The 2009 European Grand Prix Thread

[Ed]

Grand Prix Preview (courtesy: The FIA) - For team previews visit the 2009 F1 Team Reports Forum

Round 11 of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship takes place at the Spanish port city of Valencia. The Valencia Street Circuit is located on Spain’s eastern sea board, in the city’s former industrial port. This season’s second visit to Spain will see drivers race around a 25-corner track which winds around the Juan Carlos I Marina.

The circuit utilises the roads around the city’s port area, including a section over a 140 metre long swing bridge. It also features some roads designed exclusively for racing purposes by the German architect Herman Tilke, who designed the infrastructural buildings for the circuit.

The track is 5.419 kilometres long and incorporates 13 right-hand turns and 12 left-hand turns. The track’s top speed is approx. 315 km/h and will demand a low downforce set-up in order for cars to optimise the high-speed lap. Numerous braking occasions on the track will escalate the cars’ brake wear. The coastal location of the circuit and potential sea breezes will require drivers to be wary of balance issues which could arise and cause a lack of grip.



Changes to the circuit since 2008

- The pit exit has been reworked to bring it to the same level as the track; the wall separating the two has been removed.

- The walls on the apex of turns 3, 9, 10 and 14 have been moved further from the track.

- The kerbs on the apex of turns 4 and 5 have been extended.

- The wall on the left on the exit of turn 5 has been moved back by approximately three metres.

- The openings on the apex of turns 7 and 11 have been closed and additional openings provided on the opposite sides of the track.

- Artificial grass has been installed behind the kerbs on the exit of turns 10 and 14.

- The inner pit lane has been sealed using a high-grip resin.


Valencia Circuit - Interesting Facts

- Although dubbed as a street circuit, Valencia has 14-metre wide roads with spacious run-off areas.

- Over the course of a lap the drivers will take in several famous sights in the city, including the quayside, the historic fish market area, the shipyard gates, the suburb of Grao and the Avenida de Francia whereas the pits and team garages are located in former port stalls.

- The circuit has been constructed with over 2,875 protective barriers weighing about 4 tonnes each.

Circuit Data

Length of lap: 5.419km
Offset: 0.000km
Total number of race laps: 57
Total race distance: 308.883km
Speed limits in the pit lane: 60km/h during practice sessions;
100km/h during qualifying and race

Formula One time table

Friday

Practice Session 1: 10.00 – 11.30 hrs
Practice Session 2: 14.00 – 15.30 hrs

Saturday

Practice Session 3: 11.00 – 12.00 hrs
Qualifying: 14.00 – 15.00 hrs

Sunday

Race: 14.00 hrs

[Ed]

We will be covering all the practice sessions, qualifying and the race from Valencia.

You can follow our coverage live here and we will post the coverage notes after each session here.

[Ed]

First Friday practice coverage notes:

9:57 First Friday practice session starting shortly. Air temperature is at 25 degrees while track temperature is at 29 degrees.

9:59 Romain Grosjean replaces Nelson Piquet Jr at Renault while Luca Badoer is temporarily replacing Felipe Massa at Ferrari

10:00 Session underway!

10:00 Vettel heads a stream of cars out on their installation lap

10:01 Luca Badoer is Ferrari's test driver. This will be his first Formula 1 race since the Japanese Grand Prix back in 1999!

10:05 Nick Heidfeld completes 2 installation laps. The 2 Brawn drivers and Trulli have yet to go out

10:09 Chistian Horner confirms again that both Webber and Vettel are getting equal treatement and will continue this way until it isn't mathematically possible for one driver to win the title

10:09 Barrichello on the track now. Trulli yet to make it out

10:13 Trulli makes it on the track now. Barrichello back in the pits after his installation lap

10:14 Alguersuari returns to the track for a timed run

10:15 Rosberg isn't giving anything away regarding his plans for 2010

10:16 Sebastien Buemi on the track as well

10:18 Alguersuari sets a 1:50.229, the first time set today

10:18 Buemi sets a 1:46.458

10:20 Hamilton on the track

10:20 Kovalainen will be testing a new front wing today

10:21 Buemi improves with a 1:44.998. Alguersuari improves with a 1:46.844

10:23 Of course the times will improve significantly as the track gets more grip

10:23 Grosjean on the track now

10:25 More drivers on the track now as Grosjean sets a 1:47.089

10:26 For reference, the pole time last year at Valencia was a 1:38.898

10:28 Trulli goes second with a 1:46.051

10:30 Now Glock goes fastest with a 1:44.812

10:33 Order after 30 minutes: Glock, Buemi, Grosjean, Trulli, Alguersuari and Badoer

10:35 Rosberg goes to the top of the timesheets with a 1:44.468

10:36 Badoer isn't quck at this stage. He is nearly 4 seconds off the pace!

