2009 Superleague Formula season
# 2009 Superleague Formula season

The 2009 Superleague Formula season was the second Superleague Formula championship. The series was rebranded the "Superleague Formula by Sonangol" for this season and also 2010 with the Angolan oil company becoming the title sponsor. It began on June 28 at Magny-Cours and finished on November 8 at Jarama.

The field remained at 18 clubs for the 2009 season but Beijing Guoan did not return to try to retain the title which they won with Davide Rigon in 2008, however Rigon did return in the car of Olympiacos CFP despite GP2 commitments. In Estoril, María de Villota became the first woman to race in the series and Sébastien Bourdais became the most successful racing driver to enter the series having been dropped by Scuderia Toro Rosso just weeks earlier. Bourdais described Superleague as "the best alternative to F1".

Liverpool F.C., run under Hitech Junior Team with driver Adrián Vallés, were crowned series champions for the first time at the last event of the season.

## Teams and drivers

* All teams competed on Michelin tyres.

| Entrant | Race team | No. | Race driver(s) | Rounds |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Sporting CP | Zakspeed | 2 | Pedro Petiz | All |
| R.S.C. Anderlecht | Zakspeed | 8 | Yelmer Buurman | All |
| A.C. Milan | Azerti Motorsport | 3 | Giorgio Pantano | All |
| PSV Eindhoven | Azerti Motorsport | 5 | Dominick Muermans | 1–3 |
| PSV Eindhoven | Azerti Motorsport | 5 | Carlo van Dam | 4–6 |
| CR Flamengo | Azerti Motorsport | 7 | Enrique Bernoldi | 4, 6 |
| CR Flamengo | Azerti Motorsport | 7 | Jonathan Kennard | 5 |
| A.S. Roma | Azerti Motorsport | 22 | Jonathan Kennard | 1–3 |
| Galatasaray S.K. | Ultimate Motorsport Reid Motorsport | 4 | Duncan Tappy | 1–2 |
| Galatasaray S.K. | Ultimate Motorsport Reid Motorsport | 4 | Scott Mansell | 3 |
| Galatasaray S.K. | Ultimate Motorsport Reid Motorsport | 4 | Ho-Pin Tung | 4–6 |
| Al Ain | Ultimate Motorsport Reid Motorsport | 6 | Miguel Molina | 1 |
| Al Ain | Ultimate Motorsport Reid Motorsport | 6 | Esteban Guerrieri | 2 |
| Sevilla FC | Ultimate Motorsport Reid Motorsport | 18 | Esteban Guerrieri | 3 |
| Sevilla FC | Ultimate Motorsport Reid Motorsport | 18 | Sébastien Bourdais | 4–6 |
| CR Flamengo | Delta Motorsport/ADR | 7 | Enrique Bernoldi | 1–3 |
| Olympiacos CFP | GU-Racing International | 9 | Davide Rigon | 1–3 |
| Olympiacos CFP | GU-Racing International | 9 | Esteban Guerrieri | 4–6 |
| FC Basel 1893 | GU-Racing International | 10 | Max Wissel | All |
| SC Corinthians | Alan Docking Racing | 14 | Antônio Pizzonia | All |
| Atlético Madrid | Alan Docking Racing | 15 | Ho-Pin Tung | 1–3 |
| Atlético Madrid | Alan Docking Racing | 15 | María de Villota | 4–6 |
| Rangers F.C. | Alan Docking Racing | 17 | John Martin | All |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Alan Docking Racing | 19 | Craig Dolby | All |
| A.S. Roma | Alan Docking Racing | 22 | Franck Perera | 4 |
| A.S. Roma | Alan Docking Racing | 22 | Julien Jousse | 5–6 |
| F.C. Porto | Hitech Junior Team | 16 | Tristan Gommendy | 1–3, 5–6 |
| F.C. Porto | Hitech Junior Team | 16 | Álvaro Parente | 4 |
| Liverpool F.C. | Hitech Junior Team | 21 | Adrián Vallés | All |
| FC Midtjylland | Hitech Junior Team | 24 | Kasper Andersen | All |
| Olympique Lyonnais | Barazi-Epsilon | 69 | Nelson Panciatici | All |

