Jenson Button wins world title

• Briton seals championship after steady drive to fifth position• Pole-sitter and team-mate Barrichello suffers bad luckJenson Button has secured his maiden Formula One world championship for Brawn GP in the penultimate race of the season as Red Bull's Mark Webber won the Brazilian Grand Prix.Button took fifth place as his team-mate and rival Rubens Barrichello finished eighth and Sebastian Vettel - the only other driver capable of winning the crown - finished in fourth position."It's really amazing," said Button. "That was just such an awesome race - I deserve the title after that race! 21 years ago I jumped in a car and I loved winning. I never expected to be world champion in Formula One but I've done it today."Team boss Ross Brawn, who also watched the outfit secure the constructors' title in its first season, said: "Jenson's a fantastic racer and he knew what he had to do today. He deserves everything he's got."Webber, who had been running second in the early stages, took the lead after his first stop and did not relinquish it as the Red Bull proved the quickest car around Interlagos. Barrichello's grip on the race was loosened when he lost places after his first stop, crucially to BMW's Robert Kubica, who finished second. The Brazilian, who had started from pole position, lost third place with ten laps to go as a storming Lewis Hamilton - who started from 18th place after a disaster in the rain-hit qualifying session - benefitted from an early safety car period. Barrichello then suffered further disappointment with a puncture in the dying laps, being forced to pit and rejoin in eighth.Button had also benefitted from the safety car to make up places early on, showing his determination with a great move to pass Renault's Romain Grosjean after which he also picked off Williams' Kazuki Nakajima. Button pitted for the first time on lap 29, a clean stop bringing him out in tenth with two cars ahead still to pit. A fantastic move on Sebastien Buemi a few laps later, outbraking him into turn one, brought Button seventh place. Barrichello, lying fourth, had all the work to do but his race unravelled and he was unable to keep his title hopes alive.Vettel had done his best to stay in the hunt by taking a very long first stint and would be satisfied with his fourth place, even though Button's finishing position meant the title was out of his grasp. Given Barrichello's bad luck, it meant the Red Bull driver overtook him for second in the standings with a race to go.The opening laps of the grand prix were filled with incident as first an off-track fight almost erupted between Jarno Trulli and Adrian Sutil. Replays appeared to show Force India's Sutil forcing Trulli wide onto the grass, causing the Toyota to lose control and slide off into the barriers, tagging Sutil along the way. Sutil also ended up in the gravel trap and had to face a fuming Trulli in a discussion that almost became physical.A lap later Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was caught in a flash fire in the pit lane. The Finn had pitted to receive a new nose cone after tagging the back of Red Bull's Mark Webber. Ahead of him, earlier spinner Heikki Kovalainen was leaving the pits but with the fuel hose still attached to his McLaren. Fuel sprayed over the hot Ferrari, which was briefly engulfed in flames, although Raikkonen was unhurt and carried on.Final points standings:Jenson Button, 89Sebastian Vettel, 74Rubens Barrichello, 72Formula OneMotor sportJenson ButtonBrawnGemma Briggsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Jenson Button suffers qualifying blow

• Button to start from a season-low 14th, Lewis Hamilton 12th• Fisichella gives Force India their first Formula One poleJenson Button's Formula One world title hopes suffered a crushing blow in a bizarre qualifying session for tomorrow's Belgian grand prix. For the first time this year the championship leader failed to make it into the top-10 shootout, with the 29-year-old down in a season-low 14th.In a remarkable hour at the Spa circuit, Giancarlo Fisichella - the man being touted to replace the hapless Luca Badoer at Ferrari - gave Force India their first F1 pole, although it remains to be seen how much fuel is in the car. It is the veteran Italian's fourth pole of his career, and his first since Malaysia in 2006, with Toyota's Jarno Trulli second, BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld third and Button's Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello fourth.Fisichella, whose previous best grid slot this year was 13th, was unable to explain his performance. "Pole position is amazing, fantastic," remarked the 36-year-old. "I'm so happy and thanks to the team who have done a great job. It's a remarkable result. I've shown what I can do. This is one of my favourite circuits, but I didn't expect to be on pole, in particular considering the budget of our team."Button offered a simple explanation for his poor display, conceding he "wasn't fast enough." He added: "It is pretty disastrous for