10:37 Nakajima fastest with a 1:44.084

10:38 Raikkonen up into 3rd with a 1:44.286

10:39 Alonso very quick in the middle sector

10:40 Alonso fastest with a 1:43.413!

10:45 Badoer now moves up a position and is ahead of Alguersuari

10:47 Kubica now up into second with a 1:43.419

10:48 Halfway into the session and the fastest 8 are: Alonso, Kubica, Sutil, Nakajima, Raikkonen, Barrichello, Rosberg and Heidfeld

10:49 Vettel, Button and Kovalainen have yet to set a time although the latter two are on the track now

10:50 Webber goes fastest with a 1:43.243

10:53 Vettel now on the track as Button sets the fastest S1 so far

10:54 Button now fastest with a 1:43.074

10:56 Button pits as Kovalainen returns back to the track

10:58 At this stage the top 11 are separated by less than a second

10:59 Vettel moves into second with a 1:43.227

11:00 Kovalainen in 12th. All drivers have now set lap times

11:01 Vettel improves but remains in second just 0.014 seconds off Button's time

11:02 The newest three drivers occupy the last three positions with Grosjean, Badoer and Alguersuari in 18th, 19th and 20th respectively

11:04 Just under 30 minutes remain and the top 8 are: Button, Vettel, Webber, Alonso, Kubica, Kovalainen, Sutil and Nakajima

11:07 Kovalainen now quickest with a 1:42.762

11:08 It looks like Red Bull, Brawn GP, Renault and McLaren are all strong here

11:09 Now Hamilton jumps into second with a 1:42.996

11:11 Most laps completed so far is 23 by Alguersuari, least laps completed is 5 by Sutil

11:12 Hamilton is quickest now with a 1:42.754

11:14 And now Barrichello goes fastest with a 1:42.460

11:16 Sutil up into 6th with a 1:43.213!

11:17 15 minutes remain and the top 8 are: Barrichello, Hamilton, Kovalainen, Button, Vettel, Sutil, Nakajima and Webber

11:19 Grosjean sets a time close to that of Buemi in 17th. Badoer and Alguersuari are a second slower

11:21 Grosjean moves up into 16th with a 1:44.356

11:25 More activity on the track now with just over 5 minutes to go

11:27 Alguersuari moves into 14th with a 1:43.746

11:27 Kovalainen takes second with with a 1:42.636

11:31 Session over! Still cars on flyers

11:35 First Friday practice top 10: Barrichello, Kovalainen, Hamilton, Button, Vettel, Sutil, Nakajima, Webber, Alonso, Raikkonen

11:40 First Friday practice 11th to 20th: Buemi, Kubica, Alguersuari, Rosberg, Heidfeld, Fisichella, Grosjean, Trulli, Glock, Badoer

11:43 Top 3 separated by under 0.2 seconds. Top 12 separated by under a second. Badoer in 20th is nearly 3.4 seconds off the page

[Ed]

Second Friday coverage notes:

1:55 Second Friday practice session starting in 5 minutes

1:56 Rubens Barrichello was fastest in th first practice session ahead of Heikki Kovalainen and Lewis Hamiltion. Those thee were separated by less than 0.2 seconds.

1:57 Conditions are much warmer in Valencia with air temperature at 29 degrees while track temperature is at 42 degrees

1:58 Luca Badoer was the slowest of all in the first session and significantly off the pace

2:00 Session underway!

2:00 Buemi is the first out on the track

2:01 Rosberg follows

2:01 More drivers follow including Alguersuari and Badoer

2:04 Buemi sets a 1:43.726

2:05 Webber, Hamilton and Alonso on quick laps!

2:06 Hamilton quickest with a 1:43.214

2:07 Hamilton super quick but spins!

2:08 Hamilton pits as he may have slightly touched the barriers

2:09 Alonso goes fastest with a 1:42.661

2:09 Kovalainen moves into second with a 1:42.768

2:10 Sutil goes fastest with a 1:42.601

2:11 Alonso responds with a very quick lap and a 1:41.861

2:14 Replay shows Barrichello gesturing to Badoer after holding him up

2:15 Rosberg moves into second with a 1:42.310

2:16 Luca Badoer is currently nearly 4.5 seconds off the pace

2:16 Rosberg improves with a 1:42.156

2:18 One has to wonder how patient will Ferrari be with Badoer. He is clearly struggling on the track

2:19 Grosjean who barely driven an F1 car is in 7th

2:22 The gap between Alonso and Grosjean is 0.861. Gap between Raikkonen and Badoer is 2.628 seconds!

