One-Stopper Seals Brawn 1-2
Brawn GP's decision to put both Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button on a one-stopper may not have given them cause for celebrations after qualifying but they got to spray the champagne when it counted most - after the race.
The one-stop strategy saw both Barrichello and Button move ahead of the leading trio of two-stoppers to take the victory and hand Brawn GP the 1-2.
It also put a rest to cries that the team's Championship leader is starting to crack under pressure as when the pressure was on Button it was Lewis Hamilton who crashed.
Chasing down his fellow Brit, Hamilton had the gap down to less than a second only to put his car into the wall on the very last lap in a rather mean looking accident. Hamilton, though, did walk away unhurt.
The McLaren driver's accident saw Kimi Raikkonen climb onto the podium with the Brawn drivers after the Ferrari driver, for the second successive race, held off a long and arduous chase from Force India's Adrian Sutil.
Fernando Alonso, Heikki Kovalainen, Nick Heidfeld and Sebastian Vettel completed the points.
Results
01 R. Barrichello Brawn GP 1:16.21.706
02 J. Button Brawn GP + 2.866
03 K. Räikkönen Ferrari + 30.664
04 A. Sutil Force India F1 + 31.131
05 F. Alonso Renault + 59.182
06 H. Kovalainen McLaren + 1:00.693
07 N. Heidfeld BMW + 1:02.412
08 S. Vettel Red Bull + 1:05.407
09 G. Fisichella Ferrari + 1:06.856
10 K. Nakajima Williams + 2:42.163
11 T. Glock Toyota + 2:43.925
12 L. Hamilton McLaren + 1 lap(s)
13 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso + 1 lap(s)
14 J. Trulli Toyota + 1 lap(s)
15 R. Grosjean Renault + 1 lap(s)
16 N. Rosberg Williams + 2 lap(s)
Did not finish
17 V. Liuzzi Force India F1 + 31 lap(s)
18 J. Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso + 34 lap(s)
19 R. Kubica BMW + 38 lap(s)
20 M. Webber Red Bull + 53 lap(s)
PlanetF1.com