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Formula 1
Spanish GP
2009 Spanish Grand Prix Race day at the Circuit de Catalunya
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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 5: The safety car will pit at the end of this lap.
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 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 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 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 3: Felipe Massa, aided past Vettel by KERS, is third and has more fuel on board than the pair of Brawns ahead.
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 2: The order up front is Barrichello from Button, Massa, Vettel, Webber, Alonso, Rosberg and Glock.
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: 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 1: All four drivers are out of the race as the carnage is cleared by the marshals.
Lap 1: There is a massive amount of debris to be cleared from the circuit.
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: A sizable pile-up in Turn 2 puts the field under caution.
Lap 1: The safety car has been deployed.
Lap 1: Through Turn 5 it is Barrichello from Button, Massa and Vettel.
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: The five red lights go out and we are away in Spain!
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 ...
Kimi Raikkonen is reporting problems with his KERS to his Ferrari team.
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.
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.
As expected, soft tyres are the choice of the field.
The formation lap begins at the Circuit de Catalunya. All 20 cars leave the grid without problem.
The front row sit ready with brand new soft tyres on both Button and Vettel.
The engines fire with a minute to go.
The safety car roars around the circuit as Bernd Maylander makes his way to his position to be ready for the start.
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.
Down the back, we expect good starts from the McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen, and Kimi Raikkonen in the second Ferrari.
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.
There are five minutes to go until the formation lap for the 2009 Spanish Grand Prix.
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.
The track temperature is 43 Celsius in bright sunshine at the Circuit de Catalunya.
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 ...
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 ...
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 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.
Quote
"We've got to get in front at the start or else our strategy is likely to be compromised."
Ross Brawn speaking to German broadcaster Premiere
Ross Brawn speaking to German broadcaster Premiere
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.
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.
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.
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.
By: Emlyn Hughes, Geoff Creighton
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