2:23 Rosberg just 0.054 seconds off Alonso's time now

2:25 Badoer improves but remains in 20th. Grosjean spins but recovers

2:26 Webber now in 3rd with a 1:41.946

2:28 Badoer up into 19th. He is ahead of Heidfeld

2:29 Barrichello into second just 0.017 off Alonso's time!

2:29 Alonso responds and sets a 1:41.661. Rosberg follows with a 1:41.724

2:31 Nakajima now fastest with a 1:41.651, no it is Rosberg with a 1:41.588!

2:32 Hamilton still in the pits following his spin. He has only completed 3 laps

2:33 Just over 30 minutes into the session and the top 8 are: Rosberg, Nakajima, Alonso, Sutil, Barrichello, Raikkonen, Webber and Button

2:35 Vettel up into second with a 1:41.627

2:36 Currently the top 4 are separated by just 0.073 seconds!

2:38 Button on a quick one!

2:39 Button fastest with a 1:41.534

2:39 Barrichello moves into 3rd with a 1:41.596

2:43 Heidfeld up into second with a 1:41.580

2:45 Rosberg now fastest with a 1:41.394

2:47 Heidfeld goes second with a 1:41.460

2:48 Now Alonso goes fastest with a 1:41.324

2:49 The top 12 are currently separated by just 0.475 seconds!

2:50 Kovalainen is down in 18th having done 13 laps while Hamilton is in 19th and has yet to return to the track following his spin!

2:50 Now it is Barrichello from Trulli as the track continues to improve

2:51 Now Button is fastest with a 1:40.911

2:52 Track temperature is 46 degrees and the Brawns work well under these conditions

2:56 Kovalainen is back on the track and moves up into 11th on the super softs

2:58 Alonso now on the super softs sets the fastest 1st sector!

2:58 And Alonso goes fastest with a 1:40.620

3:01 1 hour into the session and the top 8 are: Alonso, Barrichello, Button, Trulli, Raikkonen, Kovalainen, Rosberg and Heidfeld

3:05 Badoer improves into 19th. Now ahead of Hamilton who only completed 3 laps due to his spin and touch of the barrier

3:06 And now Badoer moves into 18th ahead of Alguersuari

3:13 Wow! ALonso and Heidfeld touch and Heidfeld's car is thrown up into the air! Both are ok! Alonso loses his front wing

3:14 Nakajima goes fastest with a 1:40.503

3:15 Alonso's mechanics are checking his car. It seems that Heidfeld didn't even know Alonso was there!

3:16 Barrichello on a quick one as Heidfeld is shown shaking his head in the pits!

3:16 Barrichello now quickest with a 1:40.209

3:21 10 minutes remain and the top 8 are: Barrichello, Rosberg, Button, Nakajima, Alonso, Trulli, Webber and Glock

3:24 Hamilton remains in the pits after his spin. His touch with the barriers didn't appear too hard at all. Strange that he isn't back out!

3:25 Button up into second with a 1:40.352

3:26 Alonso is back out on the track. Interesting to hear what he and Heidfeld will say after practice!

3:26 And Alonso is determined to go fastest it seems, he just set a 26.3 in S1!

3:27 Alonso is up half a second on Barrichello at S2!

3:27 A 1:39.404 from Alonso!! Where did that come from or is he on fumes ?

3:29 Alonso was going even quicker but he spun! He seems angry!

3:30 Session over! Awaiting final flyers

3:35 Top 10 at the end of the session: Alonso, Button, Barrichello, Rosberg, Nakajima, Sutil, Kubica, Fisichella, Vettel and Kovalainen

3:36 11th to 20th: Raikkonen, Trulli, Grosjean, Webber, Glock, Buemi, Heidfeld, Badoer, Alguersuari and Hamilton

3:38 Rosberg and Raikkonen covered the most number of laps with 39. Hamilton covered just 3 laps due to spinning then touching the barriers

3:39 Alonso is 0.774 seconds ahead of Button in second. Clearly a light fuel run

3:42 Grosjean on his debut seems to have done a good job in 13th. Badoer is 18th having improved a lot in the session and Alquersuari is 19th

[Julian Mayo]

En Guarde! The fencing begins.

[Ed]

Saturday practice coverage notes:

10:58 Saturday practice session starting shortly. Air temperature is 27 degrees while track temperature is 34 degrees

11:00 Yesterday Alonso was fastest however it was clear that he had a light fuel load. Brawn GP, Red Bull and McLaren also look strong

11:00 Session underway and Fisichella is the first out onto the track followed by a number of other cars

11:02 Lewis Hamilton only did 3 laps in the second Friday practice. He spun & touched the barrier damaging the front nose & they had no spare parts!

11:02 Luca Badoer was struggling yesterday until the latter stages of the second session when his times improved slightly

11:05 All the drivers with the exception of Barrichello are either on or have completed their installation laps

11:07 Barrichello now on the track

11:10 A quick recap on the fastest times from yesterday: Alonso - 1:39.404, Button - 1:40.178, Barrichello - 1:40.209

11:12 Lewis Hamilton who lost a lot of time yesterday is the first to go back out

11:13 Badoer and Alguersuari also on the track

11:15 Hamilton sets a 1:42.103

11:16 Luca Badoer sets a 1:45.939

11:17 Alguersuari sets a 1:43.285

11:18 More drivers are on the track now

11:18 Buemi goes fastest with a 1:42.100!

11:19 Hamilton on a quick one!

11:19 Hamilton sets a 1:40.656

11:20 Everyone except Kovalainen is on the track

11:21 Raikkonen up into second with a 1:41.588

11:22 Hamilton really pushing! A 1:39.950!

11:23 Sutil up into second with a 1:40.954

11:24 Grosjean up into second!

11:24 Now Rosberg moves into second

11:25 Hamilton pits and Kovalainen goes out

11:26 25 minutes into the session and the top 8 are: Hamilton, Button, Rosberg, Alonso, Sutil, Grosjean, Raikkonen and Glock

11:27 Kubica fastest with a 1:39.939

11:28 And now it is Sutil who is fastest with a 1:39.897

11:28 Vettel has a problem

11:29 Session is stopped

11:29 There is oil on the track

11:31 Replay shows Vettel just lost power. It doesn't appear an engine failure but possibly hydraulics

11:32 The Red Bull mechanics are on the track to retrieve the car! That is a bit strange!

11:35 This year's engine rules allow 8 engines per driver for the whole season. Until a driver uses the 9th engine, there is no grid penalty

11:36 Vettel has gone through a number of engines this year & if this is another one then it doesn't look to good for him later in the season

11:37 Session still stopped as the oil cleanup continues

11:39 Kovalainen who is currently 20th set the fastest 1st sector as the session was stopped

11:40 During practice, the clock doesn't stop when the session is stopped. Expect a very busy end of session

11:41 This stoppage won't help Hamilton as he lost most of the second session yesterday as well

11:44 Only 15 minutes left and the session remains stopped

11:45 There is probably another 5 minutes of stoppage as the cleaning truck is now sweeping the track

11:48 The sweeping truck is going as fast as it could!! There is plenty of dust

11:50 And now a person on foot is blowing the sand away

11:51 They'll be lucky if they get 5 minutes of practice now!

11:52 Session restarting in 3 minutes

11:52 Teams will have 5 minutes of practice

11:54 The cars are queueing at the pit lane exit

11:55 Session restarts with the 2 McLaren's the first out

11:57 Significant dust in the air as the cars drive over the cleaned up area

11:57 Everyone is on the track except Vettel of course

12:00 Session over but cars are still on flyers

12:00 Kovalainen goes fastest with a 1:39.553

12:01 Rosberg second although Sutil is still on a flyer

12:02 Sutil goes fastest with a 1:39.143 - Impressive

12:05 Top 10 at the end of the session: Sutil, Nakajima, Kubica, Kovalainen, Rosberg, Fisichella, Button, Hamilton, Trulli and Grosjean

12:06 11th to 20th: Buemi, Barrichello, Heidfeld, Raikkonen, Alonso, Glock, Webber, Vettel, Alguersuari and Badoer

12:08 Badoer covered the most laps in this much reduced session with 14. Vettel only managed 6 laps

12:09 The top 11 are separated by less than a second, the top 19 by under 2 seconds. Only Badoer is 3 seconds off the pace

[Ed]

Qualifying notes:

1:53 Qualifying for the European Grand Prix in Valencia starting in 8 minutes

1:56 It is hot at Valencia. Air temperature is at 29 degrees while track temperature is at 44 degrees

1:57 Adrian Sutil was fastest this morning ahead of Kazuki Nakajima in a shortened sesson due a mechanical failure on Vettel's car

2:00 Session underway!

