Reverend
March 29th, 2009, 19:27 PM
Jenson Button secured a dream debut victory for the Brawn GP team after dominating the Australian Grand Prix.
The Englishman led throughout and team-mate Rubens Barrichello completed a Brawn one-two after a dramatic finish.
The Brazilian was promoted after Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and BMW's Robert Kubica collided while disputing second place with three laps to go.
Toyota's Jarno Trulli was hit with a 25-second penalty after the race giving Lewis Hamilton an unexpected third.
Clinching an eventual podium finish from 18th on the grid was a superb achievement for the British world champion, given the woeful performance of his McLaren coming into the race.
But all eyes were on Brawn after the chequered flag, with the success of the former Honda team - whose survival was only secured by team boss Ross Brawn in early March - firmly capturing the imagination of the sport as it enters a fresh era under new rules.
Victorious Button secured the second win of his 154-race Formula 1 career after driving coolly throughout, showcasing Brawn's speed to keep Red Bull's Vettel at bay for the vast majority of the race to eventually cruise to a finish behind the safety car.
"This is a fairytale ending for the first race," said Button.
"Some people may say its a pity the race finished under the safety car but I don't care, I won the race and that's all I care about."
Australian Grand Prix Result:
1. J Button (GB) Brawn
2. R Barrichello (Brz) Brawn
3. L Hamilton (GB) McLaren
4. T Glock (Ger) Toyota
5. F Alonso (Spa) Renault
6. N Rosberg (Ger) Williams
7. S Buemi (Swi) Toro Rosso
8. S Bourdais (Fra) Toro Rosso
Full report: BBC Sport (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7970488.stm)
The Englishman led throughout and team-mate Rubens Barrichello completed a Brawn one-two after a dramatic finish.
The Brazilian was promoted after Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and BMW's Robert Kubica collided while disputing second place with three laps to go.
Toyota's Jarno Trulli was hit with a 25-second penalty after the race giving Lewis Hamilton an unexpected third.
Clinching an eventual podium finish from 18th on the grid was a superb achievement for the British world champion, given the woeful performance of his McLaren coming into the race.
But all eyes were on Brawn after the chequered flag, with the success of the former Honda team - whose survival was only secured by team boss Ross Brawn in early March - firmly capturing the imagination of the sport as it enters a fresh era under new rules.
Victorious Button secured the second win of his 154-race Formula 1 career after driving coolly throughout, showcasing Brawn's speed to keep Red Bull's Vettel at bay for the vast majority of the race to eventually cruise to a finish behind the safety car.
"This is a fairytale ending for the first race," said Button.
"Some people may say its a pity the race finished under the safety car but I don't care, I won the race and that's all I care about."
Australian Grand Prix Result:
1. J Button (GB) Brawn
2. R Barrichello (Brz) Brawn
3. L Hamilton (GB) McLaren
4. T Glock (Ger) Toyota
5. F Alonso (Spa) Renault
6. N Rosberg (Ger) Williams
7. S Buemi (Swi) Toro Rosso
8. S Bourdais (Fra) Toro Rosso
Full report: BBC Sport (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7970488.stm)