F1 Legend Sim/Seasons/2009

2009 F1 Season

17 races · Brawn BGP 001

The 2009 season is probably the most romantic story in modern Formula 1. Honda pulled out of the sport in mid-winter and its team came within a whisker of vanishing, until Ross Brawn rescued it for a symbolic sum and renamed it Brawn GP.

Against all odds, that team of survivors had designed the BGP 001, a car that perfectly exploited a loophole in the new rules (the double diffuser) and proved unbeatable early on. Jenson Button seized the moment with six wins in the first seven races and then managed his advantage.

In the second half of the year, Red Bull and a young Sebastian Vettel surged, but it was too late. Button and Brawn were crowned drivers' and constructors' champions in their only season of existence, an unrepeatable feat.

Drivers' Champion

Jenson Button

Brawn BGP 001

Constructors' Champion

Brawn GP

17 races

See the 2009 simulation Ver en español

Key moment

"The Brawn BGP 001: from a team that almost disappeared in winter to world champion."

The 2009 grid, car by car

The 10 teams that raced in 2009, ordered by how good we rate the car. It is our own judgement, not an official figure: what it is worth is that the same yardstick is applied to every season since 1988, so you can compare eras.

#TeamOur ratingDrivers
1Brawn GP
98
Jenson Button · Rubens Barrichello
2Red Bull
95
Sebastian Vettel · Mark Webber
3McLaren
84
Lewis Hamilton · Heikki Kovalainen
4Toyota
83
Jarno Trulli · Timo Glock
5Ferrari
83
Kimi Räikkönen · Felipe Massa
6Renault
82
Fernando Alonso · Romain Grosjean
7Williams
81
Nico Rosberg · Kazuki Nakajima
8BMW Sauber
78
Robert Kubica · Nick Heidfeld
9Force India
76
Giancarlo Fisichella · Adrian Sutil
10Toro Rosso
73
Sebastien Buemi · Jaime Alguersuari

How 2009 actually ended

The official final standings, from Australian Grand Prix to Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This is the real result, not the simulation above.

DriverPointsWinsPodiumsPoles
1Jenson ButtonBrawn95694
2Sebastian VettelRed Bull84484
3Rubens BarrichelloBrawn77261
4Mark WebberRed Bull69.5281
5Lewis HamiltonMcLaren49254
6Kimi RäikkönenFerrari48150
7Nico RosbergWilliams34.5000
8Jarno TrulliToyota32.5031

It came down to 11 points: Button and Vettel finished closer than a fourth place is worth. 6 different drivers won that year, and the final Grand Prix went to Sebastian Vettel.

Official FIA standings via Jolpica (formerly Ergast).

What if 2009 had been raced 100 times?

We took the real 2009 grid (every car with its performance and reliability, every driver with his rating) and re-ran the full 17-race championship 100 times.

DriverAvg. finishTitles
Jenson Buttonreal championBrawn GPP1.280%
Sebastian VettelRed BullP217%
Rubens BarrichelloBrawn GPP2.93%
Mark WebberRed BullP3.90%
Lewis HamiltonMcLarenP5.10%
Fernando AlonsoRenaultP6.10%

Jenson Button wins 80% of the simulated championships. Runner-up Sebastian Vettel manages 17%: with that machinery, the real result was very nearly the only one available.

Tags

#button#brawn#2009#BGP001#doble difusor#vettel

Year

2009

Races

17

Winning car

Brawn BGP 001

Navigation

← 2008: Lewis Hamilton2010: Sebastian Vettel →

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Drivers of 2009

Jenson Button

★ 1

Sebastian Vettel

★ 4

Keep reading

What we have measured about 2009 and about what decided it, with our own numbers.

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