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Sunday, March 29, 2009

Button converts pole into Grand Prix triumph

Jenson Button celebrates on the podium.

Jenson Button celebrates on the podium.
Photo: John Donegan

Briton Jenson Button won the Australian formula one Grand Prix as his fledgling team Brawn GP debuted in remarkable one-two style on Sunday.

Button survived an incident-filled race at Melbourne's Albert Park to convert pole position into just his second Grand Prix victory in 154 starts.

The 29-year-old was never headed in the 58-lap race, beating teammate Rubens Barrichello and Toyota's Jarno Trulli.

Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton finished fourth in his McLaren.

The race finished behind the safety car after Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel and BMW-Sauber's Robert Kubica first collided, then crashed separately, when running second and third respectively with three laps remaining.

Australian Mark Webber had a nightmarish start to his home town race.

He was caught up in a first corner skirmish with several other drivers, causing substantial damage to his Red Bull car and forcing him into an early pit stop which wrecked his hopes of earning championship points.

Webber emerged from the pits a lap down.

But he eventually finished 13th - the last of the cars to survive the race.


Collated results from the Australian Grand Prix here today (58 laps):

1. Jenson Button (ENG/BRA) 1hr 34min 15.784sec

2. Rubens Barrichello (BRA/BRA) +0.807

3. Jarno Trulli (ITA/TOY) 1.604

4. Lewis Hamilton (ENG/MLA) 2.914

5. Timo Glock (GER/TOY) 4.435

6. Fernando Alonso (ESP/REN) 4.879

7. Nico Rosberg (GER/WIL) 5.722

8. Sebastien Buemi (SUI/TOR) 6.004

9. Sebastien Bourdais (FRA/TOR) 6.298

10. Adrian Sutil (GER/FOR) 6.335

11. Nick Heidfeld (GER/BMW) 7.085

12. Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA/FOR) 7.374

13. Mark Webber (AUS/RBR) 1 lap

14. Sebastian Vettel (GER/RBR) 2 laps

15. Robert Kubica (POL/BMW) 3 laps

nc. Nelson Piquet (BRA/REN) 34 laps

nc. Kazuki Nakajima (JPN/WIL) 41 laps

Note: other drivers were not classified

Original here

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