Formula One news

Button delighted with Monaco victory

Jenson Button was delighted to have become the second consecutive British winner of the Monaco Grand Prix. The Brawn driver, who claimed his fifth 2009 win from six races on Sunday, now has a sixteen-point lead over team-mate Rubens Barrichello after a sublime performance in the principality.

Out of the lead during only the pit-stop windows in Monte-Carlo, Englishman Button eased off during the final stages of the race in a successful bid to avoiding catching slower traffic. "Before the weekend I said that this Grand Prix doesn't mean anything more than the others, but it was more to stop the pressure on myself!" Jenson admitted. "We know the truth - to win here is fantastic, this circuit is very different to anything else. I struggled at the start of the weekend so it makes it even better to get the victory."

With an 'emotional' victory for himself and the team, Button has failed to win all but one of the races hosted so far this year. "I was surprised when the covers came off and most people were on prime (harder compound) tyres," he continued, about the start of the Grand Prix. "We never thought twice about running the option tyre." The Brackley-based squad elected to retain its pre-determined strategy, however, and begin the race with the Bridgestone Super Soft compound.

"Near the end of my stint I started struggling with a bit of oversteer, not as bad as Rubens did, but my times weren't quite good enough and that's why they called me in…it is very strange feeling because you start backing off a little bit and in reality, as has been said many times before it is the worst thing to do, because you start thinking if I get to the end I am going to win Monaco!"

With a healthy lead over 15 seconds in the closing stages, he eventually backed off in the last minutes. "The last two laps were enjoyable as I had a big enough gap and I knew nothing would go wrong with the car and I could enjoy the moment," he concluded. "It's a very special moment."

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