2:00 Badoer and Sutil are out straight away

2:01 More drivers follow

2:02 Badoer starts his first timed lap

2:02 10 cars on the track at this stage

2:04 Badoer is on the super softs and sets a 1:42.957

2:04 Now all the drivers are on the track except Hamilton and Alonso

2:04 Sutil now fastest with a 1:41.222

2:05 Alguersuari is in second!

2:06 Buemi now fastest ahead of Raikkonen and Nakajima

2:07 Kovalainen is fastest with a 1:39.997

2:07 Grosjean misses a turn but recovers

2:08 Raikkonen now fastest with a 1:39.718. Badoer is 17th! Alonso the only driver yet to go out

2:08 Hamilton too misses a turn but recovers

2:09 Current order is Kovalainen from Vettel and Raikkonen

2:10 Rosberg fastest with a 1:39.416

2:10 Alonso on the track

2:11 Hamilton goes fastest with a 1:39.198

2:12 Barrichello now quickest ahead of Kovalainen and Hamilton

2:13 Hamilton goes fastest with a 1:38.649

2:13 Alonso moves into 8th

2:14 An update on Badoer, he is 20th and nearly a second slower than 19th placed Trulli

2:15 Grosjean on the super softs jumps into 4th! Impressive again from the rookie

2:17 Under 4 minutes remain and the order is Hamilton, Barrichello, Kovalainen, Grosjean, Rosberg, Sutil, Fisichella, Buemi, Alonso & Vettel

2:17 Nakajima stops! He was 13th

2:18 Button fastest in S1! This looks set to be a very tight qualifying!

2:18 Webber up into 5th

2:19 Button in 4th

2:20 Q1 over but drivers still on flyers!

2:20 Only Hamilton and Grosjean in the pits. Grosjean could drop!

2:21 Button fastest with a 1:38.531

2:23 Top 10 at the end of Q1: Button, Hamilton, Kubica, Kovalainen, Raikkonen, Buemi, Webber, Barrichello, Heidfeld and Rosberg

2:24 Knocked out: Fisichella, Nakajima, Trulli, Alguersuari and Badoer

2:25 Badoer's time was a 1:41.413. Nearly 3 seconds off the pace

2:26 Q2 about to start and the track temperature is up to 47 degrees

2:27 Q2 underway and Raikkonen is out straight away

2:29 More drivers go out this session

2:29 Grosjean has made Q2 on his first attempt - Well done

2:30 Everyone on the track except for the 2 Renaults

2:31 Raikkonen sets a 1:38.823

2:31 Button from Barrichello and Raikkonen now

2:32 Kovalainen fastest with a 1:38.579. Barrichello quick

2:33 Barrichello fastest with a 1:38.231, Rosberg in second

2:33 Hamilton quickest with a 1:38.182

2:34 Alonso finally leaves the garage with 8 minutes remaining

2:36 Current order: Hamilton, Barrichello, Kovalainen, Rosberg, Button, Webber, Vettel, Kubica, Raikkonen and Heidfeld

2:37 Alonso moves into 11 and Grosjean 12th

2:40 Everyone except Hamilton is on the track

2:41 Vettel up into 3rd

2:43 Session over awaiting final laps

2:44 Barrichello fastest. Alonso just makes it on his final lap

2:45 Order at the end of Q2: Barrichello, Hamilton, Kovalainen, Vettel, Rosberg, Button, Webber, Alonso, Kubica and Raikkonen

2:45 Knocked out: Heidfeld, Sutil, Glock, Grosjean and Buemi

2:48 Final qualifying session about to start. Track temperature is at 46 degrees

2:50 Session underway and Kovalainen and Kubica are the first out

2:51 More drivers follow. Of course we don't know the fuel loads for each car in this session

2:52 All the cars are on the track now

2:53 Hamilton on a very quick S1

2:54 A 1:39.498 for Hamilton

2:54 Raikkonen in second and Alonso in third

2:55 Button up into second. Barrichello in the pits without setting a time!

2:56 Now everyone on the track for a final shot. Hamilton looking good though

2:57 It is Hamilton from Button and Raikkonen at this stage

2:58 Barrichello and Kovalainen on quick laps

2:59 Kovalainen in second, Barrichello in 3rd

3:00 One more lap to go! Hamilton still fastest

3:00 Session over but waiting final laps! Kovalainen very quick!

3:02 Kovalainen was quickest in S1 and S2 but makes a mistake and remains in second. Hamilton on Pole! Well done

3:04 Top 10: Hamilton on Pole ahead of Kovalainen and Barrichello. Followed by Vettel, Button, Raikkonen, Rosberg, Alonso, Webber and Kubica

3:12 Hamilton, Kovalainen and Barrichello were very close. Wonder who has more fuel though ?

