Button triumphs Down Under

Button: Resurgent

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Jenson Button has completed his amazing resurgence by winning the Australian Grand Prix, the opening race of the 2009 Formula One season.

The Englishman, whose F1 career was in the balance following Honda's withdrawal from the sport late last year, led home team-mate Rubens Barrichello in Melbourne as the new Brawn GP team celebrated a one-two finish in their first race.

Button's victory was the second of a career now entering its 10th season and also the first time since Jody Scheckter won the 1977 Argentine Grand Prix for Wolf that a team has triumphed in its debut race.

The last time a new team captured the top two places was when the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio led home Karl Kling for Mercedes in the 1954 French Grand Prix.

Starting from the pitlane at Albert Park after Toyota were penalised for running flexing wings in qualifying, Jarno Trulli finished third on the road while, starting 18th, World Champion Lewis Hamilton came home fourth.

However, Hamilton was later promoted to third after the Italian received a 25-second penalty for illegally overtaking the McLaren Mercedes driver late in the race.

With Trulli demoted to 12th, team-mate Timo Glock finished fourth, ahead of Renault's Fernando Alonso and Williams driver Nico Rosberg, while Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi led home team-mate Sebastien Bourdais to claim two Championship points on his debut.

Starting from pole position, Button led from start to finish, although he was placed under pressure in the closing stages from Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica.

However, the latter pair both retired after colliding with just three laps remaining, allowing Barrichello into second place behind his team-mate.

The Brazilian had a rather more eventful race than Button - who streaked away at the lights while Barrichello, starting second, almost stalled.

Melee

He fell to seventh place at the first corner as a result and also damaged his front wing after colliding with both Red Bull's Mark Webber and BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld.

McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen joined the melee and retired as a result, with Webber needing a new front wing and Heidfeld suffering a puncture.

Meanwhile, Button quickly built a four-second lead over Vettel, Ferrari's Felipe Massa, Kubica, Kimi Raikkonen and Rosberg.

The pace of Brawn GP's car was emphasised by the fact that both Button and Barrichello qualified heavy on fuel, meaning the race leader pitted later than his main rivals.

Button's stop came just after Kazuki Nakajima had crashed his Williams on lap 18, bringing out the safety car.

His advantage over Vettel - who had stopped two laps earlier - was therefore wiped out.

However, he quickly pulled away once more after the safety car peeled in on lap 24 and was over five seconds clear nine laps later.

Meantime, after making his opening stop on lap 12, Hamilton had climbed into the points by lap 33 and up to fifth before his second stop on lap 43.

He rejoined 10th ahead of Massa - the reasonably strong start Ferrari had made to the race about to come undone.

Raikkonen fell to 16th after spinning on lap 45 and clipping a wall - the Finn retiring late on - while Massa, who had run as high as third, retired one lap later with a broken front wing.

Lap 46 saw race leader Button make what seemed a slow final stop. Nevertheless he rejoined just over a second clear of Vettel.

Barrichello was by now third ahead of Kubica but pitted with seven laps left. He rejoined fifth behind Rosberg and passed him one lap later.

The Williams was struggling for grip in the closing laps - Trulli passing Rosberg for fifth on lap 54, with Hamilton getting past soon after before also taking the Toyota.

With four laps remaining, Button led Vettel by 2.5s with Kubica a further 1.3s behind.

Late bid

The Pole made his bid for second place at turn two on lap 55 but, attempting to pass around the outside, he and Vettel collided.

The German promptly spun and hit the wall while, with his front wing missing, Kubica did the same three corners later.

Vettel then tried to reach the pits on three wheels, a decision which has cost him a 10-place grid penalty for next weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix.

As Trulli passed Hamilton under yellow flags - the manoeuvre for which he was penalised - the safety car came out for a second time, before peeling away at the final corner to allow Button to cruise to the chequered flag.

However, the result remains subject to an FIA Court of Appeal ruling on April 14 following a protest lodged by Ferrari, Renault and Red Bull earlier in the week.

The trio of teams appealed against a stewards' decision in deeming the cars of Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams legal in relation to their rear diffusers.

Toyota also said they would protest the penaltty handed down to Trulli.

Australian Grand Prix, result:

1 Jenson Button (Gbr) Brawn GP 1hr 34mins 15.784secs, 2 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Brawn GP 1:34:16.591, 3 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 1:34:18.698, 4 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 1:34:20.219, 5 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:34:20.663, 6 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams 1:34:21.506, 7 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:34:21.788, 8 Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:34:22.082, 9 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India 1:34:22.119, 10 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:34:22.869, 11 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India 1:34:23.15, 12 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:34:42.388, 13 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull at 1 lap, 14 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull at 2 laps, 15 Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber at 3 laps, 16 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari at 3 laps
Not Classified: 17 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 45 laps completed, 18 Nelson Piquet Jr. (Bra) Renault 24 laps completed, 19 Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams 17 laps completed, 20 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren 0 laps completed

Leading World Championship Standings After Australian Grand Prix:

Drivers: 1 Jenson Button (Gbr) Brawn GP 10pts, 2 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Brawn GP 8, 3 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 6, 4 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 5, 5 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 4, 6 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams 3, 7 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 2, 8 Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1
Manufacturers: 1 Brawn GP 18pts, 2 McLaren 6, 3 Toyota 5, 4 Renault 4, 5 Scuderia Toro Rosso 3, 6 Williams 3

Fastest Lap: Nico Rosberg, 1:27.706, lap 48.