Welcome to Badger’s ongoing almanac of the 2009 F1 season where you’ll find details of the World Championship standings as well as a record of every race so far including a brief summary of each grand prix, the results, the Badgerometer (our Top 5) and other points of note.  An easy way to follow all of Badger’s coverage of this fantastic season.  For starters here are the championship tables as they stand right now:

THE SEASON RACE BY RACE

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Formula 1’s first day/night race at the brand new Yas Marina circuit was also the last race of the 2009 season. Far from being the bore that many predicted, Abu Dhabi had one of the most gripping last laps for ages as Button and Webber battled it out for a higher step on the podium. In the end it was a Red Bull 1-2, with Vettel taking his 4th win of the season. The newly crowned world champion, Button, seemed happy with 3rd, and ‘crazy’ Kobayashi delivered 6th place for Toyota in only his 2nd race in Formula 1. And so ends one of the greatest seasons in Formula 1 of all time…

Brazilian Grand Prix

Somebody very wise once said that Formula 1 should simply put Interlagos on wheels and take it all around the world. Badger heartily agrees! Webber won the race, apparently? The real focus was on Jenson Button’s stellar drive for Brawn GP, and his crowning as 2009’s Formula 1 world champion. We also saw Kobayashi’s crazy debut, an impressive climb for Hamilton to finish 3rd, Kovalainen setting fire to Raikkonen’s car in the pits, and Trulli even tried to start a fist-fight with Sutil after they both crashed out! The facilities may be shit, but the racing certainly isn’t at Interlagos!

Japanese Grand Prix

A welcome return for the legendary figure-of-eight Suzuka circuit!  Button flounders, but Vettel pulls himself back into contention with a stunning win.  Button does manage a single point thanks to the combined idiocy of Kovalainen and Sutil who take each other out on lap 13 (lucky for Jenson, apparently!)  No Glock-dog on race day due to a nasty qualifying crash. Talking of crashes… Alguersuari’s nasty collision with an advertising board, and eventually the wall, brought out the safety car with only 8 laps to go. Trulli took 2nd at Toyota’s home race, his best result of the season.

Singapore Grand Prix

F1’s only night race, and you’d be forgiven if you falling asleep for large parts of it! The ‘guaranteed’ safety car duly appeared after Sutil attempted a Grand Theft Auto-style 360 and took out Nick Heidfeld. Hamilton drove a faultlessly perfect race from pole, finishing 1st ahead of Glock (!) and Alonso. Penalties aplenty ruled out the races of Rosberg and Webber, and Button only just made it home to 5th with some seriously dodgy brakes. The rookies (Grosjean, Buemi and Alguersuari) were all clearly way past their bedtimes and swiftly tucked their cars up in the garage. Still, it’s better than Valencia!

Italian Grand Prix

Another Brawn 1-2 finish at Monza, with Barrichello edging closer to Button as the drivers’ championship goes down to the wire. Red Bull have a disastrous race: Webber crashes out and Vettel (somehow) manages to come away with a single point. The Tifosi are pleased with the Ferrari of Raikkonen on the podium at their home grand prix, and Force India prove with Sutil in 4th that they’ve really found the pace at last. And just when you thought it was getting boring… Hamilton loses it on the last lap and the race ends under the safety car!

Belgian Grand Prix

Earlier this year he was known as the ‘ice cream man’ now he’s back as the ice man with F1 with his ’shut up and drive’ attitude giving Ferrari victory around the legendary Spa circuit.   The real winners were Force India – a team who’ve been promising success for the last year and half, but finally delivered with Giancarlo Fisichella taking 2nd place in the race.  Misery for championship leader Jenson Button who crashed out in lap 1 after contact with rookie Grosjean and also his fellow brit Lewis who was taken out on the same corner, also by a rooke – Mr Algursauri.

European Grand Prix

Dull, dull, dull – that’s what all the drivers and fans said about Valencia before the weekend.  After the weekend they’re probably saying much the same with no actual overtaking during the race at all.  One man who was delighted was Mr Rubens Barrichello who stormed to victory, putting BrawnGP back on top of the podium while Jenson Button failed to do anything like that with his motor.  Lewis nearly made it two in a row, but pit stop errors put an end to that dream.

Hungarian Grand Prix

Alonso on pole, Massa in hospital, Renault get suspended, pit crews screw things up, Hamilton wins, and the rookie Alguersuari beats his team-mate Buemi (how embarrassing). Watch out Button! McLaren have turned their ‘dog’ of a car into a winner! As if that wasn’t shocking enough, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen put it on 2^nd ! Could this race be the turning point of the season? Take a pinch of McLaren doing well, a dash of Ferrari on good form, mix well, and then throw in a certain Mr. Schumacher and you’ve one hell of an end to the season.

More informaton: Badgerometer – Badger’s Coverage – Track Diagram

German Grand Prix

Hurrah for Mark Webber! At long bloody last the unlucky Aussie gets his maiden win. Hurrah! But boo for Rubens Barrichello for slagging off his own team after the race. If they weren’t deliberately favouring Button before, they may well do now! Raikkonen once again manages to ruin a good race for Sutil, but Nico ‘Practice Expert’ Rosberg takes an impressive 4th place. So it’s yet another 1-2 finish for Red Bull, but only 5th and 6th for Brawn GP, and with Ferrari back on the ascent no-one can start resting on their laurels anytime soon.

More informaton: Badger’s Coverage – Track Diagram

British Grand Prix

A classic grand prix at a classic circuit. In front of a massive crowd the British drivers do spectacularly badly at Silverstone: Jenson only manages 6th , and Hamilton finishes 16th . Red Bull take an impressive 1-2, and Barrichello is especially ecstatic to have beaten team-mate Button. Flavio declares his love for Bernie, and also admits he may be a ‘lunatic’. Nice. The Ferrari strategist has a good day, clawing up masses of places for Massa. Force India’s Fisichella takes 10th , good stuff. Plenty of great scraps, and KERS is revealed as the hilariously expensive red herring of the 2009 season.