3:14 [Comment From Robert ]
Forgot all about it just missed the qualiy damm. Thanks for the updates guys. Track looks difficult to pass on so I'm guessing not much movement in top 10 tomorrow

3:15 Certainly not an easy track to pass on. Fuel loads will be important as well as the start of course

3:16 [Comment From Robert ]
Have the weights been announced?

3:16 Not yet, those will be published in a few hours still

3:18 Barrichello hoping he has more fuel than Hamilton

3:19 [Comment From Robert ]
Ok thanks. It looks like the fuel and pitstops will be the biggest part in the race tomorrow. I'll be interested to see the weights of Hamilton. I guess if he can avoid the mayhem on the first few corners he can build a steady gap by the first round of stops

3:20 The 2 McLaren's have KERS so start should be ok. Only question is fuel load

3:21 [Comment From Robert ]
If the temperatures keep up I'm expecting quite a few mechanical failures. It's been a while since temps were this high

3:22 Conditions are expected to remain the same to sunny and hot for the race.

3:24 [Comment From Robert ]
Well thats it for coverage from our local TV station. I'll catch you lot tomorrow

[Ed]

Pre-race fuel weights (sorted on grid position)

1 Lewis Hamilton McLaren Mercedes 653.0
2 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren Mercedes 655.0
3 Rubens Barrichello Brawn Mercedes 662.5
4 Sebastian Vettel RBR Renault 654.0
5 Jenson Button Brawn Mercedes 661.5
6 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 661.5
7 Nico Rosberg Williams Toyota 665.0
8 Fernando Alonso Renault 656.5
9 Mark Webber RBR Renault 664.5
10 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 657.5
11 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 677.0
12 Adrian Sutil Force India Mercedes 672.5
13 Timo Glock Toyota 694.7
14 Romain Grosjean Renault 677.7
15 Sébastien Buemi STR Ferrari 688.5
16 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India Mercedes 692.5
17 Kazuki Nakajima Williams Toyota 702.0
18 Jaime Alguersuari STR Ferrari 678.5
19 Jarno Trulli Toyota 707.3
20 Luca Badoer Ferrari 690.5

[Ed]

Race coverage notes:

1:37 The 2009 European Grand Prix in Valencia starts in 23 minutes. Weather conditions are sunny and warm

1:46 Lewis Hamilton starts from Pole with Heikki Kovalainen alongside him
Rubens Barrichello starts from 3rd with Sebastian Vettel alongside him
Jenson Button starts from 5th with Kimi Raikkonen alongside him
And Nico Roberg starts from 7th with Fernndo Alonso alongside him

1:51 10 minutes to formation lap

1:57 Air temperature at 31 degrees while track temperature at 43 degrees
Formation lap in 3 minutes

1:59 Of the top 4 cars on the grid, Barrichello is heaviest so he is in a good position provided he has a good start

2:00 Formation lap underway

2:01 Hamilton and Kovalainen are on the super softs, Vettel on the soft

2:03 Barrichello, Button, Rosberg and Alonso are on softs too. Hamilton back on the starting grid

2:03 Lights

2:04 Hamilton leads Kovalainen and Barrichello. Raikkonen up into 4th

2:05 Button had a poor start and is down in 8th

2:06 Grosjean pits for a new wing - unfortunate for the rookie

2:06 Glock and Buemi also pit

2:07 Order after lap 2: Hamilton, Kovalainen, Barrichello, Raikkonen, Vettel, Rosberg, Alonso and Button

2:10 Hamilton leads Kovalainen by 2.6 seconds at the end of the 4th lap

2:13 Webber gets ahead of Button for 8th

2:14 Order after 6 laps: Hamilton, Kovalainen, Barrichello, Raikkonen, Vettel, Rosberg, Alonso and Webber

2:15 Hamilton is now 4 seconds ahead of Kovalainen

2:16 It is reported that Button had to give Webber a place for crossing a chicane

2:19 Badoer is 17th after having a good start but spinning and losing all that gain. 3 drivers who pitted early are catching him quick

2:20 Grosjean who is in 18th after a stop goes sideways but manages to recover!

