2009 Spanish Grand Prix Race day at the Circuit de Catalunya

Hello everyone and welcome to AUTOSPORT Live for round five of the 2009 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

The teams have arrived back in Europe after four highly entertaining events in Australia, Malaysia, China and, most recently, Bahrain two weeks ago.

Now it's time for the European leg of the series to begin, at the Circuit de Catalunya, for the Spanish Grand Prix.

AUTOSPORT forum members are invited to join the fun throughout the race, offering thoughts and opinions as the race unfolds.

• Can Jenson Button extend his championship lead this afternoon, or will Sebastian Vettel manage to pull the wool over the Briton's eyes and claim victory?
• Felipe Massa is slowly hauling himself up the field into contention. The Brazilian is well-placed in fourth. Can he win it?
• Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and Heikki Kovalainen start well down the grid today. Can any of them score some points?

Tell everyone what you think.

Click the SHOW LIVE FORUM link in the red bar at the bottom of your browser window if you'd like to join the debate.

Following a brief spell of overnight rain, the circuit has dried up, allowing the support races to take place on a dry track. The track surface has been washed a little by the rain, but overall grip remains good, with plenty of rubber on the asphalt after this morning's support action.

The only concern today is a thin line of showers that are approaching the Catalonia region from the south. These small showers could have an affect on the race, but for the moment, conditions over the circuit are dry and reasonably bright.

The maximum temperature today will reach 22 degrees Celsius with a light easterly breeze not causing too much trouble for the drivers or spectators.

Jenson Button

Jenson Button came to Catalonia expecting to be shot at this weekend by the other drivers and teams - most of them with the aid of revised aerodynamic packages on their cars as the quest for speed builds throughout this 2009 campaign.

But, by Saturday afternoon, the championship leader had successfully dodged all the bullets and sat proudly on pole position for today's race, after snatching the top spot away from Sebastian Vettel at the last moment. So close was Button's assault on the young German's time, that he crossed the line to start the lap with just a couple of seconds to spare before the chequered flag came out.

Vettel had to be content with second, with Rubens Barrichello third and Felipe Massa bouncing back to form with a great run in the Ferrari F60 on the outside of row two.

Not everyone enjoyed qualifying, however. Kimi Raikkonen and his Ferrari team members decided that one run was good enough to make it through the first period of qualifying - and it wasn't. The 2007 champion was eliminated in spectacular fashion. Kovalainen joined him in a McLaren MP4-24 that is clearly struggling this weekend. Lewis Hamilton followed the Finns out of qualifying in the second segment, and will face a difficult day's work from 14th on the grid, but up front, the headlines were once again written by Button and his Brawn team.

Button flies to Spanish GP pole

Formula BMW

The first support race on a busy schedule this morning was race two of the 2009 Formula BMW Europe championship.

On Saturday, the spoils in the season-opener were claimed by Mucke Motorsport's Michael Christensen. The Dane went toe-to-toe with Luiz Felipe Nasr as they got away, and held his nerve to lead into Turn 1. Christensen held on throughout the 13 lap race to win by six-tenths of a second.

Nasr reversed the roles in this morning's second race by getting the jump on Christensen at the start and taking a comfortable win for Team Eurointernational, with the Danish driver second and Daniel Juncadella also making the podium.

The series moves away from the Formula 1 event card for the next round - supporting the Masters of F3 at Zandvoort in the middle of June, before returning to the grand prix paddock for the British Grand Prix weekend in July.

The main GP2 series is back in support of Formula 1 and the fans at the Circuit de Catalunya saw a closely-fought sprint race over 26 laps earlier today.

Edoardo Mortara took an impressive win for Arden on his debut weekend in the series. The Italian took the lead from a slow-starting Kamui Kobayashi into Turn 1 and held on for victory.

Feature race winner Romain Grosjean made a stunning start from eighth on the grid and quickly dispatched his rivals, moving up to second and pressuring Mortara to the flag. The Frenchman leads the championship as they head to Monaco.

