2009 Hungarian Grand Prix

Championship standings

Button leads on 68 points, 21 points clear of Vettel. Webber is 1.5 points behind Vettel and an equal margin ahead of Barrichello. Brawn lead the Constructors’ Championship by 19.5 points from Red Bull.

Previous race

Webber won in Germany from pole at the 130th attempt, despite receiving a drive-through penalty for a dangerous move at the first corner to keep Barrichello behind. He had enough time in hand to win by nearly ten seconds from Vettel. Massa took third for Ferrari’s first podium of the season. Button finished fifth, held up by Rosberg’s one-stopping Williams. Barrichello was sixth after an eventful race that included a spin and a damaged front wing.

Between-race developments

Toro Rosso has dropped Sébastien Bourdais, with team principal Franz Tost stating the partnership had not met his expectations. His replacement is Jaime Alguersuari, who was racing in Formula Renault 3.5 and had signed a deal to become Toro Rosso’s test driver only two weeks prior. Alguersuari makes his Formula One debut here, becoming at 19 years and 125 days the youngest driver in the championship’s 59-year history, and the first born in the 1990s. Bourdais was advised by counsel to pursue breach-of-contract claims against the team.

Entrants

Webber has signed a new one-year contract with Red Bull ahead of this race weekend.

Alguersuari has no circuit testing experience in a Formula One car, having undertaken only straight-line aerodynamic tests in Faenza the week before the race. His appointment drew concern from Massa, Webber, and Button, while Vettel said he should be given time to find his pace.

The Hungaroring has produced different winners for each of the last seven years; Button, Alonso, Räikkönen, Schumacher, Kovalainen, and Hamilton have all won here.

Practice

McLaren set the pace in both Friday sessions, with Kovalainen fastest in FP1 and Hamilton in FP2. Williams were also competitive, with Rosberg and Nakajima both in the top five across both sessions. Brawn ran heavy fuel loads in practice, with Button and Barrichello mid-pack. Alguersuari reached as high as second in Saturday practice before falling to 18th by the end. A hydraulic failure in Q1 ended Alguersuari’s qualifying session, leaving him 20th on the grid.