2:22 Fastest lap so far is 1:39.810 by Hamilton

2:24 Order after 12 laps: Hamilton, Kovalainen (+6.3), Barrichello (+8.1), Raikkonen, Vettel, Rosberg, Alonso, Webber, Button and Kubica

2:24 [Comment From Patrick ]
What is the fuel load difference between Hamilton and Kovalainen? [Ed] 1 lap

2:27 Hamilton pushing again, a 1:39.455

2:29 Barrichello now closing in on Kovalainen

2:30 McLaren ready for Hamilton

2:30 Hamilton pits

2:31 Vettel and Kubica also pit

2:31 Hamilton rejoins behind Alonso

2:32 Vettel having refuelling problems and will have to pit again! Kovalainen pits

2:32 Alonso pits too

2:33 Vettel pits again - Very unfortunate for him

2:34 Barrichello pushing with a 1:39.427

2:34 Lap 18 and Barrichello leads Raikkonen and Rosberg but they all have to stop

2:35 Raikkonen pits. Vettel down in 16th after having to stop twice!

2:37 Button also pits. Barrichello continues to push and should jump Kovalainen

2:38 Barrichello pits and so does Rosberg and Webber. Barrichello rejoins just behind Hamilton!

2:42 Heidfeld and Sutil make their first stops

2:42 Order on lap 22: Hamilton, Barrichello (+3.4), Kovalainen, Raikkonen, Rosberg, Alonso, Webber and Fisichella

2:43 Vettel retires. Another engine failure

2:44 Strange that all the Renault engine problems seem to happen with Vettel!!

2:46 Hamilton, Barrichello and Kovalainen are setting very similar lap times at this stage of the race

2:48 Hamilton leads Barrichello on lap 26 by 4 seconds

2:49 Fisichella, Nakajima, Trulli and Badoer have yet to make their first stop

2:50 Closest fights at the moment: Kubica and Sutil for 11th - Gap just 0.6 seconds

2:52 Barrichello staying with Hamilton. It will all depend on how long Barrichello will stay out after Hamilton pits

2:53 Badoer and Grosjean pit together and exit together but Badoer for some reason lets Grosjean through & may have gone over the white line

2:54 Hamilton and Barrichello matching lap times. Gap remains at 4.1 seconds

2:57 Fisichella makes his first pit stop. Only Trullu yet to make a stop

2:57 Drive through penalty for Badoer for crossing the white line!

3:00 Order on lap 33: Hamilton, Barrichello (+4.1), Kovalainen (+9.7), Raikkonen, Rosberg, Alonso, Webber, Button, Kubica and Sutil

3:01 Barrichello sets the fastest lap of the race so far with a 1:39.421

3:01 Trulli finally pits!

3:04 Spin by Badoer

3:05 Barrichello closes the gap to Hamilton to 3.6 seconds

3:06 Hamilton pits and the team didn't have the tyres ready!!

3:08 Hamilton rejoins behind Rosberg! Replay shows the front tyres were not ready! Very strange error from McLaren

3:10 Nakajima has a puncture

3:10 Nakajima is limping back to the pits

3:11 Barrichello pits

3:11 Barrichello rejoins ahead of Hamilton

3:12 Nakajima makes it back to the pits

3:14 Raikkonen has managed to get ahead of Kovalainen through the pit stops

3:15 Alonso and Button make their final stops

3:16 Rosberg makes his stop

3:16 Webber also pits

3:17 Button gets ahead of Webber through the pit stops despite stopping earlier!

3:18 Buemi has a brake failure, he spins and stops!

3:20 With all the scheduled stops completed, it is Barrichello from Hamilton and Raikkonen. Kovalainen, Rosberg, Alonso, Button and Kubica

3:22 Button flying and just set the fastest lap time so far with a 1:38.874

3:25 Button in 7th is catching Alonso who is catching Rosberg! 9 laps to go

3:28 At this pace, Button will catch Alonso but will he have enough time to try and pass

3:31 6 laps to go and the order is: Barrichello, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Kovalainen, Rosberg, Alonso, Button, Kubica, Webber and Sutil

3:33 Button has a slow lap

3:34 Looks like Button is dropping his pace

3:36 Button continues to go slow but the gap to Kubica is over 6 seconds

3:37 Kubica is pushing hard trying to catch Button. 5 seconds in 2 laps, not possible really

3:38 Glock sets the fastest lap of the race with a 1:38.683 - He is 14th Stange!

3:38 Barrichello on his final lap

3:39 And Barrichello wins the European Grand Prix ahead of Hamilton and Raikkonen

3:40 Kovalainen, Rosberg, Alonso, Button and Kubica make the top 8

3:41 Barrichello emotional on the radio after winning the European Grand Prix

3:43 This is Barrichello's 10th win in his career and his first since China 2004

3:49 It is 2 from 2 for Brazilians at the Valencia circuit

3:50 [Comment From pritam ]
want to know about forceindia [Ed]Sutil 10th, Fisichella 12th

3:52 Barrichello moves into second in the Championship. He is 18 points behind Button

3:53 Webber is 3rd a further 2.5 points behind with Vettel in 4th. Neither Red Bull driver scored points today

3:55 The new drivers finished 15th, 16th and 17th (Grosjean, Alguersuari, Badoer)

4:04 A reminder that the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa is next weekend

4:05 [Comment From Alex ]
appauling race from Badoer [Ed] One wonders if Ferrari should give him another chance next weekend!

