2009 Malaysian Grand Prix

2009 Malaysian Grand Prix
Race 2 of 17 in the 2009 Formula One World Championship
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Race details[1]
Date 5 April 2009
Official name 2009 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix
Location Sepang International Circuit
Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 5.543 km (3.444 miles)
Distance 31 laps, 171.833 km (106.772 miles)
Scheduled distance 56 laps, 310.408 km (192.879 miles)
Weather Dry start, with heavy rain and thunderstorm/monsoon later
Attendance 97,368 (Weekend)[2]
Pole position
Driver Brawn-Mercedes
Time 1.35.181
Fastest lap
Driver United Kingdom Jenson Button Brawn-Mercedes
Time 1:36.641 on lap 18
Podium
First Brawn-Mercedes
Second BMW Sauber
Third Toyota
Lap leaders

The 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix (formally the 2009 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix)[3] was a Formula One motor race held on 5 April 2009 at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang, Malaysia. It was the second race of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship. The race was due to be contested over 56 laps, but was stopped after 31 laps due to torrential rain. Jenson Button, driving for the Brawn GP team, was declared the winner, having started from pole position. Nick Heidfeld was classified second for BMW Sauber with Timo Glock third for Toyota.

As the race did not reach the required 75% distance (42 laps) for full points to be awarded, half-points were given instead, for only the fifth time in Formula One history and the first since the 1991 Australian Grand Prix and the last for 12 years until the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.[4][5] The race distance of 171.833 km (106.772 mi) was the fifth-shortest ever covered in a World Championship Grand Prix.[6] Brawn GP became only the second constructor to win their first two World Championship Grands Prix since Alfa Romeo won the first two ever, in 1950.[7]

  1. ^ "Malaysian Grand Prix – Preview". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 1 April 2009. Archived from the original on 6 April 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
  2. ^ Collantine, Keith (8 February 2017). "Are tickets too dear? Crowds fell at some tracks in 2016". racefans.net. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  3. ^ "Malaysia". Formula1.com. Archived from the original on 26 November 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  4. ^ Baldwin, Alan (5 April 2009). "Button wins Malaysian GP cut short by rain". Reuters. Thomas Reuters Corporate. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
  5. ^ Gorman, Edward; Lumpur, Kuala (5 April 2009). "Jenson Button wins abandoned Malaysian Grand Prix". Times Online. London: Times Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 5 April 2009.[dead link]
  6. ^ "Statistics: Kms, The less". statsf1.com. 5 April 2009. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
  7. ^ Whyatt, Chris (5 April 2009). "Classy Button wins abandoned race". BBC Sport. BBC. Archived from the original on 7 April 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2009.