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Sebastian Vettel ran away from the field in Sunday's British Grand Prix. Vettel won by 20 seconds ahead of Red Bull teammate Mark Webber and Brawn GP best hope Rubens Barrichello, who matched a third-place finish from last year. Vettel and Webber completed their second Red Bull one-two of 2009. Vettel set fast lap about for a clean sweep: pole, race and fast lap.
What difference does eight additional years make at one's craft? Ask Sebastian Vettel. His second full season in Formula One couldn't overcome Jenson Button's decade in the series Sunday. Brawn GP driver Button took advantage of the younger driver's bobble at Turn 9 on Lap 1 to take the race lead then motor away to easy victory in the Grand Prix of Turkey. Button built a 20-second lead before backing off in the final laps to let runner-up Mark Webber halve the cushion.
Oh, yeah, the Englishman snagged fast lap 1 minute, 27.579 seconds, too. "Thank you!" came Button's radio response to his team. "You have built me an absolute monster of a car!"
Jenson Button's entry to Formula One a decade ago was meant to set the world alight -- so much so his autobiography appeared before he had turned a wheel in anger. But lo, victories and titles failed to appear. He struggled with contracts, and then with cars as compatriot Lewis Hamilton wrote the glory story that was to be his.
Now Button's promise has come good. The Englishman won Sunday's Grand Prix of Monaco in a pole-to-flag performance not offered by a Briton since Sir Jackie Stewart in 1973. Button dominated the proceedings, scampering away to lead by as many as 15 seconds and cruising through 78 laps to finish nearly eight seconds ahead of teammate Rubens Barrichello.
The duo posted the third Brawn GP one-two in six races and doubled the team's lead on the constructors field. Button boosted his points total to 51; Barrichello follows on 35.
Ferrari has confirmed that it will not enter next year's world championship unless plans for a voluntary $40 million budget cap are changed. Although the team had expressed private reservations about the rule changes and governing processes for 2010, it finally went public with its intentions in a statement issued following a board meeting at Maranello on Tuesday afternoon.
"The same rules for all teams, stability of regulations, the continuity of the FOTA's endeavours to methodically and progressively reduce costs, and governance of Formula 1 are the priorities for the future," said the statement."If these indispensable principles are not respected and if the regulations adopted for 2010 will not change, then Ferrari does not intend to enter its cars in the next Formula 1 world championship. "Entries for the 2010 world championship close on May 29, with Toyota and Red Bull's two F1 teams having already announced in public that they will not enter if the rules remain unchanged. It is thought likely that the other manufacturer teams will also join a 'boycott' of lodging an entry by the deadline - with only the current independents Brawn GP, Williams and Force India outfits set to apply.
Is it just me, or is this the largest player in Formula One saying “If you don’t play the way I want, I’m taking my toys home and playing by myself” – My opinion, it would be a huge mistake for Ferrari.
Jenson Button, taking the checkered flag just ahead of compatriot Lewis Hamilton, albeit with the current World Champion a lap down, won the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday to chalk up four Formula One victories in five races. Statistics hold that Button's season start has secured the Frome, England, native the 2009 driving title. Twelve races remain.
This first race in Europe represented a chance for a change in the New World Order. Most teams had installed upgrades. But Brawn GP and Red Bull strengthened their positions as the teams to beat.