4:09 [Comment From Alex ]
this is true but ferrari are not bringing upgrades to the car for the rest of the season and will they pay more for a better driver? their season is written off... can barrichello win the championship? [Ed] They were going to put Michael Schumacher in that car so I doubt money is an issue plus there is Gene. Rubens can but he needs to race like he did today for the next 6 races and Button has to stumble

4:14 [Comment From Alex ]
i suppose you are right but ferrari have written off this season.. and puttin micheal schumacher in the ferrari would of brung great publicity to ferrari and he is an outstanding driver, hmm i would like to see barrichello win it. this season has been very interesting to say the least [Ed] Certainly and lets hope it goes down to the wire

4:16 [Comment From Alex ]
lets hope so and thanks for the brilliant commentry & updates keep up the good work until next week bye for now [Ed] Cheers

Race classification
1. Barrichello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Race Winner
2. Hamilton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2.3
3. Raikkonen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +15.9
4. Kovalainen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +20.0
5. Rosberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +20.8
6. Alonso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +27.7
7. Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +34.9
8. Kubica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +36.6
9. Webber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44.9
10. Sutil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +47.9

[Ed]

Congratulations to Rubens Barrichello on winning the European Grand Prix. A very well deserved victory after taking Kovalainen on this first round of stops and Hamilton in the second round. If Rubens can drive consistently like today, he will have a chance at the title.
Lewis Hamilton didn't do anything wrong but he still finished second thanks to a serious error at the second pit stop by the pit crew who were late to bring out the tyres for him. Had he had a normal stop, it would have been very close with Barrichello.
Kimi Raikkonen was impressive starting 6th and finishing on the podium. It was surprising to see him jump Kovalainen.
Kovalainen nearly got Pole yesterday but today he couldn't match Hamilton and lost 2 places. That isn't good for his chances at McLaren
Rosberg had another good race and managed to score some more points for the team. It is a shame that Rosberg isn't in a leading car so we can see what he could do
Alonso managed 6th making 2 places. The Spanish fans probably expected more but it seems that this is the most he could get out of the Renault
Button had a strange race, off the pace early on then pushing hard towards the end. He managed to get 2 points and those two points could be crucial at the end of the season
Good to see Robert Kubica scoring a point. His second scoring position this season.

It was strange to see Webber dropping back. It was crucial for him to score as many points as possible as well as staying ahead of Button but he couldn't manage either.

Grosjean managed to finish 15th despite having to pit on the first lap for a front wing. Alguersuari finished 16th while Badoer finished 17th. Given that Ferrari have 2 test drivers, they should give each a chance then evaluate.

Your thoughts and your driver of the day ?

[Kapel]

Awesome drive from Rubinho

Without Mclaren goof up..it could have been close..but IMHO & cos i wanted Rubens to win...he would have just come out in front of Hambone..

Kimi did his best with an non updated car...doubt he's gonna achieve much this year with no development coming in on his Ferrari.. ( Could this be the reason for Michael's Pullout? )

Mclaren have made a good jump in performance ..but for how long can they bring in the development...Heikki did well too

2 engine blow up for renault in 2 days on the same car Disaster for Red bull...

Alonso did his best ..but was expecting a bit more from him ..atleast in quali..

Button did his championship contention good by finishing in points ahead of Webber...

I think Redbull now need to focus on 1 driver..i.e. Webber as Vettel is bound to get 10 place grid penalty sometime later as he has already used 6 engines outta 8..n still 6 races left....

But hey..Rubinho is 2nd in championship now

[JayVee]

It was a bit of a boring race but Rubens and McLaren stuff up added some excitement!

Barrichello, Raikkonen, Rosberg and Alonso all had good races but it is Barrichello who got my DotD. This is how he should race every race!

Kovalainen should keep his seat. If this is the best he could do, that is not good enough

Vettel was unlucky again or is he just too hard on that car ?

Button and Webber were not impressive. Both seem to have a bad day but Button managed to score 2 points and that is not good for Webber.

Perhaps this year's championship will be just like last year where the contenders keep stuffing up to see who can lose more points!!

Lets see how they do at Spa then perhaps one of the contenders would shine and prove they are worthy of a championship.