Brawn GP’s Jenson Button won the rain-shortened Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix, curtailed Sunday after a tropical storm hit the Sepang circuit.
Nick Heidfeld in his BMW Sauber came second, benefiting from pitting only once to Button’s four times in a race that became a lottery. Timo Glock in a Toyota was third.
It was finally halted after 32 laps as rain pelted down, lightning flashed around the circuit and visibility deteriorated, the first time since Brazil in 2003 that a race has been called off due to weather.
There was, though, a brief scare for Button on the starting grid, with a new nose needing to be fitted to his BGP 001 after the one already on the car had been left out in the rain, damaging the electrics inside, but the British star kept his calm – and he would maintain that composure race-long, as his deft touch in treacherous conditions paid off generously and earned the world championship leader a second successive victory this year.
“What a crazy race, it really was,” said Button.
“Choosing the tyres was very difficult, because normally here when it rains it pours, but it didn’t to start with.
“We went for the full wet tyre and it destroyed itself, and then I saw Timo (Glock) flying up behind us with the inter, so we put the inter on.
“Just as he came by I saw his tyres were bald and it was raining out the back, so he was struggling quite a lot and had to pit.
“My start was pretty bad,” he admitted.
Toyota’s Jarno Trulli came fourth, Rubens Barrichello in the other Brawn was fifth and Mark Webber in the Red Bull was sixth.
World champion Lewis Hamilton picked valuable points by coming seventh with Nico Rosberg filling out the top eight.
However, the drivers and constructors only get half the usual number of points with the race halted at less than three-quarter distance.
With black clouds threatening rain, the race got off to a sensational start with pole-sitter Button half asleep as the lights turned green.
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