tomorrow really. It's going to make it very difficult. I didn't have any pace on the soft tyres and every time I hit the brakes, the rear would move. I did not have any confidence in the rear end. It's strange to be four or five tenths [of a second] off Rubens. Our cars are different, but they are not that different."The 15-minute middle session was not just a disaster for Button, but also for Lewis Hamilton. The reigning world champion was unable to build on his victory in Hungary and pole at the European grand prix last weekend, qualifying down in 12th. His McLaren struggled in the twisty middle section of the track, whilst his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen fared worse and will start 15th, his second worst qualifying display this season. Renault's Fernando Alonso was another casualty in Q2 and was only 13th fastest.Luca Badoer, meanwhile, could be out of a job following tomorrow's race in the wake of another poor performance. The 38-year-old replacement for the recuperating Felipe Massa will again start at the back of the grid, as he did last weekend on his Ferrari debut in Valencia. Badoer ended the opening 20-minute Q1 by breaking the rear suspension of his car in careering backwards into a tyre wall after passing Sebastian Vettel on the approach to Les Combes. Renault's Romain Grosjean also struggled on his second outing, coming only one place better than Badoer in 19th.Leading grid positions after qualifying1 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India 1min 46.308secs, 2 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:46.395, 3 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:46.500, 4 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Brawn GP 1:46.513, 5 Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 1:46.586, 6 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:46.633, 7 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 1:46.677, 8 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 1:46.761, 9 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 1:46.788, 10 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams 1:47.362, 11 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India 1:45.119, 12 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 1:45.122, 13 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:45.136, 14 Jenson Button (Gbr) Brawn GP 1:45.251, 15 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren 1:45.259, 16 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:45.951, 17 Jaime Alguersuari (Spa) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:46.032, 18 Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams 1:46.307, 19 Romain Grosjean (Fra) Renault 1:46.359, 20 Luca Badoer (Ita) Ferrari 1:46.957Formula OneMotor sportJenson ButtonBrawnForce Indiaguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Felipe Massa on his near-fatal crash

Exclusive In his first interview since the accident that left him in a coma, the Ferrari driver insists he will return more determined than ever to win a world titleFelipe Massa traces the skin around the stitched but still dented wound over his left eye as he smiles gently at a question about the nature of fate. He might feel like one of the luckiest men alive, at home in his glittering apartment in São Paulo on a rainy September afternoon. Yet high in the sky, close to the ominous clouds that shroud this vast and sprawling city, Massa could brood equally over the extreme misfortune that saw a flying spring smash into his head at 170mph six weeks ago during a practice lap at the Hungarian grand prix."You need to think about luck in different ways," Massa suggests before pausing. "I was actually very unlucky with the spring in my face," he says. "But I was very lucky as well. Every doctor said the same. If the spring had gone one millimetre to the right I would have lost my sight. One millimetre to the left and who knows? I could have been brain damaged. So I was very lucky. And this is more important because it is my life."His gaze, nearly blinded in Hungary, sweeps from the imposing skyline to the trophies and helmets placed alongside his wife's huge books on fashion and the modern art lining the pristine white walls. Knowing that this apartment will soon be filled with the cries and gurgles of their first child, Massa flashes one of his most engaging grins. He might be talking of an old rival against whom he no longer holds any grudge rather than the hurtling metal that snapped off Rubens Barrichello's car and almost killed him on 25 July. Weighing the same as a small bag of sugar, but careering into his helmet with deadening force, the spring knocked Massa cold at the wheel of his speeding Ferrari. It led to an induced coma with Hungarian surgeons warning that his condition was "critical" and "life-threatening".In contrast to those bleak diagnoses his cheerful mood is obvious as his wife, Rafaela, drifts past. It is an almost giddy experience to hear Massa talking so vividly, to see him looking so strong just days before he re-enters