Race: Brawn GP, Barrichello and Button were the strongest at Monza

On a gamble in qualifications, Rubens Barrichello won the 2009 Italian Grand Prix of Formula 1 this Sunday, accompanied on the podium by his teammate Jenson Button and Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen. Lewis Hamilton was supposed to be on the podium but lost grip in the last lap of the Grand Prix. Sutil and Force India delivered another strong performance while the Red Bulls scored a point…

The weather conditions were perfect to provide an eventful and spectacular race. At the temple of speed, the Grand Prix delivered on its promises in front of the tifosi. The Brawn GPs, starting with a good strategy, took the advantage from the first pit stop. The race was then contested between the two drivers. The story turned in favor of the Brazilian, more consistent in his performances. Button thus conceded two points to him in the championship.

Barrichello wins for the second time this season, thanks to an intensive attack and well aided by the high performance of the Mercedes engine here in Italy. The Brazilian, with his new helmet, had a very good start and stayed at the front of the race. With qualifying laps just before his first pit stop, he was able to gain an advantage over Lewis Hamilton. Both men were on different strategies, keeping the suspense until the end… Indeed, only Räikkönen, Sutil, Hamilton, and Buemi made two pit stops. This strategy did not work for Hamilton, who lost two places to the Brawn GP.

The English driver could have finished in third place, a position he held just a few kilometers from the finish line, but he spun out while attacking Button at the Lesmo corner No. 1. Losing grip, he violently hit the wall and scattered debris across the track. With the Safety Car deployed, all positions were frozen one lap before the end of the Grand Prix.

Jenson Button finishes second, benefiting from intensive attacking as well, but couldn’t catch up to his teammate’s Brawn GP by less than three seconds.

Behind, Räikkönen once again climbs onto the podium. It’s the 4th consecutive one for Ferrari. The Finn had a very good start, well aided by his KERS, overtaking Sutil’s Force India. Tailgating Lewis Hamilton in the first stint, the Ferrari lost time later with the hard tires. The Finn could have lost his position during his last pit stop when he stalled. Competing with Sutil, the latter also made a mistake by braking too late, hitting two mechanics and losing his right mirror. Räikkönen thus saves the honor of the Scuderia while Fisichella finishes 9th, just outside the points.

Alonso takes advantage of Lewis Hamilton’s retirement to inherit 5th place. He thus scores his first points in 5 Grand Prix. The Renault performed well with the KERS contribution. The same cannot be said for his teammate, Romain Grosjean, who experienced a problem with his kinetic energy recovery system right from the start. Struggling with issues throughout the race, the Frenchman endured only the drawbacks of the system. He finishes only 15th, more than a lap down, despite starting 12th.

Heikki Kovalainen in the second McLaren finishes 6th. The Finn missed his start, laden with fuel, being overtaken after the first corner by Alonso and Sutil in particular… His one-stop strategy then backfired, but he finishes a few tenths behind Alonso. His place for the 2010 season seems increasingly difficult to maintain.

Heidfeld, Vettel complete the top 8. The BMW driver was consistent, as usual, and scores two points, ending the disastrous weekend for the German team in Monza: two engine failures in qualifying and Kubica’s retirement due to a broken wing at the start.

Fisichella and Nakajima complete the top 10. Nakajima is the leading Williams driver and delivers a decent performance after facing several issues in qualifying. The Japanese driver battled with Trulli at the end of the race, cutting the chicane. He retained his 10th position as Trulli made a mistake a few corners later under pressure from Glock, his teammate attempting an overtake. Rosberg, on the other hand, had a problem at the start. He returned to the pit for a check on the car that did not resolve his problem. He finished two laps down in 16th place.

Glock in the Toyota finishes 11th, ahead of Hamilton who, despite his retirement, is classified thanks to the 75% race completion rule. Buemi is 13th in the only Toro Rosso to finish. Alguersuari retired due to mechanical reasons midway through the race.

Trulli, despite going off track at the end of the Grand Prix, finishes 14th. He is ahead of Grosjean and Rosberg. Four drivers are not classified: Liuzzi, Alguersuari, Kubica, and Webber.

The Force India of Liuzzi was in 6th place during the first half of the race. Alonso was unable to catch up with the Italian until the gearbox failed. Dismay for the Italian who could have scored his first points in his F1 comeback…

Webber, for his part, had a clash with Kubica at the start. The BMW brushed against Webber, who ended up sideways and couldn’t avoid getting stuck in the gravel trap. He remains ‘title-eligible,’ as does Räikkönen. Indeed, there are 40 points left to distribute, which is the margin separating Button from Räikkönen. Therefore, Button would need to score no points in the last four races of the season.

Results of the Italian Grand Prix – Sunday, September 13, 2009: