Button Wins First F1 Title in Brazil Following Barrichello Puncture

Jenson Button overcame his worst qualifying performance of the 2009 Formula One season to collect a vital fifth-place finish; a placing that turned out to be decisive in this season’s Drivers Championship, as Sebastian Vettel and Button’s Brawn team-mate Rubens Barrichello – who started on pole in his home Grand Prix – failed to pick up enough points to take the fight to the last Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. Button started from 14th on the grid, but composure under pressure during an exciting race – coupled with Barrichello’s unfortunate puncture when he was in third place – allowed him to go into the final race of the season assured of his championship title. Barrichello had reason to smile too, though; their combined points also secured the Constructor’s Championship for Brawn GP in its debut season.

Mark Webber of Bull Racing took his second race win of the season at Interlagos, using a medium-medium-super soft tyre strategy in a dry race to finish ahead of Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber F1 Team) and Lewis Hamilton (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes). Hiroshi Yasukawa, director of Bridgestone Motorsport, praised the victorious drivers after the race: “Well done to Mark Webber and Red Bull Racing for Mark’s second win today and many congratulations to Jenson and Ross and all of the team for winning both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships in such fantastic fashion. The story of Brawn GP is an amazing one and many millions of people around the world have seen such an exciting race that definitely added something fascinating to the sport. These were tremendous achievements. We always see exciting races here and enjoy the fabulous atmosphere created by the Brazilian fans.  It’s been a long and hard fought season and we are proud to be the Official Tyre Supplier to this great sport.”

Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone director of Motorsport Tyre Development, said, “Once again Interlagos gave us some surprises, and a thrilling race. Most people expected more rain today, but the race was dry. Many people thought that the super soft Bridgestone would not be durable, but it worked better than predicted. Heidfeld used it at the start and Raikkonen used it twice without major issue. After so much rain yesterday the track was very green so we saw a lot of surface improvement through the race. Lap times were quite slow as the surface was still not at its best, especially in sector two. Well done to Webber, who drove a very controlled race for Red Bull, Kubica and BMW Sauber who used a good strategy for second, and Hamilton and McLaren who showed good patience for third. We are investigating Barrichello’s tyre, as it appears that a puncture caused air loss. It was sad to see Barrichello and Vettel’s championship hopes dashed but well done to winners Jenson Button and Brawn Grand Prix for such well deserved wins.”