hospital in São Paulo. He now faces another operation to implant a titanium infused plate in his head so that, next season, he will be ready to race again for Ferrari.Yet it is also hard to shake the feeling that Massa remains dangerously consumed by racing. The great drivers, addicted to speed and seemingly inured to fear and risk, are not ordinary men but surely an accident this serious has affected him psychologically? Has he detected even a small change in himself?"No," he says defiantly, before laughing. "Not at all. I remember in hospital when I woke up in the beginning. I had an oxygen mask to help me breathe. All the time I was lifting the mask and putting it here …"Massa points to his head, making a gesture that suggests he turned his oxygen mask into a clown's hat. He shakes his head, as if he cannot believe how blackly comic the scene must have appeared in that hushed hospital room in Budapest. "And then my wife would come and put the mask back over my face. But, straightaway, I would lift it on to my head. I had some friends with us and they were laughing because she kept trying to put it back over my face. And the third time I did it I looked at her and said, 'What a pain in the ass!' Rafaela looked at our friends and said, 'No, he's the same! He's the same!'"He might be blase about his own instinctive reaction to being taken to hospital but Massa reveals how he and Rafaela had been troubled by the death of the British driver Henry Surtees at Brands Hatch, six days before his own accident. It was, again, grimly freakish as a tyre flew off a rival Formula Two car and struck the head of the 18-year-old Surtees.Massa shudders for the first time. "I was very touched by his death. And I told my wife straightaway about the accident of Henry. I said to her, 'Listen, this is what you need to be worried about. This is something you have no control over. It is not like a normal accident.' And then a week after that … [he claps his hands and laughs] … it happened to me. She remembered straightaway what I had said."When I first told her about Henry she was a bit scared. She said, 'It's unbelievable – how did this wheel come away like this?' I said, 'Listen, this is like if you have an accident on the road – if somebody hits you when you least expect it. Like they jump the red light and then hit you.' There's nothing you can do."Massa sent the Surtees family a heartfelt message on the Monday after Henry's death. He smiles ruefully at the irony. "They sent a thank you after my message – but then they sent me a very nice message after my accident."Surtees was tragically unlucky; Massa was more fortunate but he believes the coincidence of two outlandish accidents is a warning. "We need to look for improvements. I'm not saying we need to cover [the cockpit] completely. But maybe there are some other things we can do to the car to stop a wheel hitting your head. When I come back this is something I want to discuss with Charlie Whiting [Formula One's race director], the FIA and the drivers – because we all need to work together."Massa is even more thoughtful when describing the terrible ordeal endured by his family. "It was much more difficult for them than me. When my wife saw the accident on television the first thing she did was put the volume down, completely, because she didn't want to hear anything. She was already calling my secretary to organise the flight – because she knew it was bad. Rafaela knows if I stay in the car after an accident it is strange. I always try to show some sign. She was very scared but, organising the flight, her adrenaline was so high. When she got to the airport, and heard I was in surgery, she was crying like crazy then. She couldn't stop."Rafaela was joined by Massa's parents and, alongside his Brazilian doctor, Dino Altman, they flew to Budapest. "My father, he is a man, and at least he did some racing. He has an understanding that allows him to think differently. But my mother was so bad. My mother never watches the start of my races – because she fears for me."Despite his astonishingly rapid recovery his family are besieged by anxiety as he prepares to return next year to the grid. Massa, in contrast, burns with conviction. "Of course," he smiles. "It is my life."For me, the worst thing that happened was not being able to race. If you can't drive that's terrible. But my wife has already asked me, at least 10 times, 'Are you sure you don't feel any doubts or worries?' Always, I say, 'No – because this is what I like to do.' If I don't drive then I am not the same person. Ever since I was a small boy this is my life. This is what I like to do. So I really hope, and expect, nothing will change inside of me when I go back into the car and start pushing myself to the maximum again."Has there not been a single day, even an hour, in which he has hesitated? "No. For my family it was very difficult because they followed everything and went through a lot. But for me it was less than that. As soon as it happened I was unconscious and three days later I woke up. In