Back-To-Back Wins For Button In Australia

| Monday March 29, 2010 00:00

Button, who switched from Brawn as the reigning world champion, seized on mid-race brake failure for Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel to storm to a 12-second victory in a highly-eventful second GP of the season.

The 30-year-old Briton cruised away ahead of Polish Renault driver Robert Kubica and Ferrari's Felipe Massa of Brazil to claim his eighth win in 172 GPs and back-to-back Australian victories. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso finished fourth to retain the world drivers' championship lead with 37 points, ahead of teammate Massa (33) with Button improving to third spot on 31.

The big moment in the 58-lap race on the Albert Park street circuit, initially greasy from light rain, came on lap 26 when Vettel veered off the track into the gravel with brake trouble ending his race. Button roared past and was never troubled as he completed the race with his only trip to the pit lane on lap six to change to dry tyres.

'I made the call to pit early because I felt I was going to keep going backwards,' Button said. 'It was a terrible call initially because the pit lane was so wet and after my first lap out on the track I thought it was a pretty catastrophic mistake, but after that I got into a rhythm and I found the dry parts on the circuit and I was able to push pretty hard, and then it was about picking people off when they came out on to the circuit (from changing tyres). It was a nice feeling because they're searching for the grip and I knew where it was and I was able to overtake.'

While it was a triumphant day for Button it didn't prove the same for teammate Lewis Hamilton, after being pulled over by Australian police for wheelspinning his road car.

Hamilton finished sixth but twice had contact from Australian Red Bull driver Mark Webber, on lap 16 and on the second-last lap as the pair were dicing with Alonso.

It was more heartbreak for Webber, who started off on the front row but could not convert it into a cherished home victory at his ninth frustrating attempt and had to settle for ninth place.

It was far from the boring race that drivers had tagged the processional season-opening Bahrain GP a fortnight ago as being, with only 14 cars finishing the incident-packed race in murky conditions in Melbourne. The safety car was called on the track after a chaotic opening lap which claimed three drivers - S_bastien Buemi, Kamui Kobayashi and Nico H_lkenberg - and Alonso's car was spun around after coming in contact with Button and Michael Schumacher on the first corner. Schumacher was forced to pit to replace a damaged front wing and the seven-time world champion never threatened, finishing 10th and lying in eighth place in the championship with nine points. Button now has renewed zest with victory, heading into the third round in Malaysia. (SUPERSPORT)