Mortara beats Grosjean to sprint win

The Porsche Supercup rounded out today's support action in Spain.

Polesitter Jeroen Bleekemolen was sluggish off the line, allowing Rene Rast and Richard Westbrook through as the pack barreled down to Turn 1. The pair exchanged paint going into the right-hander, but Westbrook held his line, leaving a committed Rast to slide out to the asphalt run-off. Rast emerged in the lead but was forced to concede track position to the Briton.

Rast spent much of the race touring with damaged rear suspension, leaving former champion Westbrook to lead all the way to the flag for his first win since returning to the series this year.

Bleekemolen extended his championship lead after finishing second, with New Zealand's Matt Halliday impressing again with a run to third.

The final track action this morning saw the Formula 1 drivers emerge from their team hospitality units for the traditional drivers' parade.

The massive crowds on the hillside spectator banks have been in good voice this morning, chanting and shouting support for their hero, Fernando Alonso.

As the drivers rounded the track on the Formula 1 truck, the circuit the noise level went through the roof and the Spaniard waved enthusiastically, showing his appreciation of the fans.

The weather remains pleasant at the Circuit de Catalunya as we move to within one hour of the start, but on the local weather radar, the threat of a shower later in the race refuses to go away.

The line of showers is now approximately 150 km to the south west of the circuit, and continuing its path north east.

A dry start to the race is likely, but towards the end of the race it is possible that a light shower could hit the track.

The following shows the weight of each car as they head to the grid for today's race: Pos Driver Team Weight (kg) 1. Jenson Button Brawn Mercedes 646.0
2. Sebastian Vettel RBR Renault 651.5
3. Rubens Barrichello Brawn Mercedes 649.5
4. Felipe Massa Ferrari 655.0
5. Mark Webber RBR Renault 651.5
6. Timo Glock Toyota 646.5
7. Jarno Trulli Toyota 655.5
8. Fernando Alonso Renault 645.0
9. Nico Rosberg Williams Toyota 668.0
10. Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 660.0
11. Kazuki Nakajima Williams Toyota 676.6*
12. Nelson Piquet Renault 677.4*
13. Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 676.3*
14. Lewis Hamilton McLaren Mercedes 683.0*
15. Sébastien Buemi STR Ferrari 678.0*
16. Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 673.0*
17. Sébastien Bourdais STR Ferrari 669.0*
18. Heikki Kovalainen McLaren Mercedes 657.0*
19. Adrian Sutil Force India Mercedes 675.0*
20. Giancarlo Fisichella Force India Mercedes 656.0*
* declared weight

Felipe Massa

The car weights show Jenson Button put his Brawn on pole with a relatively light fuel load and he will pit a couple of laps earlier than Sebastian Vettel and Rubens Barrichello. The championship leader will need to pull away from his rivals after the start and hope that the safety car doesn't become involved during the first stint.

Felipe Massa took an impressive fourth on the grid with around four laps more fuel in the Ferrari than Button's Brawn. Massa is well-placed to score points for the first time this season and could be a major factor if he can use KERS off the start to gain some places.

Ferrari's major revisions to the F60 have clearly improved its qualifying speed and it will be extremely interesting to see the race pace of the upgraded Ferrari.

Home hero Fernando Alonso has the lightest car in the field and behind him Nico Rosberg's Williams is heavy for a long first stint.

Deep in the pack, world champions Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen have a heavy fuel strategy as they try to recover from disappointing qualifying results. Both could use KERS to leap through the field on the run to Turn 1.

The pitlane will open in ten minutes, releasing the cars for a reconnaissance lap to the grid.

This is obviously the first opportunity for the drivers to get back into their cars since the end of qualifying yesterday.

Some will exit the pits and find they are satisfied with the balance, but on the other hand, a few may find they are driving an unbalanced horror story with minimal opportunity left now to change things.

The tyre choice here in Spain once again requires the drivers to be on the right compound at the right time.

In the relatively cool temperatures, drivers have struggled to build heat into the harder tyre, which is the hardest available in Bridgestone's range of four compounds. The best lap times have been delivered after a couple of laps building temperature in to the harder rubber.

