The Williams FW31 was a Formula One motor racing car, designed and built by Williams F1 . The AT&T Williams team used the FW31 to compete in the 2009 Formula One season . The car was unveiled on 19 January 2009 at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve circuit in southern Portugal , and was first driven by the team's test driver Nico Hülkenberg . It was a mid-field runner, in contention for points on many occasions when driven by Rosberg , but rarely contending for podiums. Rosberg could have finished in third position at Marina Bay during the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix if he had not run wide on the exit of the pit lane and received a penalty.
58-506: Rosberg was criticised for failing to achieve a pole position while topping the times in practices on numerous occasions, notably at the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix - the Williams cars had excelled during practice sessions in wet conditions, but did not produce the same level of performance in qualifying. While Rosberg often scored points, and elevated the car to a finishing position that it was considered incapable of, Nakajima failed to score
116-547: A McLaren - Mercedes . Jenson Button finished fifth in his Brawn -Mercedes to secure his first and only Drivers' Championship, while Brawn GP sealed the Constructors' Championship. Local favourite Felipe Massa won the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix for Ferrari as Lewis Hamilton picked up the World Championship for McLaren by overtaking Timo Glock on the last corner of the race for 5th. Massa also won
174-442: A challenge around the outside of the first corner by Rubens Barrichello 's Honda . Michael Schumacher had a decent start from his 10th position on the grid and was on the inside of the two BMW Saubers going into the first corner, but had to back off to avoid a collision. His apparently much quicker Ferrari allowed him to pass both BMWs three corners later as they were slowed by Robert Kubica overtaking teammate Nick Heidfeld on
232-514: A collision as the two exited the pitlane - the Renault driver only just maintaining his position. They reemerged on the track 7th, 8th and 9th respectively, just behind de la Rosa and Heidfeld who had hitherto been contesting 8th place with Heidfeld quicker in the corners but unable to match the McLaren's straight-line speed. Massa closed to within a couple of seconds of lapping his teammate, setting
290-415: A fastest lap of 1:12.8 before pitting on lap 23 at which point he had a 15-second gap to Alonso in second. Massa was stationary for just over 8 seconds and rejoined in third behind Button who was now in second despite having started 14th. Button pitted on the next lap, his 7.9 second stop allowing him to rejoin in 7th comfortably ahead of Fisichella and Barrichello. Alonso made his stop on the following lap and
348-569: A group of four one-stopping drivers, with their ultimate success or failures having consequences on the championship standings given Barrichello's position. Both Hamilton and then Vettel successfully leap-frogged Button after Button's second stop and the Briton was caught behind Kovalainen, though a fading Rubens Barrichello was in a position such that had the race ended there and then, Button would still be declared World Champion. Button inherited sixth position when Kovalainen pitted, while Hamilton managed
406-475: A half seconds on him in a single lap. Barrichello was unable to sustain the pace needed to maintain his lead over Webber, and in the first round of pit stops, the home town driver was passed by the Australian before coming under fire from Robert Kubica. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton — having started seventeenth — had pitted on the first lap and removed the softer tyre compound as his team switched him to
464-406: A one-stop strategy. Other incidents early in the race saw Nick Heidfeld run out of fuel after his fuel-rig malfunctioned, whilst Kobayashi's blocking tactics removed fellow countryman Kazuki Nakajima's front wing, and the Williams driver crashed heavily at the fourth corner. His teammate Nico Rosberg had succumbed to gearbox troubles a few laps earlier. The second stage of the race saw Button leading
522-576: A pass down the inside of Barrichello into the first corner that inadvertently damaged the Brazilian's tyre, causing a puncture and forcing him to pit. He resumed in eighth, with Vettel's fourth placing meaning that, barring a dramatic turn in events, Button would be the 2009 World Champion even if he retired. Mark Webber, who had led unchallenged since the first stops, went on to win the race, with Robert Kubica securing BMW Sauber's first podium since Malaysia . It turned out to be team's last podium, as well
