Before the Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix was transformed into the F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix in 2021, the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, better known as Interlagos, witnessed many championship-clinching races.
One of which came in the penultimate round of the 2009 F1 World Championship which saw Jenson Button claim his first and only World Drivers’ Championship.
The race was held on October 18th, 2009, and was round 16 of a season that was about to be conquered by one of the biggest surprises in F1 history.
What did Button need to take the crown?
Coming into Interlagos, the Briton in his Brawn GP held a fourteen-point lead over Brazilian teammate Rubens Barichello. Sebastian Vettel was in third for Red Bull but would need to finish in first or second to remain in the hunt heading into Abu Dhabi.
However, all this was irrelevant to Button as he knew that he just needed to finish within four points of Barichello and that maiden world championship would be his. But, with no wins in his last eight races and the competition rapidly increasing, it would likely have to be a finish within the top five for Button to safely outscore his teammate.
In the World Constructors’ Championship, the task was even simpler for Brawn who required just half a point to claim the title after winning eight of the opening 15 races in the 2009 season.
A stormy reception
In true Interlagos fashion, a tropical storm hit qualifying, prolonging the session by over an hour. By the end of qualifying, the session had been going on for 2 hours and 41 minutes, the longest in F1 history.
Q1 stunned the F1 paddock when Vettel, along with both McLarens of Kovalainen and Hamilton, were knocked out in 16th, 17th, and 18th. Adding to the surprise, Nick Heidfeld’s BMW Sauber and Giancarlo Fisichella’s Ferrari completed the bottom five.
After a lengthy delay, the weather cleared for the second part of qualifying, but the drama didn’t go away as championship leader Button was knocked out in P14. Vitantonio Liuzzi crashed his Force India at the first corner, leaving him 15th, and bringing out the red flag. Also eliminated in Q2 were Kamui Kobayashi, 11th, Jaime Alguersuari, 12th, and Romain Grosjean, 13th.
A wholesome pole position
Nico Rosberg had shown some rapid pace in his Williams as he topped the opening two qualifying sessions heading into Q3. He was joined by nine other drivers from eight different teams, with only Williams securing two drivers in the top ten shootout.
The home crowd got their reward for ploughing through the bad weather as Barichello secured a hugely popular pole position with a lap time of 1:19.576, his first pole position since the 2004 F1 Brazilian Grand Prix. With Button and Vettel qualifying down in 14th and 16th, it looked like the tide was turning in the favour of Michael Schumacher’s former teammate at Ferrari.
Mark Webber gave Red Bull a glimmer of hope as he claimed a spot on Sunday’s front row with a lap time just +0.092 off the Brazilian’s pole position time. Rosberg couldn’t maintain his early momentum as he had to settle for seventh whilst Adrian Sutil, Jarno Trulli and Kimi Raikkonen completed the top five.
An accident-heavy start
Whilst the leaders got away cleanly on the opening lap, there were many drivers tripping over each other further down the order. The most important one of those drivers perhaps was Vettel who collided with Kovalainen coming out of the Senna ‘S.’ The German was able to continue rather unscathed as the McLaren had to take avoiding action and almost collected Fisichella in the process.
The most damaging accident of the start came when Trulli attempted a move around the outside of Sutil at turn five which resulted in them tangling together, leaving both cars out of the race. The crash triggered the safety car, as Fernando Alonso had to retire after colliding with Sutil’s out-of-control car.
The scariest and final incident of lap one in Brazil happened in the pit lane when Kovalainen’s crew released him with the fuel hose still attached, spraying fuel everywhere. Raikkonen, arriving on the scene, could do nothing as his exhaust ignited the fuel. Miraculously, both drivers continued in the race, and neither suffered any injuries.
Button makes progress from 14th on the grid
After the opening lap skirmishes, Button had quietly made his way up into ninth place for the safety car restart. His teammate was still leading the race with Webber in second and Rosberg now in third.
The Briton wasted no time on the restart, quickly passing both Grosjean and Kazuki Nakajima to take P7. His next target, debutant Kobayashi, was a bit trickier for the Brawn to pass, but he eventually made the move and slotted into sixth.
Meanwhile, Barichello hadn’t managed to pull a significant gap on Webber which allowed the Ozzy to jump ahead of the Brawn after the first set of pitstops. This meant that Button only had to finish in fifth if he wanted to secure his maiden world championship.
The race plays out
Between laps 27 and 30, both Williams retired from the Brazilian GP as Rosberg suffered a gearbox issue whilst Nakajima crashed at turn four.
The recovering pair of Hamilton and Vettel overtook Button following his second pit stop of the race. This put the Brawn driver into a precarious position behind Kovalainen.
But momentum quickly sprung back in Button’s favour when the Finn pitted and Barichello picked up a puncture after battling with Hamilton at turn one. With him emerging in eight and Vettel in fourth, Button would have the championship wrapped up even if he failed to see the chequered flag.
Webber wins the race, Button wins the championship
Webber had been leading the race at ease after passing Barichello in the first round of pitstops on lap 21 and crossed the line 50 laps later to win the 2009 Brazilian GP for Red Bull. Kubica and Hamilton completed the podium with two impressive drives.
But, with Vettel finishing in fourth and Barichello in eighth, Button’s P5 finish was more than enough to secure him a hugely popular first and only Drivers’ Championship title.
Brawn also secured the Constructors’ Championship to give driver and team much to celebrate with still one race to spare in the 2009 F1 season.
What Button’s title win meant
Upon crossing the line, the 29-year-old at the time belted out the infamous lyrics from Queen’s “We Are The Champions” as Britian secured their first back-to-back world championships, Hamilton and Button, since Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart in 1968 and 1969 respectively.
Despite not winning a single race since round seven at the F1 Turkish Grand Prix, Button’s drive to go from 14th on the grid to fifth stated his claim as the deserving world champion of the 2009 F1 season.
The reaction from the winners and losers alike
Post-race Button said: “Today was the best race that I’ve driven in my career and I’m really going to enjoy this moment.
“For the team to win the Constructors’ and the Drivers Championships here is just fantastic and they deserve it so very much after all the difficult times that we all went through over the winter.
“This season has been a rollercoaster ride from the elation of the wins at the start to the hard graft in the second half of the season which has seen us grind out the results needed to take the titles.
“It’s going to take a while to sink in but for now I’m just revelling in the achievement of a lifelong dream. It’s going to be one hell of a party tonight!”
Team Principal, Ross Brawn said: “What a day! I am so incredibly proud of the team and our drivers and it’s so very special to have won the Constructors’ and the Drivers’ Championships in our first year as Brawn GP.
“Jenson is a fantastic racer and he had a great race today, particularly after such a difficult qualifying yesterday. He knew what he had to do and did just that and is a very deserving World Champion.”
Vettel said: “I think there is a guy at Brawn who is happier than me today.
“At one point I was praying for rain, there was the smell of rain, but it didn’t come. Congratulations to Jenson and Brawn, I think they did the best job this year.”
