Jenson Button and Brawn GP achieved their first and only championship successes in the 2009 season. Brawn GP became the first team to win the Constructors' Championship in their debut season, and the only team to win 100% of championships in which they participated. Button was the tenth British driver to win the championship, and following Lewis Hamilton's 2008 victory, it was the first time British drivers had won consecutive championships since Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart in 1968 and 1969. The season also saw notable success for Red Bull Racing, contrasting with the poorer performances of McLaren and Ferrari compared to the 2008 season.
Ten teams participated in the championship following several rule changes implemented by the FIA to reduce costs and enhance the on-track spectacle. These changes included the return of slick tyres for the first time since 1997, modifications to aerodynamics, and the introduction of kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS). These represented some of the most significant regulation changes in Formula One for decades. The Brawn team, formed from a management buyout of the Honda team, capitalized on these new regulations, winning six of the first seven races. Red Bull Racing emerged as a strong contender in the second half of the season. The season was the first since 2005 where all participating teams scored World Championship points. Jenson Button's main challengers were his teammate Rubens Barrichello and Sebastian Vettel, who won eight races between them to finish second, third, and fourth respectively.
The 2009 season was the first since 1997 to feature cars on fully slick dry weather tyres. It was also the last season to use the scoring system valid since 2003 (10–8–6–5–4–3–2–1) and to feature in-race refuelling, which was banned from 2010 onwards. The FIA implemented radical aerodynamic changes, including wider and lower front wings, and higher and narrower rear wings. Bodywork became more regulated, with many additional components removed, giving the 2009 cars a distinct appearance. The diffuser was moved back and upwards, and many minor chassis components were standardized. Adjustable front wings were introduced to improve downforce when following another car, aiming to enhance overtaking. Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) were introduced, allowing drivers to deploy recovered energy for additional acceleration, though not all teams opted to use the system due to performance and safety concerns. Cost-cutting measures included a ban on in-season testing, reduced wind tunnel usage, and longer engine and gearbox lifespans. Each driver was limited to eight engines per season, with grid penalties for exceeding this limit. Engines were detuned from 19,000 RPM to 18,000 rpm to improve reliability. The rule closing the pit lane during safety car periods was removed, and the pit lane speed limit was increased.
Honda withdrew ahead of the 2009 season, and the team was bought by a consortium led by Ross Brawn, becoming Brawn GP and racing with Mercedes engines. Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello remained as drivers. Force India also switched to Mercedes engines. The retirement of David Coulthard led to Sebastian Vettel replacing him at Red Bull Racing. Sébastien Buemi took Vettel's seat at Scuderia Toro Rosso. Following the German Grand Prix, Sébastien Bourdais was replaced at Scuderia Toro Rosso by Jaime Alguersuari. After an injury to Felipe Massa, Luca Badoer and then Giancarlo Fisichella drove for Ferrari. Vitantonio Liuzzi replaced Fisichella at Force India. Nelson Piquet Jr. was replaced at Renault by Romain Grosjean. Kimi Räikkönen announced his departure from Ferrari at the end of the season, with Fernando Alonso signed for 2010. Timo Glock's injury at the Japanese Grand Prix led to Kamui Kobayashi making his debut for Toyota.
The calendar featured 17 events, commencing with the Australian Grand Prix and concluding with the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Japanese Grand Prix moved from Fuji Speedway to Suzuka Circuit. The Canadian Grand Prix was cancelled and replaced by the Turkish Grand Prix. The French Grand Prix was also cancelled.
Pre-season testing saw the introduction of the new-look cars with revised aerodynamics and slick tyres. A major controversy surrounded the "double diffusers" used by Brawn GP, Williams, and Toyota, which were initially protested but declared legal by the FIA. Brawn GP made an immediate impact in testing, with Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello setting fast times, while reigning champion Lewis Hamilton's McLaren team struggled.
The season opened with a Brawn GP 1-2 at the Australian Grand Prix. The Malaysian Grand Prix was stopped due to monsoon conditions, with half points awarded. The controversial double diffusers were declared legal before the Chinese Grand Prix, which saw Red Bull Racing's first win. Brawn GP dominated the early part of the season, with Button winning six of the first seven races. Red Bull Racing became a stronger force in the latter half, with Mark Webber taking his first win at the British Grand Prix. Felipe Massa was injured at the Hungarian Grand Prix, missing the rest of the season. Giancarlo Fisichella secured Force India's first pole and podium at the Belgian Grand Prix. The Drivers' and Constructors' championships were decided at the penultimate race in Brazil, with Jenson Button clinching the title. The inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix rounded out the season.
Allegations of race-fixing emerged during the 2009 season concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Former Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. claimed he was asked to crash to aid his teammate Fernando Alonso. Renault received a suspended ban, while managing director Flavio Briatore and executive director of engineering Pat Symonds received lengthy suspensions.
| Position | Driver | Team | Points | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Jenson Button | Brawn GP | 95 | | 2 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing | 84 | | 3 | Rubens Barrichello | Brawn GP | 77 | | 4 | Mark Webber | Red Bull Racing | 69.5 | | 5 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren | 49 | | 6 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 48 | | 7 | Nico Rosberg | Williams | 34.5 | | 8 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | 26 | | 9 | Nick Heidfeld | BMW Sauber | 11 | | 10 | Heikki Kovalainen | McLaren | 8 | | 11 | Robert Kubica | BMW Sauber | 8 | | 12 | Timo Glock | Toyota | 7.5 | | 13 | Adrian Sutil | Force India | 5 | | 14 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Force India | 8 | | 15 | Nick Heidfeld | BMW Sauber | 6 | | 16 | Sébastien Buemi | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 6 | | 17 | Sébastien Bourdais | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 2 | | 18 | Kazuki Nakajima | Williams | 0 | | 19 | Jarno Trulli | Toyota | 3 | | 20 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | Force India | 1 | | 21 | Romain Grosjean | Renault | 0 | | 22 | Jaime Alguersuari | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 0 |
| Position | Team | Points | |---|---|---| | 1 | Brawn GP | 172 | | 2 | Red Bull Racing | 153.5 | | 3 | Ferrari | 80 | | 4 | McLaren | 71 | | 5 | Williams | 34.5 | | 6 | Toyota | 34.5 | | 7 | Renault | 26 | | 8 | BMW Sauber | 20 | | 9 | Force India | 13 | | 10 | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 8 |
This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.
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