Button takes the title, Webber wins in Brazil!
The opening laps of the Brazilian Grand Prix certainly made life easier for Jenson Button in his championship quest, but when Brawn Mercedes team-mate Rubens Barrichello exited the pits behind both Mark Webber and Robert Kubica, Button all but had the title.
As Felipe Massa waved the chequered flag on lap 71, Button crossed the line in fifth position and claimed the drivers’ championship for himself and the constructors’ championship for the Brawn Mercedes team.
“That deserved it, that race,” beamed the delighted Button. “I love winning but I never expected to be world champion in F1, but we did it today.”
The championship had been a long time coming for Button, but an aggressive drive from 14th position on grid featuring great passing on a day when Barrichello was unable to capitalise on his pole position, sealed his title.
Mark Webber claimed his second career victory in sunny Interlagos having started second behind Barrichello. The Red Bull racer shadowed the Brazilian veteran during the first stint of the race and while Barrichello was able to pull a three-second gap, his early stop cost him dearly as both Webber and Robert Kubica exited the pits ahead of the home-town hero.
Webber drove a flawless performance to add Brazil to his Nurburgring victory, taking the chequered flag eight seconds clear of Kubica in his BMW Sauber. Fittingly, the out-going champion Lewis Hamilton also put in a great performance from 17th position on the grid to finish in third position.
"It’s nice to get another one, but probably Nurburgring was a little bit better, because it was a big relief more than anything," Webber said. "This one was more of a controlled fashion I suppose.
"Every car has its strengths and weaknesses and Brawn, obviously, have some strengths and a few weaknesses here and there. JB’s done a good job, so I’d like to congratulate him and Brawn as well. I think he will sleep better now, because he’s been incredibly nervous, there’s no question about that. He’s been absolutely bricking himself the last few weeks, so he can sleep better now, and all of us can go to Abu Dhabi and just enjoy the new race there."
The start of the race saw Heikki Kovalainen tipped into a spin Sebastian Vettel at the second turn forcing Giancarlo Fisichella to take to the grass. Further up the road, Kimi Raikkonen had made a lightening getaway from fifth position on the grid to slot into third position.
Still using the KERS advantage, Raikkonen ducked out to pass second-placed Webber heading for turn four only for the Australian to block his path. With his front wing badly damaged and the left rear tyre deflating, Raikkonen was forced to back off, slowing Adrian Sutil.
Sniffing a chance of progress, Jarno Trulli tried to pass the Force India driver around the outside at turn five but struck the back of the VJM02. Trulli was out of the race on the spot as Sutil careered back onto the circuit, eliminating the innocent Fernando Alonso and bringing out the sole safety car period of the race.
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This was good news for Hamilton who was able to pit, switch to the more durable prime tyres and importantly top off on fuel. In the first lap chaos, Kovalainen returned to the pits for fuel, but exited his pit box with the fuel hose still attached and spraying the unfortunate Raikkonen with fuel as he made his way down the pit lane.
A brief flash fire that engulfed the Ferrari did not deter Raikkonen as he continued on his way to an impressive sixth position while Kovalainen was given a helping hand by the Brawn mechanics to send him on his way to an eventful ninth place finish.
Sebastian Vettel charged from 16th position on the grid to finish in fourth position, but his slim championship hopes were effectively dashed in the rain during Saturday's qualifying while Button finished the race in fifth position ahead of Raikkonen. Vettel’s charge however moved him second in the championship, but that is unlikely to mean a great deal to the German racer.
Sebastien Buemi drove a great race for Toro Rosso to finish in seventh position ahead of the ever unfortunate Barrichello.
Exiting the pits in third position, Barrichello knew his championship hopes were all but over, while his middle stint of the race saw his pace drop over half a second a lap allowing Hamilton to pass for the final podium position. Light contact between the two saw Barrichello heading back to the pits with a left rear puncture on lap 64 and the title chase was all over for the popular Brazilian who finished eight.
With Kovalainen ninth, Kamui Kobayashi made an impressive debut for Toyota and has arguably cemented his position in the team for next season with a tenth place finish. Aggressive from the outset, the Japanese driver fended off the attentions of Button early in the race with good effect. His defensive tactics may have been questionable as countryman Kazuki Nakajima found out, as he lost his front wing and subsequently crashed his Williams out of the race.
Giancarlo Fisichella was 11th in his penultimate race and based on his recent performance, he is looking forward to retirement from competition at Ferrari. Tonio Liuzzi finished 12th ahead of Romain Grosjean and Jaime Alguersuari.
It was a perfect day for race winner Webber but on Sunday afternoon, Button’s dreams came true as he clinched the Formula One World Champion with one race to spare.
"It's really amazing," said Button, who sang We are the champions over his radio after crossing the finish line, and then began yelling at the top of his lungs out of sheer joy: "My voice has gone!"
Jenson Button - World Champion!
Earl ALEXANDER
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