2009 German Grand Prix

Championship standings

Button leads by 23 points from teammate Barrichello despite finishing sixth in Britain. Barrichello is 2 points ahead of Vettel, who won the British Grand Prix. Brawn lead the Constructors’ Championship by 30.5 points from Red Bull. The three former world champions in the field — Alonso, Räikkönen, and Hamilton — are ninth, tenth, and eleventh in the standings respectively, separated by just two points.

Previous race

Vettel dominated Silverstone in cool conditions that suited the updated Red Bull RB5, winning by 15 seconds from Webber. Button qualified only sixth and was unable to get onto the podium, finishing sixth. Red Bull’s Christian Horner declared after the race that the team could mount a serious title challenge. Hamilton started 19th and finished 16th. Bourdais and Kovalainen collided at the Abbey chicane, ending both their races.

Practice

Rain mixed the order in qualifying. The track was dry for FP1, with the Toro Rossos and Glock’s Toyota and Kubica’s BMW eliminated in the first session. Rain began falling in Q2, sweeping out both Williams drivers, Alonso, Trulli, and Heidfeld. The fight for pole came down to the four championship contenders — Button, Barrichello, Vettel, and Webber — with Webber claiming the first pole of his career on his final lap.