2009 German Grand Prix

The 2009 German Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Grosser Preis Santander von Deutschland 2009 ) [ 1 ] was the ninth race of the 2009 Formula One season . It was held on 12 July 2009 at the Nürburgring in Nürburg , Germany; the earliest German Grand Prix on the calendar (a feat since beat by the 2013 race ), since 1926 .

Australian Mark Webber took both his first pole position and his first Grand Prix win, with Sebastian Vettel coming in second, giving Red Bull their third 1-2 of 2009. Championship leader Jenson Button could only manage fifth. This was the last race for Toro Rosso driver Sébastien Bourdais who was dropped in favour of test driver Jaime Alguersuari for the Hungarian Grand Prix .

Race

2008 champion Lewis Hamilton won the 2008 German Grand Prix for McLaren - Mercedes , at Hockenheim . Former German Grand Prix winners in the field for 2009 include Fernando Alonso of Renault and Rubens Barrichello of Brawn GP . Barrichello and Alonso have also been successful at the Nürburgring when the circuit hosted the European Grand Prix .

The Nürburgring has the unique honour of hosting four different Formula One Grands Prix: the German Grand Prix on the old track in the 1950s, 60s and 70s as well as on the GP track in 1985 and on the revised circuit in 2009; the European Grand Prix in 1984 and from 1995 to 2007, with the exception of 1997 and 1998 , when it was the Luxembourg Grand Prix . Most recently, F1 raced at the Nürburgring in 2020 for the Eifel Grand Prix , as part of a revised calendar due to Covid-19.

Qualifying

In the second session, the rain began to fall. This gave us some more interesting results, with both Williams cars going out. Both Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima said that they would have done better had it not been for the rain. They were joined in elimination by Alonso, Jarno Trulli 's Toyota and Nick Heidfeld , who did well to qualify 11th in the other BMW Sauber. The German claimed he could have done even better, but the rain upset his strategy as well.

Nelson Piquet Jr. in the other Renault made the final session for the first time in 2009, but only managed 10th as the rain eased off again in the last ten minutes. The Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen were disappointing, only managing 8th and 9th respectively. Räikkönen's race engineer Chris Dyer said that they didn't have any soft tyres left for the last qualifying lap, which cost them very dear. Adrian Sutil did excellently in the Force India to qualify not only in the top 10 for t...

Then came the fight for pole, which was solely between the four championship contenders - the Brawns of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello and the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber . Webber was the first to cross the line in 1:32.230. Then Vettel did well to do 1:32.480, but it was a surprise for him to be beaten by his teammate. This looked to be the order, but Barrichello and Button both crossed the line in the dying seconds to split the Red Bulls, so Webber claimed the first pol...

Race

Mark Webber and Rubens Barrichello were side by side coming to the first corner where Webber clashed wheels with the Brazilian, for which he later received a drive-through penalty. The Brawn driver still managed to jump the Red Bull driver to take the lead. Lewis Hamilton also made a fast start in the McLaren and challenged for the lead, but he made slight contact with Webber at the first corner and received a puncture, ending his chance for points. He lost a lap in the pits, ultimately finishin...

Webber retook the lead on lap 15 as Barrichello pitted and soon after pitted but returned in the lead, which was a good job as he pitted again for the drive through penalty soon after that, which dropped him to eighth. This left Felipe Massa in the lead in the Ferrari followed by Barrichello and Kimi Räikkönen .

Race

Barrichello retook the lead after Massa's pitstop, but lost it again to an impressively recovering Webber in the second stops. Teammate Sebastian Vettel also briefly led before everything settled down with Webber in the lead.

Räikkönen retired with a radiator problem on lap 35, briefly promoting Giancarlo Fisichella into the points, but the Italian failed to score his first points for Force India, as his pitstop allowed former teammate Fernando Alonso into the points in his Renault .

Alonso made a late charge as Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello struggled for grip, but he could not find a way past. Despite the drive through penalty for impeding Barrichello on the first lap, Webber came home to claim his maiden victory and become this first Australian winner in almost thirty years. He was followed home by Vettel, who was over nine seconds behind. Massa came home a distant but impressive third, his first and only podium of the year as he was injured during qualifying for th...

Webber said it was an "incredible day" for him, and his sentiments were echoed by Red Bull sporting director Christian Horner , who described his team's 1-2 finish as a "brilliant team performance". [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ] Webber's win was the first for an Australian driver since 1980 World Champion Alan Jones won the 1981 Caesars Palace Grand Prix .