hospital I saw nothing of the accident. It was just Hungarian television channels. I only heard what they said happened to me. And for me this was strange – can a spring from another car really do this to a bone in my head?"I first saw it when I got home on television – just like you. But I had other accidents that disturbed me a lot more. When I lost the brakes in Monaco in 2002 it was a huge crash. And I crashed twice in Barcelona because I had a problem with my suspension – and that was an accident that made me think. But this accident in Hungary is like something I never even saw. So my wife was only asking gentle questions, like, 'You don't think maybe â€¦ ?' And I say, 'No, I am racing again.' My mother also knows me a lot. Sometimes she is looking at me and thinking but she knows not to ask."The extent to which Massa has missed competing is illustrated by his reaction to the first race after the Hungarian grand prix – when he yearned to drive at Valencia. "It was very difficult. I watched it here on TV with my computer on my lap so that I could check the lap times. There is a five-hour time difference so I wake at five in the morning to watch the practice on Friday."Even Massa looks briefly stunned by his own fervour so soon after the coma. "Unbelievable," he murmurs.If it was down to him, rather than his doctors, Massa would make his return in this season's penultimate race – at his home grand prix in Brazil, at Interlagos, not far from where he lives. There are three races before then, with the next grand prix on Sunday at Monza. Massa dutifully welcomes the arrival of Giancarlo Fisichella as his latest temporary replacement and suggests the Italian can help Ferrari in pursuit of third place in the constructors' championship."But it will be much worse when I have to watch the race in Brazil. That was the race I wanted to come back in but it's difficult to say if it would've been possible."Will he be at Interlagos, despite his pain at missing a race he won last year – only to lose the drivers' championship by a single point when Lewis Hamilton secured fifth place on the very last corner of the season? "It will be difficult to watch it," he concedes, "but I will be there."Last week Massa returned from a battery of neurological tests in Miami – that provided absolute confirmation that he is almost ready to resume his career. "Actually, I am OK. The only problem is I need surgery to close a bone in my head that they had taken away because it was completely damaged. A normal guy can live like this without any problem. But for a driver, if you have an accident and you have this problem, the recovery is more difficult. That's why I need this surgery to close the bone. I will have it soon because that's the only reason they won't allow me to race now. Otherwise I feel the same as before. I'm going to Europe to use the simulator and drive some go-karts and then I will know very well if I'm 100%."Massa appears without doubt that a seemingly routine operation will clear his last remaining obstacle. His competitive instincts, meanwhile, remain razor-sharp. Asked to reflect on the battle for the drivers' title, with Jenson Button being chased by his team-mate, Barrichello, and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, Massa is scathing in assessing the British driver's slump – that has seen Button's lead appear increasingly shaky. Even though his rivals have failed to capitalise, and he remains 16 points ahead, Button seems fretful.Does he believe Barrichello can overtake Button? "Look at me – I came to Brazil six points behind [Hamilton], and I almost won the championship. That was one race. Rubens has five races to close 16 points. It's a big possibility. But it depends on Jenson. If Jenson carries on in this bad way it will help Rubens a lot. In my opinion, Jenson has gone down because of the pressure. It's the only reason."At the start of the season everything was nice, everything was easy. He was in a new team winning six out of the first seven races. That's different to fighting hard for the championship. Now he has a different kind of pressure. In the earlier races he was almost half a second quicker than some teams. You win the race easy and there is not so much pressure. But now we have races where things are more difficult. So for me the pressure has had a big impact on his mind – and he needs to deal with it better. If he does not cope with the pressure he will not win the championship."Does he feel that Button has buckled so badly he will be unable to regain his lost momentum? Massa shrugs. "It's difficult to talk about another driver. I know Jenson but I don't know him so well. But I'm hoping for Rubens, of course. He's Brazilian – and he is my friend."This has been a strange season for Formula One; but for Massa it has been a year like no other. Beyond his crash, the 28-year‑old is preparing to become a father. "I am very excited. The baby is due just after the middle of November – and we know it is a boy. We will call him Felipe. I don't think I will ever forget 2009 