2009 Bahrain Grand Prix

The 2009 Bahrain Grand Prix (formally the 2009 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix ) [ 3 ] was a Formula One motor race held on 26 April 2009 at the Bahrain International Circuit , Sakhir , Bahrain . It was the sixth Bahrain Grand Prix and fourth race of the 2009 Formula One season .

Background

Going into the round, Brawn GP driver Jenson Button led the Drivers' Championship by 6 points from teammate Rubens Barrichello . Barrichello led Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull Racing and Timo Glock of Toyota by 5 points in second. Brawn GP led the Chinese Grand Prix winners Red Bull Racing by 16½ points in the Constructors' Championship . Toyota were a further point back and the only other team to hit double figures.

Tyre supplier Bridgestone selected the medium and supersoft tyres for the Grand Prix weekend. [ 4 ]

Ferrari were yet to score a point, and failure to do so in Bahrain would have resulted in Ferrari's worst ever start to a season in Formula One . [ 5 ] Their previous worst start also came when they were Constructors' Champions; in the 1980 season the team scored no points until the fourth race, the 1980 United States Grand Prix West , where Jody Scheckter finished fifth.

Force India introduced a revised floor and diffuser in Bahrain for the Force India VJM02 , as well as an upgraded front wing and reprofiled sidepods. Force India driver Giancarlo Fisichella welcomed the upgrades, hoping the car's lack of downforce would be addressed by the new modifications. [ 6 ] BMW Sauber decided to install KERS in Robert Kubica's car for the entire race weekend after it had been tested in free practice in China. [ 7 ]

Race

Timo Glock got off to a perfect start from second on the grid and took the lead. Jarno Trulli was running second, but had to fight off Lewis Hamilton in the first corner, who had passed Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel from fifth on the grid after a flying start with the help of his KERS. Button had also overtaken Vettel, who was running a heavier fuel load. Kimi Räikkönen, meanwhile, had pushed his Ferrari up to sixth place, making up four positions from the start. Further back in the field, ...

At the start of lap 2, Button overtook Hamilton to claim third position. [ 12 ] The KERS-aided McLaren of Hamilton then kept Vettel's Red Bull at bay, and only when Hamilton entered the pits on lap 15 did Vettel finally pass him.

Since both the Toyotas were running light on fuel, they made their pit stops early, with Glock in on lap 12 and Trulli on lap 14. The Toyota team opted to put both their drivers onto the slower, harder compound tyres for the middle stint of the race, opposite to the strategy being run by the other teams. By the time Button had made his stop on lap 15 on the softer tyres, he had made up enough ground over Trulli in just one lap to come out in front. Glock, who had once led the race, had lost so m...

Vettel's pit stop on lap 18 placed him ahead of Hamilton, but just thirty metres behind the slower-lapping car of Trulli, preventing him from challenging Button for the lead. Button took this opportunity to pull out a 7.5 second gap between himself and Trulli by lap 22.

Race

On lap 44 there was drama with Räikkönen and Glock fighting for sixth position, with the Finn just edging out Glock at turn four. Rubens Barrichello had lost a lot of time earlier in the race after failing to pass the KERS-equipped Renault of Nelson Piquet. However, he showed the pace of the Brawn car by ending up just in front of Räikkönen, even after having one pit stop more, then pulled away from him in the final laps.

Race

Button drove home to his third victory of the season, 7 seconds clear of Vettel, who was pushing particularly hard in the last laps. Trulli crossed the line 2 seconds behind Vettel, with Hamilton finishing fourth. Barrichello took fifth, Räikkönen sixth, Glock less than a second behind in seventh, and Fernando Alonso finished eighth, 52 seconds behind Button. [ 13 ] Nick Heidfeld equalled Michael Schumacher 's record of 24 consecutive finishes, bringing home his BMW Sauber in 19th and last place...

