2009 Malaysian Grand Prix

The 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix, formally known as the 2009 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix, was the second race of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang, Malaysia, on 5 April 2009.'2. Malaysia 2009', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/malaisie.aspx, (Accessed 20/03/2020)'Lightning strikes twice in Sepang as Button wins again', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 05/04/2009), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/144938/1/lightning-strikes-twice-as-button-wins-in-sepang, (Accessed 20/03/2020) The race would only be the fifth in history to see half-points awarded, as Jenson Button swept to victory amid a mid-race monsoon.
Ahead of the race it was announced that Lewis Hamilton would be retroactively disqualified from the 2009 Australian Grand Prix, after being found to have misled the stewards. The incident in question revolved around him overtaking and then allowing Jarno Trulli to move back ahead of him during the late-race Safety Car, with Trulli ultimately having his 25 second time penalty rescinded.
Qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix would see Button sweep to pole position for , with Jarno Trulli claiming second for . Sebastian Vettel claimed third but served a ten place grid penalty for causing a collision with Robert Kubica in Australia, while a gearbox penalty for Rubens Barrichello meant it was Timo Glock who would start from third.
The start of the race would see Nico Rosberg stun the field, leaping from fourth to first as pole sitter Button went in the opposite direction. Fernando Alonso would also make a barnstorming start, leaping into third from tenth with KERS, while Kubica slipped to the back of the field, the result of a soon-to-expire engine.
The early stages would see Button ease his way back to the head of the field, first by passing Alonso and then Trulli, before leaping ahead of Rosberg during the first round of stops. Around this time rain began to fall on the circuit, prompting an out-of-position Kimi Räikkönen to take full wets almost instantly, although the Finn's plan backfired and caused him to destroy his tyres.
However, the Finn only jumped the gun by a handful of laps, for the rain began to increase on lap nineteen and caused the rest of the field to change for wets. Yet, the rain did not result in much standing water, and when Glock charged up to third using intermediates on the greasy circuit, the field dived in almost as one for the same tyre.
However, no sooner had the drivers changed then the conditions changed again, with the rain suddenly turning into a downpour and sending everyone back into the pits for full wets. The last full green lap to be completed was lap 31, when Button made his stop from the lead and remained ahead of Nick Heidfeld and Glock, with the heavy rain and lack of light prompting the race to be red flagged on lap 33.
The rain would continue to pound the circuit, and after almost an hour the race was officially declared with light fading fast. The order was declared as the field had completed lap 31, with half points awarded due to the fact that the field had failed to complete 75% of the race distance.
Button hence claimed victory ahead of Heidfeld, with the German racer becoming the first driver to score a podium finish with a KERS equipped car. Glock completed the podium ahead of Trulli, while Barrichello, Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton and Rosberg claimed the remaining points.
==Background==
Jenson Button left the season opening round of the season as the Championship leader, having scored ten points with his victory. Rubens Barrichello was next ahead of Jarno Trulli, while Timo Glock and Fernando Alonso completed the opening day top five.
In the Constructors Championship topped the table after the debut delight, a one-two leaving them on a maximum score of 18 points. were next having claimed third and fourth, while , and had also picked up opening day points.
===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 	Felipe Massa 	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 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	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 	Sébastien Bourdais 	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:'Malaysia 2009: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/malaisie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/03/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2009: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/malaisie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/03/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2009: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/malaisie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/03/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2009: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/malaisie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/03/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2009: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/malaisie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/03/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2009: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/malaisie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/03/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2009: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/malaisie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/03/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2009: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2009/malaisie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/03/2020)
==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 	22 	Jenson Button 	 	 	7 	1:35.058	 	1 	1:33.784	 	1 	1:35.181	1
2 	9 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	2 	1:34.745	 	2 	1:33.990	 	2 	1:35.273	2
3* 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	 	4 	1:34.935	 	5 	1:34.276	 	3 	1:35.518	13*
4† 	23 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	1 	1:34.681	 	6 	1:34.387	 	4 	1:35.651	8†
5 	10 	Timo Glock 	 	 	3 	1:34.907	 	4 	1:34.258	 	5 	1:35.690	3
6 	16 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	8 	1:35.083	 	8 	1:34.547	 	6 	1:35.750	4
7 	14 	Mark Webber 	 	 	6 	1:35.027	 	3 	1:34.222	 	7 	1:35.797	5
8 	5 	Robert Kubica 	 	 	10 	1:35.166	 	9 	1:34.562	 	8 	1:36.106	6
9 	4K 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	14 	1:35.476	 	7 	1:34.456	 	9 	1:36.170	7
10 	7K 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	11 	1:35.260	 	10 	1:34.706	 	10 	1:37.659	9
11 	6K 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	9 	1:35.110	 	11 	1:34.769	 	 	 	10
12 	17 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	 	13 	1:35.341	 	12 	1:34.788	 	 	 	11
13 	1K 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	 	12 	1:35.280	 	13 	1:34.905	 	 	 	12
14 	2K 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	 	5 	1:35.023	 	14 	1:34.924	 	 	 	14
15 	11 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	 	15 	1:35.507	 	15 	1:35.431	 	 	 	15
16 	3K 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	16 	1:35.642	 	 	 	 	 	 	16
17 	8K 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	 	17 	1:35.708	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
18 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella	 	 	18 	1:35.908	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
19 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	 	19 	1:35.951	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
20 	12 	Sébastien Buemi 	 	 	20 	1:36.107	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
Source:	Source:	Source: 	Source:	Source:	Source:	Source: 	Source:	Source:	Source: 	Source:	Source:	Source: 	Source:
*K Indicates a driver was equipped with KERS during the session.
*Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
** Vettel received a 10-place grid penalty for causing an avoidable accident involving Robert Kubica at the 2009 Australian Grand Prix.
*† Barrichello received a 5-place grid penalty for a gearbox change.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor	Laps 	Time/Retired	Grid 	Points
1 	22 	Jenson Button 	 	31 	55:30.622 	1 	5
2 	6K 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	31 	+22.722s 	10 	4
3 	10 	Timo Glock 	 	31 	+23.513s 	3 	3
4 	9 	Jarno Trulli 	 	31 	+46.173s 	2 	2.5
5 	23 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	31 	+47.360s 	8 	2
6 	14 	Mark Webber 	 	31 	+52.333s 	5 	1.5
7 	1K 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	31 	+1:00.733 	12 	1
8 	16 	Nico Rosberg 	 	31 	+1:11.576 	4 	0.5
9 	3K 	Felipe Massa 	 	31 	+1:16.932 	16 	
10 	11 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	31 	+1:42.164 	15 	
11 	7K 	Fernando Alonso 	 	31 	+1:49.422 	9 	
12 	17 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	31 	+1:56.130 	11 	
13 	8K 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	31 	+1:56.713 	17 	
14 	4K 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	31 	+2:22.841 	7 	
15* 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	30 	Spin 	13 	
16* 	12 	Sébastien Buemi 	 	30 	Spin 	20 	
17 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	30 	+1 Lap 	19 	
18* 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella	 	29 	Spin 	18 	
Ret 	5 	Robert Kubica 	 	1 	Engine 	6 	
Ret 	2K 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	0 	Spin 	14 	
Source:	Source:	Source: 	Source: 	Source:	Source: 	Source:	Source:
*K Indicates a driver was equipped with KERS during the session.
** Vettel, Buemi and Fisichella were all still classified despite retiring as they had completed 90% of the race distance.
==Milestones==
* This was the fifth race where it was stopped before 3/4 distance and half points were awarded, the last until the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.
* 650th Grand Prix for as a constructor.
* Jenson Button secured his third career victory.
* claimed their second win as a constructor.
** claimed their 69th win as an engine supplier.
* Nick Heidfeld became the first driver to claim a podium finish using KERS.
* Timo Glock secured the tenth podium finish for as a constructor.
* Maiden fastest lap recorded by Button.
** This was also Brawn's maiden fastest lap as a constructor.
==Standings==
Jenson Button extended his Championship lead as a result of the Malaysian Grand Prix, leaving Sepang with fifteen points to his name and two race wins. Rubens Barrichello had likewise retained second on ten points, while Jarno Trulli was third and the first driver with half a point, leaving Malaysia on 8.5 points. Timo Glock was half a point behind in fourth, while Nick Heidfeld had moved into fifth.
In the Constructors Championship had retained their advantage at the head of the pack, leaving Malaysia on 25 points. had remained in second, 8.5 points behind, while had leapt into third on four points. Elsewhere, were on the board with a single point, while and were the only constructors yet to score.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Jenson Button 	15 	
2 	Rubens Barrichello 	10 	
3 	Jarno Trulli 	8.5 	
4 	Timo Glock 	8 	
5 	Nick Heidfeld 	4 	5
6 	Fernando Alonso 	4 	1
7 	Nico Rosberg 	3.5 	1
8 	Sébastien Buemi 	2 	1
9 	Mark Webber 	1.5 	3
10 	Lewis Hamilton 	1 	10
11 	Sébastien Bourdais 	1 	3
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	25 	
2 	 	16.5 	
3 	 	4 	4
4 	 	4 	1
5 	 	3.5 	1
6 	 	3 	1
7 	 	1.5 	2
8 	 	1 	2
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
es:Gran Premio de Malasia de 2009
Category:2009 Grands Prix
Category:Malaysian Grand Prix
Category:Grand Prix articles