Formula One news
Three out of four for Button
26 April 2009 / Results / PhotosJenson Button has taken victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix from fourth on the starting grid. The World Championship leader pulled clear of the chasing pack as Sebastian Vettel and pole-sitter Jarno Trulli completed the rostrum. Champion Hamilton finished fourth as Kimi Räikkönen scored Ferrari's first points of the year.
Jenson Button had strong doubts over his chances in the Bahrain Grand Prix, especially after qualifying fourth on the grid in qualifying. Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock were the men to steal the show on Saturday by taking Toyota's first ever front row lockout, with Sebastian Vettel's heavier fuelled Red Bull lining up third. Temperatures soared to 38°C (100°F) at the start of the race, as weather conditions couldn't have been any different to those in China last weekend.
The Toyotas made a strong getaway although it was Timo Glock who led at Turn 1, with Lewis Hamilton making a lightning start with KERS onboard to charge up to third place before passing pole man Trulli for second. The Italian duly retook the spot at Turn 4, as contact between the first two corners resulted in unscheduled pit stops for Massa, Nakajima and both BMWs.
Button found himself behind Hamilton, as expected, but was able to pass Sebastian Vettel. The Brawn team's key to success, however, was being able to run for longer than those in front to be able to jump the pack after the first round of pit stops. Timo Glock, who led in the opening stint, was the big loser as he was overhauled and ran as low as eighth, eventually recovering to finish seventh, just behind Kimi Räikkönen who took Ferrari's first points under the watchful gaze of company President Luca di Montezemelo.
Despite the many changes made to the cars for 2009, reliability was surprising good in the Middle Eastern summer heat as only Kazuki Nakajima retired in the final third of the Grand Prix, pulling into the Williams garage with technical problems. The race featured several exciting overtaking manoeuvres, the most spectacular of which came from Fernando Alonso on former team-mate Jarno Trulli during pit stop windows in the middle of the race, passing the Toyota around the outside of Turn 4.
Button was able to pull out a lead as big as 17 seconds during the race, thanks to the colossal duel for second between Trulli, Vettel and Hamilton. The World Champion slipped eight seconds behind the pair when using the Super Soft tyres for his last stint, although Trulli continued to chase Vettel right to the chequered flag after the Red Bull driver jumped the Toyota.
Button's third win from four races this year hands him a 12-point lead over team-mate Rubens Barrichello with Vettel a further point behind. The Brawn GP team now leads the Constructors' championship with 50 points, 22.5 ahead of Red Bull which holds second by just a single point from Toyota.
F1 now takes a two week break before returning to Europe where many teams will be introducing major updates to their cars for the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona on 10 May.
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