Published: 6:50AM Monday October 19, 2009
Source: Reuters
Source: ReutersBrawn's Jenson Button
Jenson Button and his Brawn GP team were crowned Formula One
champions with a race to spare in an action-packed Brazilian Grand
Prix won by Red Bull's Australian Mark Webber on Monday.
Button finished fifth to become Britain's 10th world champion, with
closest rival and team mate Rubens Barrichello suffering a late
puncture and crossing the line eighth after starting his home race
on pole position.
Button, who belted out an off-tune "We Are The Champions, My
Friends" over the team radio on his slowing down lap, was ecstatic
after a rain-hit qualifying session had left him starting
14th.
"Oh what a race. I am world champion, I am world champion. It's
been such an interesting season," he said, embracing his mechanics
before a congratulatory hug from Formula One supremo Bernie
Ecclestone.
"It is really amazing. Today was such an awesome race and I am
world champion. I never expected to be world champion in Formula
One.
Webber celebrated the second won of his career.
"I think he (Button) can sleep better now because he's been
absolutely bricking it after the last few races," Webber said with
a smile. "He can enjoy (the last race in) Abu Dhabi."
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, the 22-year-old German who had needed
to finish in the top two to have a chance of staying in contention
for the title, took fourth place on a hot and humid afternoon at
Interlagos.
Button, winner of six of the first seven races, now has 89 points
to Vettel's 74 and Barrichello's 72.
Brawn, who had needed only a point to be sure of the constructors'
championship, become the first team to take the crown in their
first full season.
Third place
Poland's Robert Kubica was second for BMW-Sauber with McLaren's
outgoing world champion Lewis Hamilton taking third place from 17th
on the grid at the circuit where he clinched the title in a 2008
thriller.
The safety car was deployed for four laps after chaos on the
opening lap when Force India's Adrian Sutil, Toyota's Jarno Trulli
and Renault's Fernando Alonso crashed out.
Trulli and Sutil, who had been third on the grid, then had a heated
argument on the run off with the Italian clearly feeling more
aggrieved.
McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen finished the race with a stewards'
investigation still pending after he left the pits with the fuel
hose still attached, spraying fuel over Kimi Raikkonen's
Ferrari.
The fuel then ignited, causing a flash fire near the pit lane
wall.
Button, who had prayed for dry conditions after the deluge on
Sunday, was by then on a charge and putting it all on the line,
overtaking Renault's Romain Grosjean, Williams's Kazuki Nakajima
and Toyota's Kamui Kobayashi.
Nakajima crashed spectacularly on lap 31 after touching
Kobayashi's rear wheels.
Advertising