2009 Italian Grand Prix stats and facts
From start to finish, Barrichello averaged 241kph to win the Italian Grand Prix
Yesterday’s race was the 80th running of the Italian Grand Prix, and the 60th time it has been a world championship event.
So it was fitting that the ‘temple of speed’ served up another of the fastest races of all time – and it was won by the sport’s oldest practitioner.
Here are the facts and stats from the Italian Grand Prix, plus a teaser for you to tackle…
Fastest races
The Italian Grand Prix was the eighth-fastest F1 championship round of all time. Rubens Barrichello completed the race at an average speed of 241.000kph (149.7mph) to the nearest thousandth.
That was 6.586kph slower than the fastest race ever, also at Monza back in 2003 – when engines had two cylinders more and the aerodynamic regulations were far less restrictive. Of the 23 fastest F1 races ever, 21 took place at Monza, the other two on the original Spa-Francorchamps.
This was also the 14th shortest race ever at 1hr 16’21.706s. This year’s curtailed Malaysian Grand Prix was the third shortest race of all time.
Wins and one-twos
Barrichello won his 11th Grand Prix, putting him level with Jacques Villeneuve and Felipe Massa. It was also the 50th time Barrichello has led a Grand Prix.
Barrichello won the Italian Grand Prix for the third time – his other wins were for Ferrari in 2002 and 2004. Only two drivers have won the Italian Grand Prix more than three times: Michael Schumacher (five times) and Nelson Piquet (four times).
Second place for Jenson Button gave Brawn their fourth one-two finish. It was the first one led by Barrichello.
Lewis Hamilton headed the grid for the 15th time in his F1 career, giving him as many pole positions as Massa.
Adrian Sutil claimed the fastest lap of the race with a 1’24.739 on lap 36. This was his and Force India’s first fastest lap. He also achieved his highest grid position (second) and best finishing position (fourth). Second and seventh on the grid was Force India’s best qualifying performance so far.
Hamilton and Sutil shared the front row of the grid for the first time since an F3 Euroseries race at Zandvoort in August 2005 when they were team mates at ASM.
That Heidfeld record, again…
Nico Rosberg’s points-scoring streak came to an end after eight races.
Nick Heidfeld continues to increase his tallies in the Least Interesting F1 Records Ever: he has now been classified in 41 consecutive races and has finished the last 33 in a row. Rosberg has now become the driver with the second largest number of consecutive finishes and classifications, with 25.
As mentioned several times in the build-up to the race, this was the first appearance for an Italian in Italy in a Ferrari since 1994, thanks to Giancarlo Fisichella.
The previous race in Spa was almost certainly Luca Badoer’s final appearance in an F1 Grand Prix. His two-race stint at Ferrari served only to increase his existing record for ‘most starts without a point scored’ to 51 races.
This was the 60th Italian Grand Prix that counted towards the world championship. All of these took place at Monza except the 1980 race, which was held at Imola. The British Grand Prix is the only other event on the calendar to have appeared every year since the championship began in 1950.
Including non-championship races, this was the 80th Italian Grand Prix. The first was held at a circuit called Montichiari, near Brescia, in 1921.
But by the following year the Autodromo Nazionale Monza had been built and the race moved there.
Over to you
One stat I haven’t been able to pin down in was was the last time a driver was shown the black-and-orange flag, as Robert Kubica was on lap eight.
Please post any suggestions in the comments, along with any other stats I failed to spot with my anorak gaze…
More on the Italian Grand Prix
- Barrichello leads one-two as Brawn are back on top (Italian Grand Prix)
- Italian Grand Prix in pictures
- Rate the race: Italian Grand Prix
- Italian Grand Prix result
- Rate the race: Italian Grand Prix
- Hamilton’s light car leaves him vulnerable (Italian GP fuel weights and strategy)
- Lewis Hamilton beats Adrian Sutil to pole (Italian Grand Prix qualifying)
- Italian Grand Prix qualifying in pictures
ken said on 14th September 2009, 12:52
It’s the first time that we have a podium Rubens, Jenson, and Kimi in that order.
It is also the first time a mclaren has beat a force india to pole at the last second.
It’s also the first time Fisichella has raced in a ferrari.
:)
sato113 said on 14th September 2009, 14:13
these aren’t that great TBH mate.
Bleu said on 14th September 2009, 18:32
Actually not on the first one – see Chinese GP 2004.
Mad Dan Eccles said on 14th September 2009, 13:12
So what is the shortest race ever of those that have gone the full scheduled distance? ie Leaving out events red-flagged for rain or crashes.
MDE
Rod said on 14th September 2009, 13:37
Is it the first Grand Prix where 6 of the top 7 cars have been powered by the same engine?
Bleu said on 14th September 2009, 18:39
Cosworth era has almost certainly those but apart from that it might be.
Ardeninian said on 14th September 2009, 13:44
FYI, average speed was 241.000kph (306.720 km in 1º16’21.706″. Unfortunately this drops it below the magic 150mph figure (149.750mph average)
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) said on 15th September 2009, 18:53
Oddly, I calculated it’s position on the list correctly (it was the eighth-fastest ever) yet wrote the speed wrong in the article. I’ve changed it to 241kph now.
project4 said on 14th September 2009, 13:59
Keith do me a little favour, will you? Tell me whether you’ll lift this ban on me or not. If you plan not to do so, i’ll not even bother to visit this blog again :( . I still believe this is the best blog out there & I still hold you in great regard.