because of this crash and, more importantly, becoming a father. Positive things come out of even the most difficult times." When I last met Massa, in Bahrain, just before the season began, he spoke of his belief that "our lives are already written" – and how that philosophical outlook had allowed him to deal with the anguish of losing the title to Hamilton so cruelly. That same positively fatalistic approach has strengthened him these last six weeks."That's the way I always think," he stresses, looking across the city where he first learned to race. "Everything in life has a meaning. If something bad happens it's because you need to learn, to grow. My life was once very difficult – when you think of the position I used to be in and what I had to do to arrive where I am now in my professional career. It was very difficult to reach this point. I had many races in the various categories where I knew if I did not win then I would not get to race in the next race because I did not have the money. So a lot happened that helped me become stronger. I think there is a reason for this accident. At the moment I don't quite know what it is but …"Massa's voice fades away in the certainty that clarity will finally emerge. Does he believe he will eventually become world champion to cap his remarkable recovery? "Always," he smiles. "Even more now. I have to believe it. I have always believed my whole life I will become a champion in whatever field I am racing. Formula One is the same. I will try very hard."On the drive back downtown, countless murals feature the image of Ayrton Senna, São Paulo's great lost son. Beyond the motorway and the tunnel named after him, these giant murals loom as a more haunting reminder that he was the last Formula One driver to lose his life on the track – at Imola in 1994. Fifteen years later another racer from this city almost became the next to die.This weekend, as racing resumes in Italy, Massa will appreciate that his recent fate has been shaped by luck that is more good than bad. If he was incredibly unlucky to have been struck by that potentially lethal spring, he is fortunate to wish he could be driving at Monza. And he now knows that, next year, he will be racing again, as fast and bent on victory as always. His wife, who will then also be a mother, might watch in silent dread but Massa insists he shall push himself to the limit again.As the images of Senna flattened and blurred against the window of a speeding car, Massa's voice echoed again. Asked one last time why he will race on, he had laughed softly. "This is my life," Massa reiterated when we said goodbye. "This is me."Formula OneFerrariFelipe MassaJenson ButtonBrawnMotor sportDonald McRaeguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Lewis Hamilton on pole in Singapore

• Hamilton quickest ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg• Button qualifies 12th two places behind Rubens BarrichelloLewis Hamilton secured pole for the Singapore grand prix but there was disappointment for championship leader, Jenson Button, whose world title hopes were dealt a blow by qualifying in 12th place on the grid.Hamilton, whose engineers worked through the night to fit a new chassis for his McLaren, impressed in practice and took that form into qualifying as he clocked a time of 1min 47.891sec in Q3 at the Marina Bay street circuit.In contrast, Button had struggled in practice after his Brawn car had been switched to the same set-up as team-mate Rubens Barrichello. Though they reverted it to yesterday's settings, the 29-year-old failed to threaten, with Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull taking second and the Williams of Nico Rosberg third.Barrichello, who will be looking to cut into Button's 14-point lead tomorrow, was fifth fastest before crashing with 26 seconds of qualifying remaining but will start from 10th on the grid tomorrow after being hit with a five-place grid penalty for changing his gearbox prior to the session.Race standings1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 1min 47.891secs, 2 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 1:48.204, 3 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams 1:48.348, 4 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 1:48.722, 5 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Brawn GP 1:48.828, 6 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:49.054, 7 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 1:49.180, 8 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:49.307, 9 Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 1:49.514, 10 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren 1:49.778, 11 Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams 1:47.013, 12 Jenson Button (Gbr) Brawn GP 1:47.141, 13 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:47.177, 14 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:47.369, 15 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:47.413, 16 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India 1:48.231, 17 Jaime Alguersuari (Spa) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:48.340, 18 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Ferrari 1:48.350, 19 Romain Grosjean (Fra) Renault 1:48.544, 20 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Force India 1:48.792Note: Rubens Barrichello will start the race in 10th position following a five place penalty for a gearbox replacement.Formula OneLewis HamiltonJenson ButtonMcLarenBrawnMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Hamilton storms to pole for Italy GP