The softer option tyre has proved both fast and durable, so it is the preferred choice for today's race.

Most drivers will plan a two stop strategy, using the soft tyre for the first two stints before making the mandatory switch to the harder tyre for the run to the flag - assuming the nearby rain holds off throughout the race.

With a short pitlane, a three stop strategy is also possible, meaning the shortest possible stint on the harder tyre. However, this strategy is extremely risky as it would be immediately ruined if the driver became stuck behind slower cars on longer fuel runs.

The pits are now open for the cars to head around to the grid. The drivers have 15 minutes to make their way round to the grid before the pits are closed.

Sebastian Vettel is asking for a minor adjustment to be made on the mirrors of his Red Bull Renault, as he waits to come out onto the track.

Vettel rolls out of the garage now, with soft compound tyres on the RB5.

Fernando Alonso makes his way round to the grid in the Renault, also with the soft tyre fitted. The Spaniard pulls up onto the grid.

Lewis Hamilton rounds the final corner and slows to be pushed to his grid slot.

Sebastian Vettel and Jarno Trulli arrive on a sunny grid, with a visible heat haze shimmering on the track surface.

Kimi Raikkonen makes his way around the track on soft tyres and heads to the grid.

This race has traditionally settled into a processional order, so it will be interesting to see if the 2009 technical rules aid overtaking this afternoon.

The cars equipped with KERS, which this weekend does not include the BMW, may find some advantage from their boost system down the long main straight.

Weather-wise, conditions remain fine around the circuit with the packed crowd enjoying the sunshine.

The latest on the rain line to the south, is that it is not moving quickly enough to have a major impact on the race. However, there is a slight chance that a shower could reach the circuit in the last five or ten laps.

In short, we are set for a mainly dry race this afternoon.

Felipe Massa is beside his car, kneeling down in a restful state ahead of the race. He tips some cool water down his overalls to keep cool as the temperature rises.

The pits are now closed. All 20 cars are on the dummy grid, with team mechanics swarming round the machines, keeping them cool after that reconnaissance lap.

The Catalan regional and Spanish national anthems ring out over the circuit public address system with less than 15 minutes to go until the start of the race.

Home hero Fernando Alonso has returned to the grid. The Spainard was disappointed to end up eighth on the grid, given his light fuel load. The heavier cars around him will look to leapfrog the Renault at the stops.

The grid formation gives members from various teams the chance to talk to eachother, when ordinarily, there isn't time.

McLaren team boos Martin Whitmarsh is involved in discussion with his Ferrari counterpart, Stefano Domenicali.

Perhaps Martin was asking how Massa managed that excellent time in qualifying ...

The track temperature is 43 Celsius in bright sunshine at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Rubens Barrichello climbs aboard his third place-starting Brawn, and is strapped into the car by his mechanics. All the while, team principal Ross Brawn monitors the whole grid operation performing.

There are five minutes to go until the formation lap for the 2009 Spanish Grand Prix.

Tension builds ahead of the start with thoughts turning to the potential for drama in to the first corner with the fast-starting KERS cars set to shake up the order.

Jenson Button will start this race from pole position with Sebastian Vettel alongside him. Both will be determined to get into the first corner in the lead, but behind them, Rubens Barrichello and especially the KERS-aided Felipe Massa will have other ideas.

Down the back, we expect good starts from the McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen, and Kimi Raikkonen in the second Ferrari.

The safety car roars around the circuit as Bernd Maylander makes his way to his position to be ready for the start.

The engines fire with a minute to go.

The front row sit ready with brand new soft tyres on both Button and Vettel.

The formation lap begins at the Circuit de Catalunya. All 20 cars leave the grid without problem.

As expected, soft tyres are the choice of the field.

The field move around the back of the circuit, up the hill into Campsa corner. They are met by huge noise from the crowded spectator banks.

Jenson Button leads the pack through towards the end of the lap. He rounds the final few corners and begins to bring the rest in tow behind him.