580-428: A point all season and possibly cost the team a higher position in the championship standings than the seventh place they eventually achieved. The Williams FW31 was the first British F1 car to use Esso -branded fuel since 1973, as well as the first Williams F1 car to use Mobil 1 lubricants since 1988 season, as they had been using ExxonMobil brands since 1999. At the first race of the season , an official complaint
638-435: A point to be declared champions, while Red Bull Racing needed to finish first and second in both Brazil and Abu Dhabi with Brawn not scoring in either round to take the title for themselves. GP2 driver and Toyota test driver Kamui Kobayashi replaced Toyota's Timo Glock after tests revealed that he had cracked a vertebra in his qualifying accident at the previous race at Suzuka . Tyre supplier Bridgestone selected
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#1732779653086696-710: A small gap back to Fisichella and Barrichello. Michael Schumacher had moved up to 13th courtesy of pitstops by the Aguris and on lap 31 he moved past Doornbos and closed on Liuzzi who had just been involved in an incident with Heidfeld, whom he had steered into just as Heidfeld was overtaking the Italian into turn 1. The BMW driver's front wing suffered some damage from the contact but he was able to carry on. Liuzzi then pitted leaving Schumacher 11th and just 3 seconds behind Heidfeld. They both advanced one position on lap 33 as Scott Speed also pitted in his Toro Rosso . Up front, Massa
754-457: A steady pattern with the Ferraris still quickest and Alonso closing to within two seconds of Räikkönen's McLaren . Coulthard retired his Red Bull -Ferrari with mechanical problems on lap 14. The first planned pitstops took place on lap 21 with Räikkönen, Fisichella and Barrichello all coming in for fuel and tires. Fisichella's stop was slightly slower than Barrichello's, which nearly resulted in
812-650: The Formula 1 Grande Prêmio do Brasil 2006 ) was a Formula One motor race held on 22 October 2006 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace , São Paulo . It was the eighteenth and final race of the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship . The race determined the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships for the season, with Fernando Alonso and Renault winning their respective championships. The race itself attracted 154 million viewers. The 71-lap race
870-528: The Renaults or Ferraris set a competitive time, with Renault opting just to do one installation lap apiece. Alexander Wurz and Sebastian Vettel completed the top four. Before the race began, Michael Schumacher was given a lifetime achievement award by footballer Pelé . At the start Felipe Massa retained his lead going into the first bend, ahead of Kimi Räikkönen and Jarno Trulli . Championship elect Fernando Alonso kept his fourth position despite
928-454: The 2009 World Championship, becoming the tenth British champion and the first British champion to succeed another since 1969, when Jackie Stewart succeeded Graham Hill as World Champion. He also became the second driver in succession to win a World Championship by finishing fifth in Brazil whilst driving a Mercedes-powered car carrying the number 22. Button used only one chassis over the course of
986-566: The Ferrari's impressive straight-line speed and Schumacher was unable to overtake as easily as he had done with other cars. A thrilling battle ensued as Fisichella defended valiantly, but on lap 62 he braked too late into Turn 1 and his Renault took to the grass, allowing Schumacher to gain in position. Fisichella was only just able to rejoin in front of Barrichello. Schumacher then closed on 4th placed Räikkönen who had been dropping back slightly from Button and Alonso. On lap 64, Nick Heidfeld's race
1044-417: The McLaren and the pit wall. The two cars went through turn one side by side, but Räikkönen finally had to give way into turn 2 as Schumacher forced him onto the dirty line of the circuit. Schumacher continued to chase down Alonso and Button, setting a new fastest lap (1:12.1) on the penultimate lap, but he was unable to catch them in time and Alonso made himself and Renault champions by finishing second behind