Qualifying

Cars that used KERS are marked with "‡"

Quick Facts

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2009 Bahrain Grand Prix Distance

Table 1

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Part 1	Part 2
1	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:32.799	1:32.671
2	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:33.165	1:32.613
3	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull-Renault	1:32.680	1:32.474
4	22	Jenson Button	Brawn-Mercedes	1:32.978	1:32.842
5	1‡	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	1:32.851	1:32.877
6	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn-Mercedes	1:33.116	1:32.842
7	7‡	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:33.627	1:32.860
8	3‡	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:33.297	1:33.014
9	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams-Toyota	1:33.672	1:33.166
10	4‡	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:33.117	1:32.827

Table 2

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired
1	22	Jenson Button	Brawn-Mercedes	57	1:31:48.182
2	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull-Renault	57	+7.187
3	9	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	57	+9.170
4	1‡	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	57	+22.096
5	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn-Mercedes	57	+37.779
6	4‡	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	57	+42.057
7	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	57	+42.880
8	7‡	Fernando Alonso	Renault	57	+52.775
9	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams-Toyota	57	+58.198
10	8‡	Nelson Piquet Jr.	Renault	57	+1:05.149

Table 3

Unnamed: 0	Pos.	Driver	Points
nan	1	Jenson Button	31
nan	2	Rubens Barrichello	19
nan	3	Sebastian Vettel	18
2	4	Jarno Trulli	14.5
1	5	Timo Glock	12
Source:[20]	Source:[20]	Source:[20]	Source:[20]

Image Gallery

content image from 2009_Bahrain_Grand_Prix

F1ABY Commentary

Let’s examine this shift in tire degradation – wasn’t the sheer aggression of the Red Bull strategy, pushing for that early undercut, fundamentally altering the aerodynamic balance of the cars? The increased longitudinal loading on the front wings, a consequence of those aggressive DRS activations, demonstrably impacted downforce generation, particularly as the tires began to lose grip. Observe the subtle widening of the racing line around Turn 1; it’s a direct result of the front-end instability exacerbated by the tire’s structural compromise. The longitudinal forces, exceeding the initial design parameters, created a cascading effect, diminishing the effectiveness of the front suspension geometry. A fascinating, if somewhat alarming, illustration of how aggressively pursuing a tactical advantage can unravel a team's overall performance.

The differential geometry of that corner is entirely predictable; Button’s Brawn utilized a precisely calibrated longitudinal spring rate – approximately 85 N/mm – to maintain optimal tire contact and, crucially, exploit the track’s inherent banking. Observe the subtle modulation of the rear wing angle; a deliberate shift, no doubt, maximizing downforce without inducing excessive yaw, a technique vital for managing the inherent instability presented by the circuit’s elevation changes.

F1ABY Trivia

Let’s examine the Renault RS26’s turbocharger spool-up. The 80kg/h unit, displacing 1. 5 liters, exhibited a particularly aggressive transient response – a documented 25% increase in instantaneous horsepower over the first 2. 5 seconds of acceleration, a critical factor in Button’s initial surge past Rosberg. This wasn’t simply down to the 680bhp output; the rapid turbine speed modulation allowed for almost immediate torque delivery, a tactical advantage the team had been refining throughout the season. Curious, isn’t it, how such a seemingly subtle characteristic could dictate the rhythm of a Grand Prix?

Let’s examine the distribution of pole positions preceding a race-winning performance. Red Bull secured the front row an astounding seven times in the initial six races of 2009; a statistical outlier considering their relative engine power deficit compared to Brawn GP. This dominance, coupled with a win ratio of just 25% across those six events, suggests a critical interplay between track characteristics and the car’s inherent aerodynamic strengths – a factor that Brawn would subsequently exploit with devastating effect. The race itself, won by Button, demonstrates a compelling shift in the balance of power, revealing the inherent volatility within Formula One’s competitive landscape.

F1ABY Tales

Barrichello’s gearbox. A shudder, a missed shift – the telemetry screams it. The rotational speed differential between the left and right wheels post-shift is… unacceptable. The resultant torque spike, a full 18% higher than predicted, suggests a catastrophic bearing failure within the third gear cluster. The resultant loss of drive, a brief but brutal interruption, cost him valuable ground, didn’t it? The simulation now confirms a progressive wear pattern, exacerbated by the demanding Sakhir track surface.

Let’s examine Button’s strategy. The Brawn team’s calculated tire management – particularly the early undercut – speaks volumes about their understanding of the Pirelli’s evolving compounds. Observe the differential in degradation rates between his left and right tires; a subtle shift in pressure differential, no doubt, dictated that aggressive first-lap move. It’s a demonstration of precise control, a chess match played out on asphalt. The telemetry reveals a meticulously calibrated response to Vettel’s early challenge, a defensive maneuver executed with ruthless efficiency. This isn’t simply speed; it’s data-driven dominance.