* Giorgio Pantano had signed an official deal with Al Ain before the team announced they would not be able to compete in this season. A week later however, they changed their decision and entered the championship with drivers Miguel Molina and Esteban Guerrieri before having Sevilla FC take their place from round 3 at Donington Park.
* Beijing Guoan and Borussia Dortmund did not compete this year.
* FC Midtjylland, Olympique Lyonnais and Sporting CP made their debut in 2009.
* CR Flamengo and A.S. Roma swapped race teams prior to round 4 of the series, with Flamengo switching from ADR to Azerti and Roma going the other way.
* Reid Motorsport took over the cars of Galatasaray S.K. and Sevilla FC from Ultimate Motorsport prior to round 5 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.

### Test/reserve drivers

| Driver | Driver |
| - | - |
| Marko Asmer | Greg Mansell |
| Carlos Gaitán | Paul Meijer |
| Bruce Jouanny | Nelson Philippe |
| Stamatis Katsimis | Jacques Villeneuve |

### Driver changes

Changed teams

* Yelmer Buurman: PSV Eindhoven → R.S.C. Anderlecht
* Craig Dolby: R.S.C. Anderlecht → Tottenham Hotspur
* Davide Rigon: Beijing Guoan → Olympiacos CFP
* Duncan Tappy: Tottenham Hotspur → Galatasaray S.K.

Entering/Re-Entering Superleague Formula

* Enrique Bernoldi: IndyCar Series (Conquest Racing) → CR Flamengo
* Jonathan Kennard: Sabbatical → A.S. Roma
* John Martin: British Formula Three Championship (Räikkönen Robertson Racing) → Rangers F.C.
* Miguel Molina: World Series by Renault (Prema Powerteam) → Al Ain
* Nelson Panciatici: Spanish Formula Three Championship (Hache International) → Olympique Lyonnais
* Giorgio Pantano: GP2 Series (Racing Engineering) → A.C. Milan
* Pedro Petiz: Porsche Supercup (Racing Team Jetstream) → Sporting CP
* Ho-Pin Tung: GP2 Series (Trident Racing) → Atlético Madrid

Leaving Superleague Formula

* Bertrand Baguette: Al Ain → World Series by Renault (Draco Racing)
* Ryan Dalziel: Rangers F.C. → Rolex Sports Car Series (Alegra Motorsports)
* Robert Doornbos: A.C. Milan → IndyCar Series (Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing)
* Borja García: Sevilla FC → Atlantic Championship (Condor Motorsports)
* Stamatis Katsimis: Olympiacos CFP → Greek Rally Championship (Mitsubishi Lancer)
* Alessandro Pier Guidi: Galatasaray S.K. → FIA GT Championship (Vitaphone Racing)
* Tuka Rocha: CR Flamengo → Sabbatical
* Andy Soucek: Atlético Madrid → FIA Formula Two Championship
* Enrico Toccacelo: Borussia Dortmund → Sabbatical
* James Walker: Borussia Dortmund → World Series by Renault (P1 Motorsport)

**Mid-season changes**

* Carlo van Dam replaced Dominick Muermans at PSV Eindhoven at the midway point of the season.
* Franck Perera replaced Jonathan Kennard at A.S. Roma also at the midway point of the season. Julien Jousse replaced Perera to complete the final two rounds for A.S. Roma.
* Enrique Bernoldi was replaced by Jonathan Kennard at CR Flamengo at the Monza round while Bernoldi was on FIA GT Championship duty.
* Duncan Tappy was replaced by Scott Mansell at Galatasaray S.K. at the Donington round. Ho-Pin Tung replaced Mansell after Donington and completed the rest of the season for Galatasaray.
* Miguel Molina was replaced by Esteban Guerrieri at Al Ain at the Zolder round. Al Ain left the series after the Zolder round. Guerrieri represented Sevilla FC at the Donington round.
* Sébastien Bourdais replaced Esteben Guerrieri at Sevilla FC from the Estoril round onwards to complete the season for Sevilla.
* Esteban Guerrieri replaced Davide Rigon at Olympiacos CFP from the Estoril round onwards to complete the season for Olympiacos.
* Ho-Pin Tung was replaced by María de Villota at Atlético Madrid at the Estoril round. María de Villota completed the season for Atlético Madrid.
* Álvaro Parente replaced the injured Tristan Gommendy at F.C. Porto at the Estoril round.

