Sunday, October 18, 2009
Button Clinches 2009 F1 Championship at Brazilian Grand Prix
As Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber won the Brazilian Grand Prix for Formula one second last round of 2009, the man of the hour was not even on the podium. Brawn GP's driver Jenson Button rose to the spotlight relished his 5th place finish. Though not so impressive by itself, the points finish was more than enough to lock Englishman's hard-earned Formula one title after a Cinderella-like 2009 grand prix season.
After 10 seasons of competition in the formula one world championship, Jenson Button spent much of that time overcoming the excessive hype from his introduction as a 20 year old driver in the 2000 F1 season. Having just one grand prix victory prior to 2009, Button's career looked less than certain after Honda decided to withdraw from formula one after 2008. As Honda's F1 program was bought by the team principal Ross Brawn, Brawn was confident enough on Button's abilities to retain the now 29 year old racer.
Contending with the essentially new team of Brawn GP at the season opening Australian Grand Prix, Jenson Button promise showed in a brilliant performance which would shape the most interesting underdog efforts in Formula One. Outwitting established teams names of McLaren and Ferrari, the Mercedes-Benz engined Brawn stormed to pole and set himself up for victory in Australia. Giving the Brawn GP car a win in its inaugural outing, Button turned heads which had than been focused on Lewis Hamilton or even Kimi Räikkönen. Winning five of the six races following the 2009 F1 season opener, early year tear propelled the team as the top outfit in motorsports in only months.
However, as the season appeared to become a cakewalk for Button and Brawn GP, other Formula One teams applied themselves to the axiom 'standing still is moving backwards'. While teams stepping up their efforts is not a surprise, amazement came from which the fact that Red Bull Racing was providing the greatest challenge to Brawn GP. 22 year old Sebestian Vettel carried the Red Bull Racing flag for 2009 as he held close to Button in the point standings. Rubens Barrichello, who supported the Brawn GP cause with two wins of his own, was also a leading contender as Button's winning ways faded through the season.
Nonetheless, even though Jenson Button has gone winless since early July, he kept logging points with his Brawn Mercedes-Benz to secure the championship with one race left on the schedule.
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