Sunday, April 05, 2009
Brit Rule in Rain
Britain may be known for its rain; just as well, that Button was the man to take glory in a much rain affected Malaysian Grand Prix.
This was Button’s second win on the bounce; however, this was more of a hard fought victory compared to the hugely convincing win at Australia.
Button recovered from a bad start, where he dropped to fourth from pole, to win the Grand Prix after the race was abandoned due to torrential rain.
The Stewards and the FIA made the right decision in calling the race off early due to the heavy rain and the poor visibility.
BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld was second ahead of Toyota’s Timo Glock to complete the podium.
Lying Lewis crept up to seventh to claim his first legitimate points of the season, well we will see.
In a surprising twist, the top eight will only receive half points to make the World Champion board look rather odd.
It was particular good to see common sense prevail for once as safety, and not entertainment, was the prime focus. The introduction of the red flag on lap 51 was welcomed, as it was clear that the race would not fulfil its allotted time.
Malaysia continued the dominance shown by Brawn GP this season and Button remains pinnacle of that.
Despite his poor start, where Williams’s Nico Rosberg, Toyota’s Jarno Trulli and Renault’s Fernando Alonso all sped past him, Button had the control and the speed to reclaim top spot with some impressive manoeuvres.
However, it was the strategy Ross Brawn implemented secured the victory. Button reaped the rewards when staying out for an extra two laps and producing the fastest laps of the Grand Prix. He made the most of that extra fuel that was on board to dazzling effect.
From then on, it was clear that there was only going to be one winner. When other cars were pouring into the pits to stick on the extreme wets, Button established a lead of 18 seconds, all by lap 26. This showed how ruthless Button could be when he is in the position to do just that.
It adds to his character that he is disciplined enough to handle a fast car in horrendous conditions.
Moreover, Ferrari’s poor season got from bad to worse. But don’t smile about it for too long; they will come good eventually.
Kimi Raikkonen, who showed good form in qualifying, was put on extreme wets too early and this caused him to finish 14th. With Felipe Massa finishing outside the points, the reigning constructor’s champions now sit last.
But this weekend, again, belonged to Button.
Keep those Brits proud, Jenson.
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