European Grand Prix 2009

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The 2009 European Grand Prix (formally the LIII Telefónica Grand Prix of Europe) was a Formula One motor race, held on August 23rd, 2009 at the Valencia Street Circuit in Valencia, Spain. It was the 11th race of the 2009 Formula One season. The race was contested over 57 laps, an overall race distance of 303.9 km (191.9 mi). The winner was Rubens Barrichello for Brawn GP after starting from third on the grid.[1] The 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton finished second for McLaren-Mercedes, while 2007 world champion Kimi Räikkönen finished in third for Ferrari. Championship leader Jenson Button finished in seventh for the second race in a row, but extended his lead as Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel both failed to score.

It was Barrichello's first Grand Prix victory since the 2004 Chinese Grand Prix while he was still driving for Ferrari. He also marked the 100th victory for Brazilian drivers in F1. [2] Hamilton's second place granted him another podium, while Räikkönen's third place was his second podium in a row. The race saw the debut of GP2 Series driver Romain Grosjean. He replaced Nelson Piquet Jr. at Renault. This race also saw the Grand Prix return of Luca Badoer who had not raced since the 1999 Japanese Grand Prix. He replaced the injured Felipe Massa at Ferrari.

Were you there?