More informaton: Badgerometer(extended) – Badger’s Coverage – Track Diagram

Turkish Grand Prix

Another Jensational performance in Turkey! That’s 6 wins out of 7 races for the superb Schumach… I mean, Button. Team-mate Barrichello admits to his ploughing tactic in races: “I had to force my way around”. Vettel loses the lead to Button on the first lap, and is subject to some blatant team orders later in the race. Toyotas back on form, McLaren looking genuinely dire, and BMW in the points. Shocker. Monaco now looks like a fluke for Ferrari, hauling only 3 points at Istanbul. Not a gripping race at the front, but lots of excitement from the chasing pack.

More informaton: Badgerometer – Badger’s Coverage – Track Diagram

Monaco Grand Prix

Undeniably the most famous, prestigious, and challenging race of the year. No prizes for guessing the winner, it’s a stunning Jenson Button again for Brawn GP. He makes it look so easy, even jogging up to receive his trophy. Ferrari resurgent in 3rd and 4th , Red Bull faltering in their title challenge, formerly strong Toyota hardly noticed at Monaco, Rosberg pulls some moves on Massa and finishes 6th, BMW struggle helplessly on, and Force India almost get points. Flavio watches in dismay from his luxury yacht as Piquet Jr taken out by rookie Buemi, and Alonso only takes 7th .

More informaton: Badgerometer – Badger’s Coverage – Track Diagram

Spanish Grand Prix

Hola! Back in Europe at last, and Brawn GP use their brains to make it another 1-2 finish.  Barrichello has a bullet-like start off the grid on a heavier fuel load, but loses the win to Button after a not-so-great middle stint.  The Trulli-train becomes a spectacular Trulli-train-crash on the first lap, taking out both Sutil and the two Torro Rosso Sebastiens.  Blink and you missed it: Webber pulls a stellar move on Alonso, not one to try at home.  Ferrari no longer really bad, just ‘bad’.  Massa nearly ‘does a Mansell’ and almost runs out of fuel, Kimi’s car gets bored of racing at the back and gives up.  A good day for: BMW’s Heidfeld, 13th to 7th isn’t too shabby, a podium for ‘unluckiest man in F1’ Webber, and homeboy Alonso takes 5th

More informaton: Badgerometer – Badger’s Coverage – Track Diagram

Bahrain Grand Prix

Sand, sun, Eric Clapton, Bernie’s Butlins-esque red jacket… no, its not Bognor Regis, it’s the 2009 Bahrain grand prix!  The sun finally put his hat on at the Sahkir circuit, and Button wins at last without the safety car.  Hamilton makes an astounding KERS-fuelled start, ends up an impressive 4th ahead of the far quicker Brawn of Barrichello.  Luck officially deserts Mark Webber in the desert after getting blocked on his qualifying ‘hot’ lap. Barrichello fumes at Piquet, Button does his best cowboy impression taking the chequered flag, Raikkonen takes home Ferrari’s first points (thank God, err, I mean, Maranello for that), Vettel in 2nd clearly likes riding Kate’s sister, and the usually train-like Trulli makes it to the podium.

More informaton: Badgerometer – Badger’s Coverage – Track Diagram

Chinese Grand Prix

Rain, more rain, post-race ponchos, Kubica mounting Trulli, Vettel winning in a car called ‘Kate’s Dirty Sister’. Seriously, what’s not to like?  Well, perhaps not the safety car start.  Red Bull finally find their wings and fly to 1st and 2nd , despite Toro Rosso’s Buemi crashing into the back of Vettel mid-race.  More of the safety car thanks to a crash by Sutil, tantalisingly close once again to Force India’s first points.  A procession it ain’t.  Ferrari becoming like Britain at Eurovision, ‘nil points’. You simply can’t make this stuff up. Williams and BMW slip dramatically towards the ‘bad’ end of the field.  A solid sort of day for McLaren in 5th and 6th .

More informaton: Badgerometer – Badger’s Coverage – Track Diagram

Malaysian Grand Prix

Half a race, half points, red flags, rain, lightening, thunder, paddles, and a storm brewing over some dodgy diffusers. Button has a poor start, but recovers under difficult conditions to make it 2 wins out of 2 races in 2009. Rosberg looks good in the opening, but suffers a bit towards the end from bad tyre choices. The gloom descends further over the Ferrari garage, still no points, not good. Toyota 3rd and 4th , solid stuff. Brundle and Legard tenuously struggle to fill time while the cars sit on the grid waiting for the restart which never materialises, and the sun begins to set over one of the most eventful half-races we’ve ever seen.

More informaton: Badgerometer – Badger’s Coverage – Track Diagram

Australian Grand Prix

No adverts, new commentators, a new team, new rules, and a new order in Formula 1. No more Ferrari vs McLaren. Brawn GP assert themselves as the brilliant, albeit budget, team of 2009. Somerset driver Button took pole, later winning under the safety car, while fellow team mate Barrichello ‘ploughed’ through the rest of the field to make it an unprecedented new team 1-2 finish. Hamilton proved to us all that he’s a great driver by dragging his useless McLaren into 3rd , but also that he’s a rubbish liar, and was later disqualified. Neither Ferrari finished, nor did Kovalainen, or Piquet (shocker). Vettel and Kubica collided. Shame. A race worth waking up at stupid-O’clock for.

More informaton: Badgerometer – Badger’s Coverage – Track Diagram