2009 Turkish Grand Prix: Button Extends Lead With Simple Victory

Championship leader Jensen Button extended his lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship as an uneventful and text book drive saw the British driver take his sixth win from seven races this season.

Starting from second on the grid, Button took full advantage of a Sebastian Vettel mistake in the first lap, and never looked back, leading for the rest of the race.

Qualifying had brought few surprises, with the top four spots occupied by Brawn and Red Bull, with the improved Ferrari behind them in sixth and seventh respectively.  Defending World Champion Lewis Hamilton had a disaster in Q1 and for the second time in two races he failed to make Q2 and started way back on the grid.

As the race started Vettel managed to hold on to his pole position, closely followed by Jensen Button, but Ruebens Barrichello was the biggest mover, as a mistake looked to activate his anti-stall system and he lost around ten grid places.

With the pole driver winning every single Turkish race in the past, Vettel must have been very pleased to hold onto his lead from the grid, but a mistake in turn nine of the first lap, where he went wide and off the track, allowed Button to pass and take the lead.

The Championship leader took full advantage and sped away from Vettel at over half a second per lap, but while everyone was watching a Brawn car, it was that of Ruebens Barrichello, who was battling with Hiekki Kovaleinnen for 11th place.

In a battle that reminded everyone why they love Formula 1, Barrichello used his faster car to pass the Fin’s McLaren, who was using his skill and KERS system to regain position.  The battle continued until Barrichello spun and lost several places.

The Brazilian, who is second in the Championship, started making up the places immediately, easing his was past Lewis Hamilton, who, unlike his McLaren team mate was unable to show any resistance, which perhaps sums up his season.  Barrichello’s quest to get into the points was all but ended however, and he clashed with Adrian Sutil and was forced into the pits to replace his front wing.

The Brazilian later became the first Brawn retiree of the season.

As the first round of pit stops came, all eyes were back on the leaders, and despite a slight mistake from fourth place Jarno Trulli the pit stops were uneventful, but the laps that followed were crucial.

Sebastian Vettel, on a three stop strategy came out a lot lighter than leader Jensen Button and caught up with the Englishman very fast, but crucially he was unable to make the most of his advantage and pass the leader, effectively rendering the strategy useless.

This left the door open for his team mate, Mark Webber, who was using a two stop strategy, to move up from third into second as Vettel made an extra pit stop.

With Button now holding a twenty second lead over the two Red Bull cars, attention turned to the race for second place, as the young German Vettel gained on team mate Webber in the closing stages, only for the battle to be called off by the Red Bull team as the last few laps of the race turned into more of a parade for the leaders, with all three drivers trying to save their engines to maximise their life.

Red Bull, and especially Sebestian Vettel will be bitterly disappointed with the result that saw Button extend his Championship lead to twenty six points, although both Red Bull drivers made up valuable ground on second place Ruebens Barrichello.

BMW Driver Robert Kubica picked up his first points of the season, finishing in seventh, behind Trulli, Rosberg and Massa in P4, P5, and P6 respectively.  Timo Glock completed the points positions.