Results of the 2009 Chinese F1 Grand Prix.
More rain, more surprises in Shanghai as Sebastien Vettel led a Red Bull one-two for their first ever victory and double podium finish. Championship leader Jenson Button finished third behind Mark Webber, ahead of his teammate Rubens Barrichello as Brawn cemented their early Constructor’s Title lead.
And McLaren finally made a showing, with Heikki Kovalainan and Lewis Hamilton finishing fifth and sixth respectively. The last two points finishes went to newcomer Timo Glock in his Toyota and rookie Sebastien Buemi in a Torro Rosso. Again Ferrari finished out the points and if Adrian’ Sutil’s Force India hadn’t crashed out six laps from the end it would have been the first for the Indian sponsored team, leaving the Italian former champions as the only team yet to score this season.
Rain poured for the entire duration of the race, forcing the first five laps to be raced under a safety car. It prompted a few suddenly strategy changes, as Renault’s Fernando Alonso abandoned is P2 on the grid to dive in for more fuel. Others were sliding off all over the circuit. But at the front of the order Vettel - who last year became the youngest F1 race winner ever - drove a masterful race in the wet, eventually winning by 19 seconds.
The Brawn cars, who have so far set the trend this season, had no answer for the Red Bull Racing cars pace and control in the wet, even though Button spent much of the second half trading places with Mark Webber on account of errors from both. There were no strategy surprises at the pitstops though some teams gambled on a single stop without success.
The other big tussle was between Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton for sixth and seventh, with Lewis fighting his way up to fourth at one stage. Sebastien Buemi was also part of this battle at one stage along with Adrian Sutil who outraced himself into a gravel trap. The deployment of a second safety car after Robert Kubica spectacularly rammed into the back of Jarno Trulli, also add a dimension of luck for some.
But it was Ferrari who were again the biggest losers, witH Felipe Massa’s car dying on him on lap 21 while he was challenging for some points. Like the McLaren’s their cars are simply wanting for pace, and without the controversial but authorised rear diffuser that Brawn, Toyota and Red Bull are using, their 2009 season has been a disaster so far.
With Red Bull picking up 18 points, they have leapfrogged themselves into second place in the Constructors’ Championship, on 19.5, more than 16 points behind Brawn and one point ahead of Toyota. McLaren are now a more respectable fourth but only on eight points. Meanwhile Jenson Button continues to lead the Driver’s log on 21, six points ahead of teammate Rubens Barrchello, while Vettel, Glock, Webber and Trulli are within a point of each other for third.
Results
- Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 57:43.5
- Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 57:54.5
- Jenson Button Brawn-Mercedes 58:28.5
- Rubens Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes 58:47.2
- Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 58:48.6
- Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 58:55.4
- Timo Glock Toyota 58:58.0
- Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 58:59.9
- Fernando Alonso Renault 59:07.8
- Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 59:15.2
- Sebastien Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari 59:17.6
- Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 59:19.3
- Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 59:30.3
Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Mercedes lapped
Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota lapped
Nelson Piquet Jr Renault lapped
Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes lapped
Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota retired, 43 laps
Felipe Massa Ferrari retired, 20 laps
Jarno Trulli Toyota retired, 18 laps