## 2009 Schedule

* The calendar for the season was announced on January 29, 2009.
* Adding to last year's qualifying and race format, a third 'Super Final' race was added to 4 out of the 6 events for the top six points scorers from the weekend's first two races (although it was initially the top three finishers from the two races qualifying – it was changed prior to round 4 of the season). The six cars raced to decide a 'Weekend Winner' and to whom the top prize money would go but no points were awarded for this race.
* Official race commentary on the SF World Feed same from Ben Edwards and Bruce Jouanny for every round of the season. Jonathan Green and Martin Haven have also featured in the commentary box. Ben Constanduros and Warren Pole were the pitlane reporters and interviewers.

### Race calendar and results

| Round | Round | Race | Date | Pole Position | Fastest Lap | Winning Club | Winning Team | Weekend Winner | Report |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | R1 | Magny-Cours | June 28 | SC Corinthians | Tottenham Hotspur | Liverpool F.C. | Hitech Junior Team | Liverpool F.C. (from Race 3 result) | Report |
| 1 | R2 | Magny-Cours | June 28 | | SC Corinthians | A.C. Milan | Azerti Motorsport | Liverpool F.C. (from Race 3 result) | Report |
| 2 | R1 | Zolder | July 19 | FC Midtjylland | FC Basel 1893 | Tottenham Hotspur | Alan Docking Racing | Liverpool F.C. (from total points) | Report |
| 2 | R2 | Zolder | July 19 | | Tottenham Hotspur | Al Ain | Ultimate Motorsport | Liverpool F.C. (from total points) | Report |
| 3 | R1 | Donington Park | August 2 | SC Corinthians | FC Basel 1893 | FC Basel 1893 | GU-Racing International | Rangers F.C. (from Race 3 result) | Report |
| 3 | R2 | Donington Park | August 2 | | SC Corinthians | F.C. Porto | Hitech Junior Team | Rangers F.C. (from Race 3 result) | Report |
| 4 | R1 | Estoril | September 6 | SC Corinthians | R.S.C. Anderlecht | Olympiacos CFP | GU-Racing International | Sevilla FC (from Race 3 result) | Report |
| 4 | R2 | Estoril | September 6 | | FC Basel 1893 | F.C. Porto | Hitech Junior Team | Sevilla FC (from Race 3 result) | Report |
| 5 | R1 | Monza | October 4 | Olympiacos CFP | SC Corinthians | Sevilla FC | Reid Motorsport | Sevilla FC (from total points) | Report |
| 5 | R2 | Monza | October 4 | | Olympiacos CFP | Sporting CP | Zakspeed | Sevilla FC (from total points) | Report |
| 6 | R1 | Jarama | November 8 | Sevilla FC | R.S.C. Anderlecht | R.S.C. Anderlecht | Zakspeed | R.S.C. Anderlecht (from Race 3 result) | Report |
| 6 | R2 | Jarama | November 8 | | F.C. Porto | Galatasaray S.K. | Reid Motorsport | R.S.C. Anderlecht (from Race 3 result) | Report |

* Race 2 starts with reverse grid from finishing order of Race 1.

### Test calendar and results

* There was an initial shakedown of the new car at Magny-Cours, France on April 28, 2009 by the Alan Docking Racing team. Australian John Martin completed laps of the circuit in the updated Rangers F.C. car, before signing up to drive for them. There were further tests at Zolder, Belgium from June 17–18 in which no real pacesetter was obvious, although Dominick Muermans and John Martin put in solid runs to go quickest. Prior to the opening round, most cars tested at Magny-Cours on June 26 in which Adrián Vallés for Liverpool F.C. and Hitech Junior Team was ultimately fastest.

