With Rubens taking the win at Monza on Sunday and Button following him across the line in second, Brawn GP has all but won the 2009 World Constructors’ Championship. The Brawn teammates had another phenomenal outing, finishing 1-2 and securing the maximum amount of points possible while simultaneously turning the Drivers Championship into a 2 pony race. While theoretically there are 4 drivers still mathematically alive, the 2 previously mentioned as well as the Red Bull Racing duo, the 2009 season is moving away from Europe and back to lower speed, aero-demanding circuits where Brawn has shown strength all year long.
So the question is, after Rubens strong showing in Italy today, who would you take to win it all in Abu Dhabi?
Sunday Race Results:
| Position (Points) | Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Gain/Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (10) | Barrichello | Brawn GP | 53 | 1:16:21.706 | +4 |
| 2 (8) | Button | Brawn GP | 53 | 1:16:24.572 | +4 |
| 3 (6) | Raikkonen | Scuderia Ferrari | 53 | 1:16:52.370 | - |
| 4 (5) | Sutil | Force India | 53 | 1:16:52.837 | -2 |
| 5 (4) | Alonso | Renault | 53 | 1:17:20.888 | +3 |
| 6 (3) | Kovalainen | McLaren Mercedes | 53 | 1:17:22.399 | -2 |
| 7 (2) | Heidfeld | BMW Sauber | 53 | 1:17:44.118 | +8 |
| 8 (1) | Vettel | Red Bull Racing | 53 | 1:17:47.113 | +1 |
| 9 | Fisichella | Scuderia Ferrari | 53 | 1:17:48.562 | +5 |
| 10 | Nakajima | Williams | 53 | 1:19:03.869 | +7 |
| 11 | Glock | Toyota | 53 | 1:19:05.631 | +5 |
| 12 | Hamilton | McLaren Mercedes | 52 | 1:14:59.622 | -11 |
| 13 | Buemi | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 52 | 1:16:18.421 | +6 |
| 14 | Trulli | Toyota | 52 | 1:16:27.945 | -3 |
| 15 | Grosjean | Renault | 52 | 1:16:59.720 | -3 |
| 16 | Rosberg | Williams | 51 | 1:17:07.169 | +2 |
| 17 | Liuzzi | Force India | 22 | 31:59.464 | -10 |
| 18 | Alguersuari | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 19 | 28:22.878 | +2 |
| 19 | Kubica | BMW Sauber | 15 | 22:48.793 | -6 |
| 20 | Webber | Red Bull Racing | 0 | N/A | -10 |
Lewis Hamilton clinches his 15th career Pole at Monza, while Adrian Sutil continues to ride wave of success at low downforce circuits for Force India. Taking a close look at the fuel weights, there seems to be 2 different race strategies playing out. The top 3 qualifiers seem to be on a 2 stop fuel strategy, while the remaining 7 will most likely opt for a one-stopper. It should be interesting to see it unfold, as we will have 2 different races transpiring simultaneously, and will not see the true placement until the second round of pit stops. Monza never fails to entertain!