1102-534: The architect Oscar Niemeyer and were constructed of recycled plastic bottle tops, collected on site over the course of the Grand Prix weekend, and remoulded at the site's plastic recycling plant. The initiative is to highlight sponsor Petrobras ' green credentials. Cars that use the KERS system are marked with "‡" 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix The 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix (officially
1160-408: The back straight. A little further behind, the two Williams - Cosworths collided as Nico Rosberg hit the back of Mark Webber 's car going into turn 4. Both cars were severely damaged with Webber retiring at the end of the lap with a missing rear wing. Rosberg in turn had another high-speed crash on the uphill main straight: he lost grip and spun heavily into the wall, due to the damage sustained in
1218-418: The deployment of the safety car. The third and final incident took place in the pit lane; after his encounter with Vettel, Heikki Kovalainen pitted, followed closely by Kimi Räikkönen, the latter having damaged his front wing after light contact with Mark Webber. Kovalainen was released from his pit while the fuel hose was still attached, taking it with him and with it, a spray of fuel. Räikkönen's exhaust ignited
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#17327796530861276-530: The earlier contact with his teammate. Rosberg was unhurt but the scattered debris on the track led to the safety car being deployed to allow for the track to be cleaned. Before the safety car came out, Barrichello's Honda was overtaken on the outside into turn 1 by Giancarlo Fisichella . As the safety car picked up the field at the end of lap 2, Massa led Räikkönen, Trulli and Alonso with Fisichella and Michael Schumacher moving up to 5th and 6th respectively. Barrichello, Ralf Schumacher , Kubica and Button completed
1334-580: The elated Felipe Massa, who became the first Brazilian winner in São Paulo since the late Ayrton Senna in 1993 . Giancarlo Fisichella finished sixth to help Renault clinch their second Constructors' Championship. After finishing the race, winner Felipe Massa stopped just after the " S do Senna " to receive a Brazilian flag from a fan, this action had broken Article 154 of the FIA Sporting Regulations, stating that "After receiving
1392-453: The end of the first lap. He proceeded to take Grosjean around the outside at Turn 6 and then Nakajima at the first corner once green-flag conditions resumed, before being held up by debutant Kamui Kobayashi. He was heard on the team radio voicing his displeasure at the newcomer's tactics in defending his line. When he finally cleared the Toyota driver, Button was able to build a lead of three and
1450-487: The end-of-race signal all cars must proceed on the circuit directly to the post race parc fermé without stopping, without overtaking (unless clearly necessary), without receiving any object whatsoever and without any assistance (except that of the marshals if necessary)." In practice, this should have meant Massa being punished, although the rule itself was never put in place. At the end-of-season FIA Gala in December 2006
1508-409: The fifth and final car eliminated. The rains set in after the first session, delaying qualifying until the circuit could be declared safe. Nico Rosberg topped the timing sheets with a lap time of 1:22.828. When the weather had cleared and the cars eventually re-emerged, Rosberg would once again come out on top. The session was almost immediately red-flagged with Vitantonio Liuzzi crashing heavily at
1566-487: The first corner. Unable to set a time, he was subsequently eliminated. Q2 also saw the elimination of championship leader Jenson Button down in fourteenth and behind Jaime Alguersuari , Kamui Kobayashi and Romain Grosjean , the three least-experienced drivers in the field. For the first time since the knockout qualifying system was introduced, the third and final ten-minute session was contested by drivers from nine of
1624-465: The inside on the main straight. Räikkönen was next man to pit, rejoining in fourth - only just behind Button, who was busy lapping Yamamoto and the Spykers. Leader Massa made his stop on lap 52 and rejoined still in front of second placed Alonso, who also kept his position after he came in two laps later (6.8s). Schumacher was now beginning to look threatening to the second Renault of Fisichella and this