• Adrian Sutil second and Kimi Raikkonen third• Jenson Button to start in sixth placeLewis Hamilton stormed to the 15th pole position of his career ahead of tomorrow's Italian grand prix. The reigning world champion saved it until the final moment as he was the last to cross the line in a hotly contested final ten-minute showdown, deposing Force India's Adrian Sutil from top spot.There was a possibility Hamilton could be penalised, though, as he appeared to impede Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi late on in the initial 20-minute Q1. However, given Buemi was never going to make it into the next session, it was hard to imagine the stewards penalising Hamilton.After claiming his second pole position of the year, and pipping close friend Sutil, Hamilton said: "It was a very close qualifying session, and I'm very happy to see Adrian up here. Since Formula Three it's been a long time since we've been in a press conference together, and on the front row. But it was such a great feeling to put a great lap together."People need to understand, you have one shot at it at the end, so to pull it off is amazing. I don't think we anticipated being just as quick as we are this weekend, so it's a bonus to everyone in the team."Behind another unusual front row, given Sutil's performance, Kimi Raikkonen again gave Ferrari something to cheer. He will start third, with the 2007 world champion joined on the second row by his fellow Finn, McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen.The Brawns, clearly back in form after their recent struggles, are on the third row, with Rubens Barrichello starting fifth and Jenson Button sixth, the Brazilian out-qualifying the Briton for the third successive race.On his debut for Force India, Tonio Liuzzi gave the team another historic moment as he will start seventh, the first time they have managed to get both cars into the top 10. Renault's Fernando Alonso starts eighth, followed by the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, their title hopes fading further.BMW Sauber suffered a wretched Q2 as both Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld retired, with engine trouble. Kubica will start 13th and Heidfeld 15th, with the man to split them being Giancarlo Fisichella on his debut for Ferrari. The 36-year-old has clearly struggled to adapt to the car in the wake of his move from Force India nine days ago, notably crashing it this morning in final practice.Toyota's Jarno Trulli will start from 11th, with Romain Grosjean a semi-respectable 12th for Renault bearing in mind his car has KERS on board this weekend.Williams' fears regarding this circuit were certainly realised as both Kazuki Nakajima and Nico Rosberg failed to make it out of Q1. For Rosberg, who had qualified in the top 10 in 11 of the previous 12 races this season, the 24-year-old will start from his lowest position of the year in 18th, one place behind Nakajima.Toyota's Timo Glock was another unable to find the downforce and power required for Monza as he starts 16th, with the Toro Rossos bringing up the rear. Buemi will line up 19th, with Jaime Alguersuari 20th, the young Spaniard's five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change after final practice not counting for anything on this occasion.Positions after qualifying1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 1min 24.066secs, 2 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India 1:24.261, 3 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:24.523, 4 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren 1:24.845, 5 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Brawn GP 1:25.015, 6 Jenson Button (Gbr) Brawn GP 1:25.030, 7 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Force India 1:25.043, 8 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:25.072, 9 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 1:25.180, 10 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 1:25.314, 11 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:23.611, 12 Romain Grosjean (Fra) Renault 1:23.728, 13 Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 1:23.866, 14 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Ferrari 1:23.901, 15 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:24.275, 16 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 1:24.036, 17 Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams 1:24.074, 18 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams 1:24.121, 19 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:24.220, 20 Jaime Alguersuari (Spa) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:24.951Formula OneMotor sportLewis Hamiltonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Barrichello beats Button in Italy