Saturday Qualifying Results:
| Position | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamilton | McLaren Mercedes | 1:23.375 | 1:22.973 | 1:24.066 | 653.5 |
| 2 | Sutil | Force India | 1:23.576 | 1:23.070 | 1:24.261 | 655.0 |
| 3 | Raikkonen | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:23.349 | 1:23.426 | 1:24.523 | 662.0 |
| 4 | Kovalainen | McLaren Mercedes | 1:23.515 | 1:23.528 | 1:24.845 | 683.0 |
| 5 | Barrichello | Brawn GP | 1:23.483 | 1:22.976 | 1:25.015 | 688.5 |
| 6 | Button | Brawn GP | 1:23.403 | 1:22.955 | 1:25.030 | 687.0 |
| 7 | Liuzzi | Force India | 1:23.578 | 1:23.207 | 1:25.043 | 679.5 |
| 8 | Alonso | Renault | 1:23.708 | 1:23.497 | 1:25.072 | 677.5 |
| 9 | Vettel | Red Bull Racing | 1:23.558 | 1:23.545 | 1:25.180 | 682.0 |
| 10 | Webber | Red Bull Racing | 1:23.755 | 1:23.273 | 1:25.314 | 683.0 |
| 11 | Trulli | Toyota | 1:24.014 | 1:23.611 | 703.0 | |
| 12 | Grosjean | Renault | 1:23.975 | 1:23.728 | 699.8 | |
| 13 | Kubica | BMW Sauber | 1:24.001 | 1:23.866 | 697.5 | |
| 14 | Fisichella | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:23.828 | 1:23.901 | 690.0 | |
| 15 | Heidfeld | BMW Sauber | 1:23.584 | 1:24.275 | 697.5 | |
| 16 | Glock | Toyota | 1:24.036 | 709.0 | ||
| 17 | Nakajima | Williams | 1:24.074 | 706.2 | ||
| 18 | Rosberg | Williams | 1:24.121 | 708.6 | ||
| 19 | Buemi | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 1:24.220 | 706.0 | ||
| 20 | Alguersuari | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 1:24.951 | 706.0 |
Don’t cut the chicane! The FiA has doubled the height to discourage straying off the tarmac. If you don’t believe me, just ask Timo Glock… a 180° mid-air turn is very convincing. Force India continues to impress, but this weekend looks to be Sutil’s as he places 3rd in P1 and 1st In P2. This is no surprise, as Vijay Mallya’s team has been fastest in the speed traps all year long.
| Position | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamilton | McLaren Mercedes | 1:23.936 | 26 |
| 2 | Kovalainen | McLaren Mercedes | 1:24.332 | 27 |
| 3 | Sutil | Force India | 1:24.471 | 24 |
| 4 | Alonso | Renault | 1:24.477 | 21 |
| 5 | Heidfeld | BMW Sauber | 1:24.683 | 25 |
| 6 | Buemi | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 1:24.703 | 35 |
| 7 | Button | Brawn GP | 1:24.706 | 21 |
| 8 | Fisichella | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:24.732 | 24 |
| 9 | Webber | Red Bull Racing | 1:24.759 | 19 |
| 10 | Raikkonen | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:24.761 | 26 |
| 11 | Kubica | BMW Sauber | 1:24.813 | 20 |
| 12 | Barrichello | Brawn GP | 1:24.826 | 24 |
| 13 | Rosberg | Williams | 1:24.927 | 29 |
| 14 | Nakajima | Williams | 1:25.150 | 28 |
| 15 | Grosjean | Renault | 1:25.612 | 18 |
| 16 | Liuzzi | Force India | 1:25.689 | 29 |
| 17 | Alguersuari | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 1:25.742 | 30 |
| 18 | Vettel | Red Bull Racing | 1:25.951 | 8 |
| 19 | Trulli | Toyota | 1:26.020 | 23 |
| 20 | Glock | Toyota | 1:26.325 | 17 |
| Position | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sutil | Force India | 1:23.924 | 28 |
| 2 | Grosjean | Renault | 1:24.163 | 31 |
| 3 | Alonso | Renault | 1:24.297 | 35 |
| 4 | Kovalainen | McLaren Mercedes | 1:24.482 | 41 |
| 5 | Kubica | BMW Sauber | 1:24.622 | 40 |
| 6 | Glock | Toyota | 1:24.634 | 36 |
| 7 | Heidfeld | BMW Sauber | 1:24.693 | 34 |
| 8 | Raikkonen | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:24.796 | 39 |
| 9 | Nakajima | Williams | 1:24.799 | 36 |
| 10 | Buemi | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 1:24.884 | 44 |
| 11 | Hamilton | McLaren Mercedes | 1:24.902 | 32 |
| 12 | Liuzzi | Force India | 1:24.921 | 39 |
| 13 | Trulli | Toyota | 1:24.967 | 40 |
| 14 | Webber | Red Bull Racing | 1:24.979 | 25 |
| 15 | Alguersuari | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 1:25.003 | 34 |
| 16 | Barrichello | Brawn GP | 1:25.140 | 35 |
| 17 | Rosberg | Williams | 1:25.215 | 38 |
| 18 | Vettel | Red Bull Racing | 1:25.386 | 27 |
| 19 | Button | Brawn GP | 1:25.424 | 32 |
| 20 | Fisichella | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:25.543 | 36 |