John H said on 14th September 2009, 14:02
Keith,
I think Melbourne 2003 is the last time the black and orange flag was used (M. Schumi).
John H said on 14th September 2009, 14:03
(Sorry, I missed Bleu’s comment above)
sato113 said on 14th September 2009, 14:15
does anyone know what the highest speed was for this race? (not average speed, top speed) and how it compares to the fast years of 2003/2004?
IDR said on 14th September 2009, 15:19
Maximum speed this year has been 335,4 Kph. (A Sutil, during the race)
Data for 2004 is not available but if you look at the circuit chart in the FIA archive for 2003 and 2004, you can see maximum speed of 340 Kph at the Variante Ascari. This year, the chart shows 335 Kph.
Alex-Ctba said on 14th September 2009, 20:51
about the speed record, I’m not so sure, but it belong to JPM with 372.6kph (practice)and 370.1kph from Kimi(race) , both in Monza 2005 with V10 engines
AndrewT said on 14th September 2009, 14:23
- this was Nick Heidfelds 60th point scoring finish, and the 4th consecutive point scoring finish in Monza. He finished all his races in Monza except for 2000 (and missed the GP in 2005)
- this was Fernando Alonsos 90th point scoring Finish
- title challenger Mark Webber has failed to score a single point for the last 3 races
- Tonio Liuzzi grabbed his best ever grid position, starting from 7th. His former best positions were 11th, which he achieved twice, Spain 2005 and China 2007. Also this was his 40th Grand Prix.
- Hamilton, Heidfeld and Barrichello started from the place they used to achieve most regulary during their careers. 15th P1 for the Englishman, 17th P15 for the German and 29th P5 for the Brazilian.
dj said on 14th September 2009, 14:44
Bottom line is,F1 cars can’t pass on track…only in the pits…the package needs to change (big front wings didn’t help)…JB or RB who has the best pit crew?
Jonny said on 14th September 2009, 16:29
Button and Barichello have the same pitcrew. The same is for all teams. :|
Andrew White said on 14th September 2009, 15:03
When was the last time someone retired on the last lap? The most recent I can think of is Heikki at Spa last year.
Tom L. said on 14th September 2009, 18:41
Didn’t Kazuki Nakajima crash on the last lap in Monaco this year? And before that, perhaps Malaysia this year, when Vettel and possibly a couple of others spun out on what would have been the last classified lap? Not sure about that though.
GP1 said on 14th September 2009, 15:19
Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen both have same total points earned their career ?
AndrewT said on 14th September 2009, 16:13
that’s right, 571 exactly!
but meanwhile Räikkönen did it in 153 GP-s, Alonso needed 136 for this.
however, their other statistics are almost the same as well:
finished: 110-108
point scoring finish: 92-90
FW11B said on 14th September 2009, 15:22
- Both of Barrichello’s victories this year have come in races were Hamilton was on pole. In fact, of Ruben’s 11 wins only 4 of them he won from pole.
- With this victory, Italy becomes the most sucessful GP for brazilian drivers, with ten wins, surpassing Brazil and the USA who have nine (although the United States is divided into three distinct races). The one year in which a race wasn’t held in Monza, in 1980, was also won by a brazilian (Piquet)
Potiguar said on 15th September 2009, 0:26
And that puts brazilians with 1/6 of all Italian grand prix in history
IDR said on 14th September 2009, 15:37
Off topic:
Santander have renewed the sponsorship agreement with McLaren, just few days after they signed a new mega-agreement with Ferrari.
So…I have a heart-beat: Raikkonen to McLaren next year!
Becken said on 14th September 2009, 19:20
Or, maybe Alonso to McLaren, if we believe in Spanish press reasoning… ;)
Becken said on 14th September 2009, 19:26
Oh, another off- topic, IDR: if we look slightly to your icon, it seems like Lewis´s helmet…
sato113 said on 14th September 2009, 19:40
ha I thought it was at first! a squashed one mind you.
Lustigson said on 14th September 2009, 15:44
According to Michele Merlino of Autosport.com, Hamilton scored Britain’s 200th pole position.
Interesting to note is that the first 50 poles came quickest to Britain, in 9 years (1955-1964), while the wordt period pole position-wise was 1976-1994, with poles 101 through 1950 taking 18 years.
D.G.D. Hill, D.M. Coulthard, J.A.L. Button and lastly L.C. Hamilton have gone a bit quicker, getting to 200 poles in 15 years.
CC said on 14th September 2009, 16:34
Don’t know if this has been mentioned before but what about the largest age difference between pole sitter (lewis) and winner (rubens)
second time that Lewis has been on pole and Rubens has won the race this year. (Monza + Valencia)
Bleu said on 14th September 2009, 18:37
No. Belgian GP 1992 comes to mind with Mansell and Schumacher. (about 15 years and five months)