Classification

Cars that used KERS are marked with "‡"

Quick Facts

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Table 1

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Part 1	Part 2
1	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull-Renault	1:31.257	1:38.038
2	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn-Mercedes	1:31.482	1:34.455
3	22	Jenson Button	Brawn-Mercedes	1:31.568	1:39.032
4	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull-Renault	1:31.430	1:39.504
5	1‡	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	1:31.473	1:39.149
6	2‡	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren-Mercedes	1:31.881	1:40.826
7	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India-Mercedes	1:32.015	1:36.740
8	3‡	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:31.600	1:41.708
9	4‡	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:31.869	1:41.730
10	8	Nelson Piquet Jr.	Renault	1:32.128	1:35.737

Table 2

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired
1	14	Mark Webber	Red Bull-Renault	60	1:36:43.310
2	15	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull-Renault	60	+9.252
3	3‡	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	60	+15.906
4	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams-Toyota	60	+21.099
5	22	Jenson Button	Brawn-Mercedes	60	+23.609
6	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn-Mercedes	60	+24.468
7	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	60	+24.888
8	2	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren-Mercedes	60	+58.692
9	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	60	+1:01.457
10	6	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	60	+1:01.925

Table 3

Unnamed: 0	Pos.	Driver	Points
nan	1	Jenson Button	68
1	2	Sebastian Vettel	47
1	3	Mark Webber	45.5
2	4	Rubens Barrichello	44
1	5	Felipe Massa	22
Source: [11]	Source: [11]	Source: [11]	Source: [11]

F1ABY Commentary

Does the scent of damp asphalt and high-octane fuel truly hold the key to unlocking a driver’s destiny? The Nürburgring, a beast of a circuit, offered up a brutal baptism for young Sebastian Vettel, his Red Bull surging to victory amidst a storm of audacious speed. Webber, a stoic warrior, claimed his rightful place at the pinnacle, a testament to unwavering focus. Yet, a shadow lingered – Jenson Button, burdened by the weight of leadership, stumbled, a poignant reminder that even the most seasoned hands can falter. Bourdais departed, a whisper of a legend fading into the annals, while Alguersuari stepped forward, a nascent star mirroring the circuit's unforgiving grandeur. A moment, suspended in time, where mechanical brilliance wrestled with human fallibility, a spectacle etched forever into the soul of racing.

Mark Webber, a titan sculpted from steel and determination, seized the moment, delivering a victory that resonated with the very bones of this legendary circuit. It was a performance worthy of the ghosts of Ascari and Fangio, a testament to raw speed and unwavering focus.

F1ABY Trivia

Webber’s Ferrari, a 248 horsepower beast of a machine, wrestled with the slick surface, a testament to the raw, visceral power unleashed by those Renault engines. A subtle shift in tire compound – the Bridgestones, naturally – dictated the rhythm of the race, a calculated gamble by the Red Bull team, a calculated risk. The air hung thick with the scent of wet earth and burning rubber, a potent cocktail of speed and impending drama.

A silver curtain descended upon the Nürburgring, transforming the asphalt into a treacherous canvas of spray and fleeting grip. Webber, poised at the apex of his ambition, wrestled with the car, a solitary figure battling the elements – a scene echoing the desperate gambits of Fangio and Ascari. The statistical anomaly? Red Bull’s dominance, a perfect 1-2, hadn’t been challenged once, a testament to their unwavering control and the inherent fragility of the track under these conditions.

F1ABY Tales

The rain, a venomous grey, slammed into the Nürburgring, a frantic percussion against the already strained silence. Webber wrestled his Red Bull, a predator momentarily blinded, yet relentless. A brush with the barrier – a shuddering, metallic protest – threatened to unravel his precarious lead. Then, the gap. A widening chasm carved out by sheer will, a testament to the brutal poetry of the track and the Aussie’s desperate grip. Vettel, a shadow in the spray, stalked him, the younger lion testing the elder’s resolve. The scent of wet asphalt and burning rubber, a primal aroma, hung heavy in the air, a reminder of battles fought and won on this unforgiving circuit. A victory snatched from the jaws of chaos, a moment etched forever in the annals of Red Bull’s ascendance.

The rain, a bruised violet against the Teutonic hills, mirrored the apprehension etched on Jaime Alguersuari’s face. Just seventeen, he’d been thrust into the furnace of Red Bull Racing, a baptism by fire orchestrated by Dietrich’s relentless ambition. Webber, a stoic island amidst the chaos, meticulously prepared, the scent of high-octane fuel and worn leather a familiar comfort. The Nürburgring, a cathedral of asphalt and memory, awaited, holding the echoes of countless legends. A moment, suspended, before the storm unleashed itself.