Formula One news
Dramatic 1-2 for Brawn GP debut in Australia
29 March 2009 / Results / PhotosThe new Brawn GP team has won a remarkable season-opening Australian Grand Prix following a front-row lockout in qualifying on Saturday. Jenson Button took the chequered flag under safety car conditions in a race full of drama, as Rubens Barrichello's second place completed a dream weekend for Formula 1's debutants.
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| The twenty drivers prepare for the annual photographs |
One of the most anticipated Formula One World Championships ever finally got underway in Melbourne after a longer off-season than usual; conditions remained pleasant on race day morning as they had for the entire weekend, with ambient temperatures fluctuating around 29°C for the duration of the Grand Prix. The Brawn team's front row qualifying confirmed a very unusual-looking grid on Saturday, particularly as World Champion Lewis Hamilton started the race at the back following a five-place penalty for a gearbox change. Toyota elected to start its cars from the pit lane after Glock and Trulli were also relegated for running illegal, flexible rear wing elements during qualifying.
With the Toyotas waiting in the pitlane, Button pulled away comfortably at the start as team-mate Barrichello suffered a terrible getaway, plummiting to seventh place; his optimism to make up lost time was coupled by a chain reaction at Turn 1 as contact from Kovalainen's McLaren pushed Rubens into Webber's Red Bull, in turn forcing the
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| Felipe Massa ducks around the slow-starting Rubens Barrichello |
Australian into Nick Heidfeld. The BMW's spin then forced Alonso's Renault into evacuation across the gravel. Webber's resultant half-spin in the middle of the pack saw him finally collected by Kovalainen, putting Heikki out of the race at the end of the lap with the Red Bull and BMW also out of contention for the remainder of the afternoon.
Button had stretched his lead to a large four seconds by the end of the first lap, with Vettel maintaining the pace comfortably for the first stint of the race. Massa ran third for Ferrari during the opening laps, although compatriot Barrichello was marooned in seventh with a damaged car following minor contact with Räikkönen's Ferrari, who battled for fourth with Kubica.
The first of two safety cars was deployed when Kazuki Najajima lost control of his Williams, putting two wheels over the kerb at Turn 4 - the Japanese driver suffered a heavy impact as the car's front end took off briefly after contact with the concrete wall and a subsequent double spin.
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| The Mercedes safety car led Mercedes-powered Button twice |
Lewis Hamilton had a dramatic afternoon, rising from 18th at the start to 11th by the end of the second lap. An entertaining battle for ninth with 2006 GP2 rival Piquet resulted in the Englishman easily taking ninth, with the Renault later spinning off the circuit on the restart - the Brazilian was the unfortunate victim of a brake failure, narrowly avoiding taking Rosberg with him. Hamilton's charge continued with a late-race incident elevating him to fourth come the finish.
Timo Glock was frustrated by his lack of KERS, as Alonso used the system to maximum effect to stay ahead of the Toyota on the start/finish straight. The German's patience eventually got the better of him as he spun at Turn 15, allowing the Ferrari of Räikkönen through; Alonso's sighting in the mirrors of the approaching Toyota allowed him to carry on with only the slightest of touches from Glock's spinning car.
Ferrari endured a frustrating day with both Massa, followed later by Räikkönen, retiring their cars to the garage in what was another disasterous Australian Grand Prix for the team; the Italians have shown pace with the F60, however, despite this highly disappointing start.
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| The BMW of Kubica makes heavy contact with the Turn 5 wall following a collision with Vettel |
The race was brought to a dramatic close as the battle for second place intensified with just a handful of laps remaining; jostling for second, a collision between Kubica and Vettel at Turn 3 saw both cars inlocking wheels and ending up on the grass before each having their own accidents at Turn 5 as a result of the damage done, ending their races just three laps from home. With the safety car deployed, the German circulated with an errant left-front wheel, only to pull off on the approach to Turn 11 a lap later. With the safety car deployed again, an off for Jarno Trulli at Turn 15 resulted in the Toyota driver then retaking his podium position from Lewis Hamilton - with the race still under safety conditions - which is likely to cause a stir.
The Grand Prix was the first to be finished under the safety car since the Canada 1999; Brawn GP becomes the first constructor to claim a 1-2 on its debut since March in 1970, as Button took the 200th victory for a British driver in Formula 1. Ironically, Brawn has won its first Grand Prix after the outfit - under its past guise as B.A.R - threatened to do so ten years ago.
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