1682-568: The kerb, but his front wing appeared to make very light contact with the Ferrari's left rear tyre. Indeed, Schumacher's car began to slide violently in the next corner as his tyre deflated forcing the German to drive the entire lap at significantly reduced speed, and to see the entire field move past him in the process. The Ferrari team took eleven seconds to change all four tyres - taking the opportunity to add fuel as well. When Schumacher rejoined, he
1740-477: The last for BMW as an engine supplier before pulling out Formula One. Lewis Hamilton's pass on Barrichello was good enough to net him third place and see McLaren overtake Ferrari for third in the constructors' standings. Sebastian Vettel was fourth when he needed to be first or second to continue the championship fight in Abu Dhabi , while Button's fifth place from fourteenth on the grid was enough for him to secure
1798-467: The major new rules in 2009. Rosberg proved to be a consistent challenger for points, though he could not clinch a podium finish. It could have been a 2nd consecutive podium finish in Singapore for Rosberg, who was running 3rd before a pit-stop. After the pit-stop, his car ran wide, causing a drive through penalty. The safety car was sent out on track, and he could not serve his penalty until the safety car
Williams FW31 - Misplaced Pages Continue
1856-425: The medium and supersoft tyres for the Grand Prix weekend. Qualifying was dominated by a tropical storm that would interrupt the session for over an hour, and made the session last 2 hours and 41 minutes, the longest qualifying session in the history of F1. The first session saw the elimination of Giancarlo Fisichella , both McLaren cars and championship contender Sebastian Vettel ; Nick Heidfeld joined them as
1914-456: The points. Barrichello was first into the pits when the second and last round of regular pitstops began on lap 46. His stop lasted 8.3 seconds. Schumacher followed on lap 47 having driven 36 laps since his first unscheduled stop. He rejoined in 8th just between Barrichello and the one-stopping de la Rosa. Fisichella did his stop (7.2s) on lap 49. Button was into the pits (7.3s) on the following lap while Schumacher effortlessly passed Barrichello on
1972-505: The post-qualifying car weights revealed him to be the lightest car on the grid. It would also be his final pole and also the last pole for his team. Cars that use the KERS system are marked with "‡" The opening lap was dominated by three separate incidents. Heikki Kovalainen made contact with Sebastian Vettel coming out of the Senna 'S', and while Vettel emerged unscathed, Kovalainen ran out of road and very nearly collected Fisichella, who
2030-470: The previous race in Japan , Alonso was now 10 points ahead of Schumacher in the Drivers' Championship, and would therefore clinch the championship unless Schumacher won the race and Alonso failed to score a point. Felipe Massa went into the race holding third place in the championship, one point ahead of fourth place Giancarlo Fisichella , who in turn could have his fourth place taken off him as Kimi Räikkönen
2088-467: The process. With four laps to go, Schumacher was ready to attack again, but Räikkönen defended brilliantly against superior machinery by taking the inside line for the first turn. The following lap, Schumacher was even closer, drafting behind the McLaren on the main straight. Räikkönen tried to fend off the charging Ferrari and again took to the inside, but this time Schumacher was so much quicker he managed to pull alongside, finding just enough space between
2146-523: The promoters of the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix received the Race Promoters' Trophy for their work in publicising the event. It was also the last race for a V10-engined car to date as Scuderia Toro Rosso eventually switched to Ferrari 056 2.4-litre V8 engines from 2007 season. The bottom six teams in the 2005 Constructors' Championship , plus the Super Aguri team, were entitled to run
2204-559: The race in 2006 , and was runner-up to teammate Kimi Räikkönen in 2007 as the Finn took the World Championship. The World title had been won at Interlagos for the previous 4 years, with Hamilton, Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso (twice) taking the title. Alonso has never won the Brazilian GP, however, with Juan Pablo Montoya and Massa winning the 2005 and 2006 races respectively. Another former Brazilian Grand Prix winner lining up
2262-468: The season (most drivers change chassis several times), having driven it in every practice and qualifying session and race, meaning that he won the World Championship in the oldest car on the grid. Kimi Räikkönen, Sebastien Buemi and Rubens Barrichello rounded out the minor points placings. Felipe Massa was the chequered flag waver in this Grand Prix. The podium trophies were of an unusual three-pronged design and matt-turquoise in colour. They were designed by