## Championship standings

| Pos | Entrant | Drivers | MAG | MAG | ZOL | ZOL | DON | DON | EST | EST | MOZ | MOZ | JAR | JAR | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Pos | Entrant | Drivers | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | Pts |
| 1 | Liverpool F.C. | Adrián Vallés | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 412 |
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | Craig Dolby | 3 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 382 |
| 3 | FC Basel 1893 | Max Wissel | 10 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 3 | DN | 11 | 9 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 308 |
| 4 | R.S.C. Anderlecht | Yelmer Buurman | 2 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 16 | DN | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 305 |
| 5 | F.C. Porto | Tristan Gommendy | 16 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 1 | | | 7 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 302 |
| 5 | F.C. Porto | Álvaro Parente | | | | | | | 16 | 1 | | | | | 302 |
| 6 | Olympiacos CFP | Davide Rigon | 18 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 17 | 15 | | | | | | | 300 |
| 6 | Olympiacos CFP | Esteban Guerrieri | | | | | | | 1 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 300 |
| 7 | A.C. Milan | Giorgio Pantano | 12 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 17 | 6 | 6 | 15 | 11 | 3 | 14 | 286 |
| 8 | SC Corinthians | Antônio Pizzonia | 4 | 9 | 17 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 14 | 18 | 264 |
| 9 | Sevilla FC | Esteban Guerrieri | | | | | 11 | 13 | | | | | | | 253 |
| 9 | Sevilla FC | Sébastien Bourdais | | | | | | | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 253 |
| 10 | Rangers F.C. | John Martin | 17 | 16 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 16 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 241 |
| 11 | Galatasaray S.K. | Duncan Tappy | 5 | 11 | 9 | 16 | | | | | | | | | 239 |
| 11 | Galatasaray S.K. | Scott Mansell | | | | | 13 | 12 | | | | | | | 239 |
| 11 | Galatasaray S.K. | Ho-Pin Tung | | | | | | | 17 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 16 | 1 | 239 |
| 12 | Sporting CP | Pedro Petiz | 7 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 2 | 9 | 17 | 18 | 1 | 13 | 13 | 215 |
| 13 | A.S. Roma | Jonathan Kennard | 15 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 10 | | | | | | | 211 |
| 13 | A.S. Roma | Franck Perera | | | | | | | 7 | 12 | | | | | 211 |
| 13 | A.S. Roma | Julien Jousse | | | | | | | | | 3 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 211 |
| 14 | FC Midtjylland | Kasper Andersen | 8 | 15 | 13 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 3 | 203 |
| 15 | Atlético Madrid | Ho-Pin Tung | 14 | 12 | 18 | 2 | 9 | 7 | | | | | | | 202 |
| 15 | Atlético Madrid | María de Villota | | | | | | | 14 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 17 | 7 | 202 |
| 16 | CR Flamengo | Enrique Bernoldi | 6 | 8 | 7 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 3 | | | 11 | 12 | 191 |
| 16 | CR Flamengo | Jonathan Kennard | | | | | | | | | 17 | 18 | | | 191 |
| 17 | Olympique Lyonnais | Nelson Panciatici | 13 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 9 | 11 | 160 |
| 18 | PSV Eindhoven | Dominick Muermans | 11 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 11 | | | | | | | 145 |
| 18 | PSV Eindhoven | Carlo van Dam | | | | | | | 10 | 10 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 17 | 145 |
| 19 | Al Ain | Miguel Molina | 9 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | 135 |
| 19 | Al Ain | Esteban Guerrieri | | | 6 | 1 | WD | | | | | | | | 135 |
| Pos | Entrant | Drivers | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | Pts |
| Pos | Entrant | Drivers | MAG | MAG | ZOL | ZOL | DON | DON | EST | EST | MOZ | MOZ | JAR | JAR | | Pts |
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | 2nd place |
| Bronze | 3rd place |
| Green | Finished |
| Purple | Did not finish |
| Red | Did not qualify (X) |
| Black | Disqualified (DQ) |
| White | Did not start (DN) |
| White | Race cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Excluded (EX) |
| Blank | Withdrew (WD) |
| Bold | Pole position |
| Italics | Fastest lap |
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th | 21st | 22nd | DNS |
| Points | 50 | 45 | 40 | 36 | 32 | 29 | 26 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
