A RARE error by the invincible Sebastian Vettel on the last lap handed Jenson Button a brilliant victory at the Canadian Grand Prix. Button recovered from clashes with team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso during the four hour epic to record a sensational victory for McLaren in Montreal last night. His searing pace on slick tyres, on an ever-drying track was the key to the 2009 world champion securing his first victory since China 2010. Vettel still finished second to increase his championship lead, with Mark Webber coming home in third to notch up another double podium result for Red Bull Racing.
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| TOUCH: McLaren drivers connect, ending Hamilton's chances |
The race nearly ended in disaster for McLaren, as their two British drivers unbelievably collided on lap eight of the race. Following a Safety Car start, due to the inclement weather conditions, Lewis Hamilton was already behind Button, after he spun Webber around on the restart at the first bend. Button got out of shape in the final chicane, allowing Hamilton the opportunity to pull alongside on the finishing straight. However, an oblivious Jenson moved across to take his normal racing line and the pair contacted, with Hamilton hitting the pitwall and Button. Lewis was out with damage to his rear suspension, which is a surely the final nail in the coffin of his already slim world championship hopes.
After a drive-through penalty for exceeding the Safety Car speed limit, Button moved onto intermediate tyres and for a while, it seemed to be the right lottery ticket. His ability to overtake cars in the midfield had several drivers including Alonso, to be triggered into making the switch. However, it was a liable move, as a rainstorm of biblical proportions, more akin to Malaysia than Montreal, doused the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on lap 18. After five slow circuits behind the pace car, race director Charlie Whiting suspended the race until conditions drastically improved. In fact, they got worse, and there was immense frustration for the millions of television viewers, drivers and celebrity fans, including Rihanna, who could only wait for the show to get going again.
Two hours, ten minutes later and the track looked to be in a racing state and following five more Safety Car laps, racing resumed. Vettel led Kamur Kobayashi’s Sauber and the Ferrari of Felipe Massa. Massa’s team-mate Alonso had to queue for intermediate tyres when proper racing got underway again, and seconds later, the Spaniard was out of the race. He didn’t see a faster Button on the inside of turn three, turned in and contact was inevitable. Alonso ended up beached on the kerb to record his first DNF since Spa last August, whilst Jenson had to tour back to the pits with a puncture. Behind another Safety Car, it left the Brit 21st and dead last, and with half the race already gone, his awful afternoon so far looked completed.
However, he took the brave decision to move onto slick tyres quicker than most of the frontrunners. Adrian Sutil was the guinea pig, but he whacked his Force India into the barriers, so Button benefited the most and flew up the order as the rest had to pit for suitable rubber. All of the sudden, Jenson was an amazing fourth behind another Safety Car, with just Vettel, Michael Schumacher’s Mercedes and Webber ahead of him. Massa had taken himself out of contention by spinning into the wall whilst lapping the Hispania of Vitantonio Liuzzi, and Nick Heidfeld had clipped Kobayashi in turn two, then made a spectacular exit seconds later, as his damaged Renault front wing collapsed under braking for turn three. The debris from his car meant a sixth Safety Car period of the afternoon. Kobayashi’s podium chances were already ruined as he stayed out the longest on worn intermediate tyres.
So, we were set up for the grandstand finish that everyone had been deprived of in Monaco. Vettel pulled away with ten laps remaining, whilst Schumacher, Webber and Button got locked into an intense scrap for second spot. Without DRS, Schumacher was powerless to resist the faster Red Bull and McLaren driver, despite his best efforts. Before having to give way, Webber had a moment out of the final chicane on some damp track and nearly wiped Button out.
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| STUNNER: Button's wide smile said it all on the podium |
Clear of those two drivers, Button hunted down Vettel, lapping some two seconds faster than the German. On the final tour, Sebastian put a wheel on a damp patch in turn six, nearly spun his Red Bull and Button flashed by in an instant to record his greatest Grand Prix success so far. His reaction afterwards could tell everyone how thrilled he was and Vettel’s reaction on the podium spoke volumes.
Schumacher produced the best drive of his failed comeback so far, and deserved a podium for his efforts. Fourth is still Mercedes GP’s best result of the season. There was more drama on the last lap, as Massa pipped Kobayashi right on the line to wind up a frustrated sixth and seventh. Ahead of them, Vitaly Petrov stayed out of trouble to record a solid fifth place result for Renault. Jaime Alguesuari produced a career-saving performance to come home eighth, the best finish of his career. As in Monaco a fortnight ago, Rubens Barrichello and Sebastian Buemi completed the point’s scorers. There was immense frustration for Paul di Resta, who looked good for fifth place at one point. However, a botched overtaking attempt on Heidfeld at the final chicane left the young Scot with a damaged front wing, a drive-through penalty and a late retirement with suspension problems.
The Canadian Grand Prix was a race full of drama and produced one of the best comebacks ever seen in the history of the sport. Sebastian Vettel can be beaten, and it has now been proven. On a bad weekend for British drivers, with Allan McNish’s horror Le Mans crash and Hamilton’s messy afternoon, Jenson Button survived his own mess to produce a fantastic result. Valencia in a fortnight’s time will do well to serve up half the excitement Montreal managed to produce.
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