1===
===Q2===
===Q3===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Q1 	Q1 	 	Q2 	Q2 	 	Q3 	Q3 	Grid
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	Grid
1 	1K 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	 	2 	1:38.649 	 	2 	1:38.182 	 	1 	1:39.489 	1
2 	2K 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	 	4 	1:38.816 	 	3 	1:38.230 	 	2 	1:39.532 	2
3 	23 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	8 	1:39.019 	 	1 	1:38.076 	 	3 	1:39.563 	3
4 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	 	13 	1:39.295 	 	4 	1:38.273 	 	4 	1:39.789 	4
5 	22 	Jenson Button 	 	 	1 	1:38.531 	 	6 	1:38.601 	 	5 	1:39.821 	5
6 	4K 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	5 	1:38.843 	 	10 	1:38.782 	 	6 	1:40.144 	6
7 	16 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	10 	1:39.039 	 	5 	1:38.346 	 	7 	1:40.185 	7
8 	7 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	12 	1:39.155 	 	8 	1:38.717 	 	8 	1:40.236 	8
9 	14 	Mark Webber 	 	 	7 	1:38.983 	 	7 	1:38.625 	 	9 	1:40.239 	9
10 	5 	Robert Kubica 	 	 	3 	1:38.806 	 	9 	1:38.747 	 	10 	1:40.512 	10
11 	6 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	9 	1:39.032 	 	11 	1:38.826 	 	 	 	11
12 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	 	11 	1:39.145 	 	12 	1:38.846 	 	 	 	12
13 	10 	Timo Glock 	 	 	15 	1:39.459 	 	13 	1:38.991 	 	 	 	13
14 	8 	Romain Grosjean 	 	 	14 	1:39.322 	 	14 	1:39.040 	 	 	 	14
15 	12 	Sébastien Buemi 	 	 	6 	1:38.912 	 	15 	1:39.514 	 	 	 	15
16 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	16 	1:39.531 	 	 	 	 	 	 	16
17 	17 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	 	17 	1:39.795 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
18 	9 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	18 	1:39.807 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
19 	11 	Jaime Alguersuari 	 	 	19 	1:39.925 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
20 	3K 	Luca Badoer 	Ferrari 	 	20 	1:41.413 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
Source:'2009 FORMULA 1 TELEFÓNICA GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2009), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2009/races/853/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'2009 FORMULA 1 TELEFÓNICA GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2009), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2009/races/853/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'2009 FORMULA 1 TELEFÓNICA GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2009), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2009/races/853/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'2009 FORMULA 1 TELEFÓNICA GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2009), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2009/races/853/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'2009 FORMULA 1 TELEFÓNICA GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2009), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2009/races/853/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'2009 FORMULA 1 TELEFÓNICA GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2009), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2009/races/853/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'2009 FORMULA 1 TELEFÓNICA GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2009), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2009/races/853/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'2009 FORMULA 1 TELEFÓNICA GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2009), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2009/races/853/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'2009 FORMULA 1 TELEFÓNICA GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2009), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2009/races/853/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'2009 FORMULA 1 TELEFÓNICA GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2009), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2009/races/853/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'2009 FORMULA 1 TELEFÓNICA GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2009), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2009/races/853/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'2009 FORMULA 1 TELEFÓNICA GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2009), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2009/races/853/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'2009 FORMULA 1 TELEFÓNICA GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2009), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2009/races/853/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'2009 FORMULA 1 TELEFÓNICA GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2009), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2009/races/853/europe/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/03/2020)
*K Indicates a driver was equipped with KERS during the session.
*Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	23 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	57 	1:35:51.289 	3 	10
2 	1 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	57 	+2.358s 	1 	8
3 	4‡ 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	57 	+15.994s 	6 	6
4 	2‡ 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	57 	+20.032s 	2 	5
5 	16 	Nico Rosberg 	 	57 	+20.870s 	7 	4
6 	7 	Fernando Alonso 	 	57 	+27.744s 	8 	3
7 	22 	Jenson Button 	 	57 	+34.913s 	5 	2
8 	5 	Robert Kubica 	 	57 	+36.667s 	10 	1
9 	14 	Mark Webber 	 	57 	+44.910s 	9 	
10 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	57 	+47.935s 	12 	
11 	6 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	57 	+48.822s 	11 	
12 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	57 	+1:03.614 	16 	
13 	9 	Jarno Trulli 	 	57 	+1:04.527 	18 	
14 	10 	Timo Glock 	 	57 	+1:26.519 	13 	
15 	8 	Romain Grosjean 	 	57 	+1:31.774 	14 	
16 	11 	Jaime Alguersuari 	 	56 	+1 Lap 	19 	
17 	3 	Luca Badoer 	 	56 	+1 Lap 	20 	
18 	17 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	54 	+3 Laps 	17 	
Ret 	12 	Sébastien Buemi 	 	41 	Brakes 	15 	
Ret 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	23 	Engine 	4 	
Source:'Europe 2009: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'Europe 2009: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'Europe 2009: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'Europe 2009: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'Europe 2009: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'Europe 2009: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'Europe 2009: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/03/2020)	Source:'Europe 2009: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/03/2020)
*K Indicates a driver was equipped with KERS during the session.
==Milestones==
* 500th individual entry for a chassis.[Archived] '2009 European GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), https://web.archive.org/web/20190410170118/http://chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2009&gp=European%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 23/03/2020) - Original
* Kimi Räikkönen made his 150th Grand Prix start.
* Luca Badoer made his 49th Grand Prix start.
** It was also Badoer's first start since the 1999 Japanese Grand Prix.
* Debut race for Romain Grosjean.
* Lewis Hamilton claimed the 75th pole position for a engine.
** First front row lock-out since the 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix.
** This was also the first instance of an all KERS front row.
* Tenth win for Rubens Barrichello.
** This was the 100th win for a Brazilian born driver.
* claimed their seventh win as a constructor.
** Mercedes secured their 75th win as an engine supplier.
* Räikkönen claimed his 60th podium finish.
* Timo Glock recorded his first (and only) fastest lap.
* claimed their third and final fastest lap as a constructor.
** Also the fourth and final fastest lap recorded by a Toyota engine.
* Third race in Formula One history in which there were no on track overtakes.
==Standings==
Jenson Button had maintained his grip on the World Championship after claiming two points in Valencia, moving him onto 72 points as the season entered its second phase. Behind, Rubens Barrichello had moved back into second and eighteen behind his teammate with victory in Valencia, while Mark Webber had slipped to third, 20.5 points off the lead. Sebastian Vettel had likewise lost ground in fourth but remained ahead of Nico Rosberg, while Lewis Hamilton moved up to sixth.
In the Constructors Championship had managed to extend their lead at the head of the field, moving onto 126 points for the season. were still in second, but had slipped 27.5 points behind the leaders, their failure to score potentially pivotal to the Championship outcome. Behind, had retained third ahead of , with the Anglo-German alliance having jumped ahead of to claim fourth.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Jenson Button 	72 	
2 	Rubens Barrichello 	54 	2
3 	Mark Webber 	51.5 	1
4 	Sebastian Vettel 	47 	1
5 	Nico Rosberg 	29.5 	
6 	Lewis Hamilton 	27 	2
7 	Kimi Räikkönen 	24 	2
8 	Jarno Trulli 	22.5 	2
9 	Felipe Massa 	22 	2
10 	Timo Glock 	16 	
11 	Fernando Alonso 	16 	
12 	Heikki Kovalainen 	14 	
13 	Nick Heidfeld 	6 	
14 	Robert Kubica 	3 	1
15 	Sébastien Buemi 	3 	1
16 	Sébastien Bourdais 	2 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	126 	
2 	 	98.5 	
3 	 	46 	
4 	 	41 	1
5 	 	38.5 	1
6 	 	29.5 	
7 	 	16 	
8 	 	9 	
9 	 	5 	
10 	 	0 	
Only point scoring drivers are shown.
==See Also==
==References==
Images and videos:
*
References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:2009 Grands Prix
Category:European Grand Prix
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Formula One races in Spain