2320-404: The spilt fuel in a fireball, but no one was injured and both drivers were able to continue once Brawn mechanics extricated the McLaren fuel hose from Kovalainen's car. Pole-sitter Barrichello controlled the first phase of the race, though Mark Webber and Robert Kubica stayed in touch, just two and a half seconds adrift. Aided by the first-lap incidents and the safety car, Button was placed ninth at
2378-413: The ten teams, the only exclusion being McLaren , with both Hamilton and Kovalainen having been knocked out in the first session; Williams were the only team to field two cars in the final session. Jenson Button 's closest championship rival and teammate Rubens Barrichello took his first pole since the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix at the same track, on a drying circuit with a 1:19.576, but the release of
Williams FW31 - Misplaced Pages Continue
2436-495: The title. McLaren were safe in third place with 105 points, 81 points behind Ferrari and 27 points ahead of fourth place Honda. Meanwhile, BMW Sauber and Toyota were still competing for fifth place, with only one point between the two, but their top 6 position was secure as seventh place Red Bull Racing were 19 points behind Toyota. Räikkönen set the fastest time during the first practice session with 1:13.764. Anthony Davidson managed to take second in his Honda , but none of
2494-457: The top ten, Button having taken advantage of the two Williams retiring and having passed Heidfeld and Pedro de la Rosa . The restart took place on lap six and saw Button move past Kubica on the inside as the two crossed the line only 0.038secs apart. Michael Schumacher was also soon to attack Fisichella's Renault , forcing the Italian to protect the inside line in turns 4 and 5. On the next lap Button went past Ralf Schumacher up to 8th while Massa
2552-436: Was Giancarlo Fisichella , who won in 2003 . The race has a history of home success, with Massa, Ayrton Senna , Nelson Piquet Sr , Carlos Pace and Emerson Fittipaldi winning. Rubens Barrichello aimed for his first win at Interlagos, hoping to improve on his previous best placing of 3rd in 2004 . Massa had targeted a return after injuries sustained in an accident in qualifying in the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix , but this
2610-415: Was 9 points behind him. The final place in the top six of the Drivers' Championship was secure, as the current occupant, Jenson Button , was 11 points behind Räikkönen and 22 points ahead of his Honda teammate, Rubens Barrichello , with a maximum of 10 points available. In the Constructors' Championship, Renault were leading Ferrari by nine points, meaning that Renault had to score 10 points to secure
2668-424: Was a Formula One motor race held at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace , São Paulo , Brazil on 18 October 2009. It was the sixteenth race of the 2009 Formula One World Championship . The 71-lap race was won by Mark Webber , driving a Red Bull - Renault . Webber took his second victory of the season, and the second of his career, by 7.6 seconds from Robert Kubica in a BMW Sauber , with Lewis Hamilton third in
2726-457: Was able to rejoin just in front of Räikkönen but still behind de la Rosa and Heidfeld. Kubica then pitted from second position on lap 26 and dropped to 9th. His teammate followed suit on lap 27 falling behind the two Toro Rosso in the process just as Button was able to slipstream Räikkönen and outbrake him into turn one. Massa now led by 17 seconds in front of de la Rosa, who would not stop until 8 laps later. Alonso, Button and Räikkönen followed with
2784-454: Was called in, ending his chances of a podium finish. ( key ) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap) Driver failed to finish, but was classified as they had completed >90% of the race distance. Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance completed. 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix The 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix (formally the Formula 1 Grande Prêmio Petrobras do Brasil 2009 )
2842-462: Was forced to go the long way around. The second incident took place just two corners later when Jarno Trulli tangled with Adrian Sutil while trying to make a pass coming out of the fifth corner. Both the Toyota and the Force India were eliminated, with Sutil taking out Fernando Alonso in the process when the Renault driver was unable to avoid his out-of-control Force India, an incident which caused
