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Formula 1
Spanish GP
2009 Spanish Grand Prix Race day at the Circuit de Catalunya
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Kimi Raikkonen is reporting problems with his KERS to his Ferrari team.
Pole man Button pulls up in his grid slot, as does Vettel. The field are forming up behind the front row as the anticipation builds.
We await the lights ...
We await the lights ...
Lap 1: The five red lights go out and we are away in Spain!
Lap 1: Button and Barrichello get away well and it's the Brazilian who takes the lead in Turn 1, but we have mayhem behind as the pack round the first corner.
Lap 1: Through Turn 5 it is Barrichello from Button, Massa and Vettel.
Lap 1: The safety car has been deployed.
Lap 1: A sizable pile-up in Turn 2 puts the field under caution.
Lap 1: Jarno Trulli has been involved in a large crash exiting Turn 2 with Adrian Sutil. The Toro Rosso pair of Buemi and Bourdais are also involved.
Lap 1: There is a massive amount of debris to be cleared from the circuit.
Lap 1: All four drivers are out of the race as the carnage is cleared by the marshals.
Lap 2: This is bad news for Jenson Button. Not only did he lose out to team-mate Barrichello off the line, he also needed a chance to sprint away before the first stop.
Lap 2: Replays show that Trulli ran wide at the exit of Turn 2, and spun wildly across the track, into the path of a flying Adrian Sutil who had made an awesome start in the Force India passing several cars.
Both were heavily damaged and out on the spot.
Behind them, Buemi braked to try and avoid the carnage in front of him, and was careered into by team-mate Bourdais. Scratch both Toro Rossos.
Both were heavily damaged and out on the spot.
Behind them, Buemi braked to try and avoid the carnage in front of him, and was careered into by team-mate Bourdais. Scratch both Toro Rossos.
Lap 2: The order up front is Barrichello from Button, Massa, Vettel, Webber, Alonso, Rosberg and Glock.
Lap 3: Kazuki Nakajima has made a good start up to tenth position in the Williams, but has pitted for a new nose on the FW31. He rejoins behind the snake of cars in 16th place.
Lap 3: Felipe Massa, aided past Vettel by KERS, is third and has more fuel on board than the pair of Brawns ahead.
Lap 3: Lewis Hamilton actually did a brilliant job in avoiding all the wreckage in Turn 2. The Briton could easily have joined the heap as everyone slowed down. Lewis is 14th at the moment.
Lap 4: Kimi Raikkonen and Heikki Kovalainen took advantage of the accident to make their way through, and are currently in 10th and 11th places in the early stages as we continue under the safety car.
Lap 4: The four drivers who are out of the race have all arrived back in the pits and are ready to tell their stories of woe to waiting reporters.
Lap 5: It transpires that Sutil's amazing start was in part due to cutting the first corner and taking to the asphalt run-off area. He rejoined the track in a healthy position, only to swipe straight into Trulli's spinning Toyota.
Lap 5: The safety car will pit at the end of this lap.
Lap 5: Felipe Massa is the man to watch at the restart to see if he can use the KERS advantage against the Brawns.
Lap 6: The safety car comes into the pitlane and we are racing once again.
Lap 6: Rubens Barrichello leads the field down the main straight and is ahead of Button, Massa and Vettel as they stream into Turn 1.
Lap 6: Barrichello leads from Button, Massa and Vettel as behind them Webber and Alonso have an incredible scrap over fifth.
Lap 7: Replays show Alonso used KERS, taking to the grass on the main straight before Webber dived back to the inside and held off the Spaniard.
Lap 7: Barrichello leads the first complete lap of racing with a fastest lap of 1:24.581.
Lap 8: Lewis Hamilton tows up behind Nelson Piquet and passes him on the outside as they head towards Turn 1. Hamilton takes over 13th place, with Piquet 14th, Fisichella 15th and Nakajima last in 16th place.
Lap 8: Rubens Barrichello is told to get the hammer down by veteran engineer Jock Clear. The Brawn pair need to sprint away from Massa's Ferrari ahead of the first stop.
Lap 8: Heikki Kovalainen is slowing on the racetrack. The Finn is in trouble and this could be a retirement. Kovalainen pits the McLaren.
Lap 9: Kovalainen pulls into the pits and the mechanics quickly turn the car round and wheel the MP4-24 into the garage. Heikki climbs out and his day is over.
We have 15 runners remaining in the race and 58 laps to go.
We have 15 runners remaining in the race and 58 laps to go.
Lap 11: Sebastian Vettel in fourth is harrying Massa's Ferrari, which is falling away from the leading pair of Brawns.
Vettel ideally needs to pass the Ferrari as he has less fuel than his rival and he is again compromised behind a slower car.
Vettel ideally needs to pass the Ferrari as he has less fuel than his rival and he is again compromised behind a slower car.
Lap 11: Down the field, birthday boy Nick Heidfeld is ninth and holding up a train of cars. Kimi Raikkonen, Robert Kubica and Lewis Hamilton (12th) are hounding the BMW driver.
Lap 11: Rubens Barrichello sets the fastest lap but behind him Button is getting impatient and tells the team Rubens should go faster.
Lap 12: Fernando Alonso is just about hanging on to the scrap between Massa and the Red Bull pair but will have to pit before all those in front of him.
Lap 13: Massa's Ferrari continues to hold back the Red Bull pair as he drifts to five seconds behind leader Barrichello.
Lap 13: The Heidfeld-Raikkonen battle for ninth is beginning to pull away slightly from Robert Kubica and Lewis Hamilton.
Further down the field Kazuki Nakajima in 15th is close behind Giancarlo Fisichella, but unable to find a way past the Force India.
Further down the field Kazuki Nakajima in 15th is close behind Giancarlo Fisichella, but unable to find a way past the Force India.
Lap 14: Rubens Barrichello sets the fastest lap as he pulls out to 1.6 seconds clear of team-mate Button.
Lap 15: The four-car battle for ninth closes up again between Heidfeld, Raikkonen, Kubica and Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton is undoubtedly the heaviest of this group, and he will be looking to leapfrog the three drivers in front of him when he makes his one and only stop later in the race.
Lewis Hamilton is undoubtedly the heaviest of this group, and he will be looking to leapfrog the three drivers in front of him when he makes his one and only stop later in the race.
Lap 15: Jenson Button responds by taking away the fastest lap from his team-mate.
Lap 16: Kimi Raikkonen tries a move on Heidfeld as the pair come down the straight into Turn 1, but Nick protects the inside and keeps ahead of the Finn.
Raikkonen in recent laps has reported on the team radio that his power-boosting KERS is not functioning properly, denting his progress through the field.
Raikkonen in recent laps has reported on the team radio that his power-boosting KERS is not functioning properly, denting his progress through the field.
By: Emlyn Hughes, Geoff Creighton
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