Webber Wins in Brazil, Jenson Button Becomes World Champion

Mark Webber won his second race in career on Sunday, during the Brazilian Grand Prix, yet it was another driver who crossed the finish line of the Interlagos race with the most intense emotions he had in his life. Jenson Button’s 6th place in Brazil gave the Brawn GP driver his first Formula One title in career, as he secured enough of a point lead towards nearest rival Sebastian Vettel with one race to go in the season.

After the longest qualifying session in history on Saturday – affected by rain, it lasted for more than 3 hours – the Brazilian Grand Prix also recorded one of the most chaotic starts of the race this year. The safety car went in after only a few corners, following Jarno Trulli’s bumping into the rear of Adrian Sutil’s car.

With Kimi Raikkonen also having to stop by the pits due to a damaged front wing, Button traveled from 14th to 9th in the race, after which he set a goal from finishing inside the Top 8 in order to keep the point-loss to leader and teammate Rubens Barrichello to a minimum.

Barrichello came in the pits first from the leading pack, and that eventually affected his entire race. The Brazilian driver regrouped in 8th place and lost a lot of time in traffic, therefore giving new leader Mark Webber plenty of time to increase his lead on top of the field.

From that point on, the Australian driver drove in a league of his own, leaving no room for interpretation regarding the winning driver. Following the several pit stops in the late stages of the race, BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica emerged as a top contender for the runner-up spot, especially after Williams’ Nico Rosberg went out of the race due to a mechanical problem.

Lewis Hamilton eventually scored another podium in 2009, coming at the finish line ahead of championship contender Sebastian Vettel.

With 4 laps remaining, Button was informed from the pits that rain was approaching the Interlagos circuit. However, the British driver managed to cross the finish line with no major incidents, as he was followed by Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi and Barrichello.

“We are the champions!” were Button’s very first words when congratulated by his race engineer after the race. Indeed, the 29-year old scored his and his team’s first championship crown in career, and will travel to Abu Dhabi only for visiting a couple of weeks from now. The battle will now be fought for the runner-up spot in the standings, as Vettel is now 3 points ahead of Barrichello in 2nd place.