2900-592: Was launched by other teams against the rear diffusers of the Williams FW31, Toyota TF109 and the Brawn BGP 001 saying that they were illegal, but after analysing the cars, the FIA reported that the cars were not illegal. The teams appealed and after much deliberating the car were deemed legal by the FIA. The Williams FW31 was a slight improvement compared to previous FW28-30 cars as the team tried to get used to
2958-417: Was not possible. Massa instead was given the honour of waving the chequered flag at the end of the race. Championship leader Jenson Button needed to finish within four points of teammate Barrichello to seal the 2009 drivers' title. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel needed to finish first or second in order to stay in the running for the title fight. In the constructors' standings, Brawn GP required just half
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#17327796530863016-822: Was only a few seconds in front of his teammate Massa thus being almost a lap down on the race leader. The two Ferraris proceeded to post the quickest lap times with Massa comfortably increasing his gap to Räikkönen in second, while the Toyotas hit trouble with first Ralf Schumacher and then Jarno Trulli retiring in the pits on lap 10. This meant that the order on lap 11 was: 1st Massa, 2nd Räikkönen, 3rd Alonso, 4th Fisichella, 5th Barrichello, 6th Button, 7th Kubica, 8th de la Rosa, 9th Heidfeld, 10th Scott Speed , 11th Vitantonio Liuzzi , 12th David Coulthard , 13th Takuma Sato , 14th Christijan Albers , 15th Sakon Yamamoto , 16th Robert Doornbos , 17th Tiago Monteiro and 18th and last Michael Schumacher's Ferrari. The race now settled into
3074-511: Was over as his BMW's rear suspension failed at the end of the main straight. Waved yellow flags in Turn 1 prevented Schumacher from overtaking Räikkönen on the usual overtaking spot, but Räikkönen made a slight mistake in the hairpin turn 10 and Schumacher pulled even with the Finn in the inferior McLaren. Schumacher was on the outside for the next turn, however, and had to back off, losing some ground in
3132-403: Was pulling away comfortably from his pursuers at the front. His teammate Schumacher tried to move past Fisichella around the outside on the main straight. But Fisichella put up a fight, staying on the inside on the entry into the 1st corner. Schumacher aggressively cut across to the inside into the first corner, trying to force Fisichella to back off. Fisichella tried to avoid contact by moving onto
3190-457: Was significant for the Constructors' Championship—if the Ferraris could finish 1st and 2nd and the Renaults only 3rd and 6th, the two teams would finish equal on points but with Ferrari in front on race victories. With 15 laps to go, Schumacher was under half a second behind Fisichella as they came across the line with Räikkönen only a few seconds further in front. The Renault seemed able to match
3248-415: Was still pulling away, now 23 seconds in front of de la Rosa, Alonso, Button and Räikkönen, who were all still very close together. De la Rosa pitted on lap 35 for his one and only pitstop (10.8s) dropping to 10th. Schumacher easily passed Heidfeld for ninth on the following lap when Heidfeld was forced into the pits again on lap 38 to have the damaged front wing replaced, dropping him out of any contention for
3306-490: Was taken by Kimi Räikkönen , whilst Alonso moved to McLaren to partner rookie Lewis Hamilton . This race also marked the end of the tyre war which lasted 5 years with Michelin pulling out of the sport, It was also the end of two major tobacco sponsorships with Mild Seven and British American tobacco ending their association with Renault and Honda and leaving the sport after this race. Following Michael Schumacher 's engine failure and Fernando Alonso 's victory in
3364-564: Was won by local driver Felipe Massa , driving a Ferrari , with Alonso taking second in his Renault and Jenson Button third in a Honda . Massa was the first Brazilian driver to win his home Grand Prix since Ayrton Senna in 1993 . Michael Schumacher , in what was expected to be his last race, finished fourth, having started tenth and suffered a puncture which dropped him to 19th. Schumacher retired from Formula One after this race, with seven Drivers' Championships to his name, although he would return in 2010 with Mercedes . His seat at Ferrari
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