• Brazilian takes two points out of Button's title advantage• Hamilton spins out of third place on final lap at MonzaRubens Barrichello gave his championship hopes a modest boost by winning the Italian grand prix at Monza this afternoon while his main rival and Brawn team-mate Jenson Button finished in second place.The Brawn team's decision to put both its drivers on a one-stop strategy paid off as behind them Kimi Raikkonen claimed the final podium position for Ferrari. Third place would have belonged to the polesitter, Lewis Hamilton, but he span his McLaren and crashed on the final lap while chasing Button.As one of only three drivers on a two-stop strategy, the lighter McLaren of Hamilton dominated the early stages of the race as he made a perfect start to maintain his lead. Behind him the front-row starter Adrian Sutil was passed by the third-place starter Kimi Raikkonen – both also one-stopping – and Hamilton steadily built a strong advantage before having to make the first of his two scheduled pit stops. A clean refuel and change to harder tyres on lap 15 let him rejoin in fifth position, behind Button. Raikkonen had stayed out on track for four more laps than Hamilton before pitting, but it was not enough to jump the McLaren.After the lead trio pitted, Barrichello led from Button and the title rivals pushed each other on at such a pace that it already threatened Hamilton's chance of winning the race. Button was the first Brawn to pit, just before the halfway point of the race, with Barrichello following him a lap later and comfortably retaking his position ahead of his British team-mate.The outcome rested on Hamilton's second stop, which McLaren opted to take surprising early on lap 34. Despite a smooth visit to the pits, Hamilton rejoined behind the pair of Brawns and began to chase down second-placed Button in the closing stages until putting a wheel on the kerb at the Lesmo and spinning. Ahead of them Barrichello maintained his lead to take the flag for his second victory of the year and carve two points out of Button's championship lead with four races remaining. The one-two finish also strengthens Brawn's advantage in the constructors' battle."It just feels really good," said Barrichello. "It was a great decision yesterday [to opt for a two-stop strategy] as the guys with Kers [Hamilton and Raikkonen] have 20 metres on us at the start so we had to bear that in mind. Luckily I had a good start and the pace was good enough to be in the front of them by the last pit stops."His title rival Button said: "Rubens did a better job [than me]. But second is good, and I gained seven points on [Sebastian] Vettel. He [Barrichello] is my closest rival. We've got a good relationship but we are competitive."Behind them Force India's Sutil finished in fourth place after a great battle with Raikkonen, the pair having suffered difficult second stops, Sutil when his car knocked down a pit crew member and Raikkonen when he appeared to stall his Ferrari. Putting Renault's race-fix scandal to one side, Fernando Alonso finished in fifth place ahead of McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen and BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld. Red Bull's Vettel picked up one point with eighth place thanks to Hamilton's error as he suffered another difficult race in his bid to win the world title; he is now 27 points behind Button.Red Bull's other championship contender, Mark Webber, made it no further than the first lap, having been pushed off the track and into retirement by BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica, the Pole later retiring himself. Vitantonio Liuzzi's racing return with Force India was scuppered by a gearbox problem on lap 23, while Giancarlo Fisichella finished just outside the points in ninth place in his race debut for Ferrari.Italian grand prix results:1 Rubens Barrichello, Brawn-Mercedes2 Jenson Button, Brawn-Mercedes3 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari4 Adrian Sutil, Force India-Mercedes5 Fernando Alonso, Renault6 Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren-Mercedes7 Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber8 Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull-Renault9 Giancarlo Fisichella, Ferrari10 Kazuki Nakajima, Williams-Toyota11 Timo Glock, Toyota12 Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes13 Sébastien Buemi, Toro Rosso-Ferrari14 Jarno Trulli, Toyota15 Romain Grosjean, Renault16 Nico Rosberg, Williams-ToyotaNot classified:Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India-MercedesJaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso-FerrariRobert Kubica, BMW SauberMark Webber, Red Bull-RenaultBrawnJenson ButtonLewis HamiltonFormula OneMotor sportGemma Briggsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds