McLaren get suspended three-race ban

• WMSC praise team principal for 'open and honest' response• Ban will only be enforced if there is a further breachMcLaren have been handed a suspended three-race ban by the World Motor Sport Council after apologising for lying to race officials.The team's pro-active approach in the run up to the extraordinary hearing of the WMSC in Paris appeared to have played its part in softening the blow as McLaren escaped a heavier punishment, having pleaded guilty on all five counts of breaching the International Sporting Code.A WMSC statement read: "Having regard to the open and honest way in which McLaren team principal, Mr Martin Whitmarsh, addressed the WMSC and the change in culture which he made clear has taken place in his organisation, the WMSC decided to suspend the application of the penalty it deems appropriate."That penalty is a suspension of the team from three races of the FIA Formula One World Championship. This will only be applied if further facts emerge regarding the case or if, in the next 12 months, there is a further breach by the team of article 151 c of the International Sporting Code."As expected, reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton has avoided any further punishment after his disqualification from the Australian Grand Prix. Hamilton was initially promoted from fourth to third after the race stewards in Melbourne handed Jarno Trulli a 25-second penalty for passing the Briton behind the safety car.Hamilton and Dave Ryan, since sacked as McLaren sporting director, insisted at the time no order was relayed from the team demanding he allow Trulli to pass. However, evidence in the form of pit-to-car transmissions and an interview Hamilton gave immediately after the race contradicted their story, and resulted in the case being re-opened.Deciding they had been "deliberately misled", the stewards at the Malaysian Grand Prix disqualified Hamilton and McLaren from the classification. Ryan was soon suspended, while Hamilton apologised for his actions in the FIA press conference room in Sepang where he also notably blamed Ryan.The FIA then charged McLaren with five counts of being in breach of article 151c of the International Sporting Code which relates to fraudulent conduct and acts prejudicial to the sport. As it was recognised by the FIA that Hamilton had been put in an "impossible position" by Ryan, it appeared at that stage McLaren would be hauled over the coals by the WMSC.However Ryan was sacked, meaning he could not answer to the World Council as they are unable to summon any person no longer in the employ of a particular team. Of considerable significance, Ron Dennis announced his decision to stand down as chairman of the McLaren Group as from 1 June, and as CEO of McLaren Racing with immediate effect.In taking up the running of the automotive side of the company, Dennis insisted his motive had nothing to do with F1. Many observers, though, felt his action was designed to appease the FIA – with whom he has often had a fractious relationship – and to save McLaren, a team he had built up since taking over in 1981.Since his exit, Whitmarsh – whose offer to resign was rejected by the shareholders – has since knocked down a few barriers that had previously existed between his team and the FIA. Celebrating his 51st birthday today, Whitmarsh has kept an open channel between himself and the governing body in a bid to repair the damage, and to deaden the impact of any penalty. That building of bridges appeared today to have played its part in what must be viewed as a lenient sentence.McLarenLewis HamiltonFormula oneMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Button turns up heat in the desert

• Briton overcomes high temperatures to clinch third grand prix• Button comes from fourth place on the grid to claim winJenson Button won his third race of the season after surviving trying conditions in the desert heat to claim the Bahrain grand prix.Button, who started the 57-lap race in fourth place on the grid, consolidated his lead in the drivers' championship, after steering his Brawn past the chequered flag ahead of the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel and Jarno Trulli's Toyota in 1hr 31 min 48sec.There was good news at last for McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who crossed the line in fourth place, and also Kimi Raikkonen, who finally ended Ferrari's points with a sixth-place finish.But it was a disappointing day for Timo Glock, who managed to get a better start than his Toyota team-mate Jarno Trulli – who began in pole position – to take the lead at turn one. The young German was unable to capitalise on his promising start though and eventually slipped back to eighth place, one ahead of the Renault of Fernando Alonso.Hamilton, starting from fifth in his McLaren, also made good progress early on, the world champion passing Button and Vettel before the first corner. Hamilton then attacked Trulli in a bid to gain second place on the opening lap, but the 34-year-old managed to fend off the Briton.At the start of lap two, though, Button pulled off a fine manoeuvre to overtake Hamilton and reclaim third place by slipping down the inside of the McLaren at turn one. The jostling behind the leading five was considerable as drivers traded places.At the start of lap three, Robert Kubica in his BMW Sauber and the Williams of Kazuki Nakajima were both forced into the pits for new front wings due to damage sustained in the early skirmishes. Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who had started from eighth, was another of the casualties due to a front wing problem, while the second BMW Sauber of Nick Heidfeld also made an early unscheduled stop.Their problems dropped the quartet to the back of the field, with Massa, Kubica, Nakajima and Heidfeld running in 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th, and seemingly with little hope of points.On lap eight, running third and within sight of the Toyotas, Button was told to turn down his engine to prevent overheating, with the heat of the day not helping as temperatures hit 36 degrees centigrade.Running with a light fuel load compared to those behind him, it was no surprise when Glock was the first of the leaders to pit at the end of 11. Surprisingly, despite carrying another three laps' worth of fuel more than Glock, Trulli pitted a lap later, resulting in a call to Button from the pit wall "to give it everything you've got".When he made his first call into the pits, he emerged ahead of Trulli, keeping faith with the supersoft tyres that had served him well to that point. In contrast, Trulli had switched from the soft tyres to the primes which were running close to a second per lap slower, as was proved during the middle stint of the race.By the time of the second stop at the end of lap 37, with both men in, Button had opened up a cushion of almost 18 seconds. Trulli switched back to the soft tyres, whilst Button was forced to take on the prime, and the duel appeared to be on between those two drivers.However, Vettel was to prove a major player following an unusually poor start from his perspective, although he was the heaviest with fuel of the top five. Starting from third on the grid he was passed by both Button and Hamilton, who used the KERS boost button to pass the German and his fellow Briton on the run down to the first corner.It was a position Hamilton was soon to relinquish, though, due to the superiority of the Brawn over the McLaren, with Button making his move on the 24-year-old at turn one of lap two. As for Vettel, he was forced to hang onto the exhaust of the duo and hope two rounds of pit stops would work in his favour. And they did as Vettel edged out Hamilton at the first and then Trulli at the second. The latter will have been especially gratifying as he found himself held up by Trulli for 18 laps in the middle stint, even though he was on the marginally quicker softer tyres.Over the closing stages the tables were turned as Trulli was unable to make any kind of move on Vettel, despite running closely behind the Red Bull. Come the finish, Button clinched his victory by 7.1 seconds over Vettel, with Trulli third, followed by Hamilton who was 22 seconds down, but who grabbed his best result of the season.Button now leads the drivers' championships by 12 points over his team-mate Barrichello, who has 19 points, one more than Vettel.Bahrain grand prix result1 Jenson Button (Gbr) Brawn GP 1hr 31mins 48.182secs2 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 1:31:55.3693 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:31:57.3524 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 1:32:10.2785 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Brawn GP 1:32:25.9616 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:32:30.2397 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 1:32:31.0628 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:32:40.9579 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams 1:32:46.380Drivers' championship1 Jenson Button (Gbr) Brawn GP 31pts2 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Brawn GP 193 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 184 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 14.55 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 126 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 9.57 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 98 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 59 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 410 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren 411 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams 3.512 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 313 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 314 Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1Jenson ButtonBrawnFormula oneMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Jenson Button on Monaco pole

• British driver pips Kimi Raikkonen into second position• World champion Hamilton to start 16th after sliding offJenson Button put himself in the perfect position from which to win his fifth race of the season when he took pole position for tomorrow's Monaco grand prix with a last-minute lap of 1min 14.902 sec during today's final qualifying session.Next to his Brawn-Mercedes on the front row will be the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen, with the second Brawn of Rubens Barrichello and the Red Bull-Renault of Sebastian Vettel behind them. Felipe Massa's Ferrari and Nico Rosberg are on the third row, ahead of Heikki Kovalainen's McLaren-Mercedes and Mark Webber's Red Bull.Of the 55 editions of the race held since the second world war, 22 have been won by the driver starting from pole position. The forecast is for fine weather in the principality tomorrow, reducing the risk of the sort of chaos that can produce a surprise result on this tight street circuit.Button's challengers are unlikely to include Lewis Hamilton, who found his way past an all-Ferrari front row to win his first Monaco GP with a brilliant display last year but crashed out of today's first session. He had just clocked the fastest first-sector time when he lost control under heavy braking for the sharp right-hander at Mirabeau, sliding wide and clouting the barrier with his left rear wheel.The red flag came out to call a temporary halt to the session while marshals removed the McLaren-Mercedes and Hamilton walked back to the pits, resigned to a place on the eighth row of the grid for tomorrow's race. To compound his frustration, the car had been looking like a candidate for its best result of the season on a circuit where its mechanical grip is not compromised by its aerodynamic deficiencies.Others who failed to make it past the first session included the entire BMW and Toyota teams, with Nick Heifeld and Robert Kubica an ignominious 17th and 18th in the German cars and Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock an even worse 19th and 20th for the Japanese manufacturer.Trulli, normally an outstanding performer in qualifying and a winner of this race from pole position five years ago, claimed to have been baulked by a Renault. For the BMWs, however, there was no excuse. Those who were watching the morning's untimed session out by the entry to the swimming pool complex could not fail to notice how twitchy the white cars looked as they changed direction through the fast left-right flick, a place in which the Brawns looked almost unnaturally stable."It's not going to be easy," Button said afterwards, looking forward to starting as favourite to win for the first time in the place where he has lived for the past eight years. "But it's a great feeling to be on pole here."Formula oneJenson ButtonLewis HamiltonMotor sportMcLarenBrawnFerrariguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Hamilton sets pace in Bahrain

• Lewis Hamilton repeats practice form from China• Jenson Button goes sixth fastest in SakhirLewis Hamilton set the fastest time in today's opening practice session ahead of Sunday's Bahrain grand prix.McLaren's reigning world champion, Hamilton, who was also quickest in opening practice for the previous race in China yet was off the pace on race day, set a best time of 1min, 33.647sec at the Sakhir circuit, a quarter of a second quicker than the second fastest, Nick Heidfeld of BMW, whose team-mate Robert Kubica was third.Williams' Nico Rosberg, who has impressed all season in practice sessions, was fifth, ahead of the championship leader, Jenson Button of Brawn. McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen, Brawn's Rubens Barrichello and Ferrari's Felipe Massa completed the top eight.Temperatures were in the mid-30s, with drivers looking forward to a dry race after the rains of Malaysia and China. The only weather risk is the possibility of a sandstorm, which caused severe problems for some teams in pre-season practice.The practice session was an opportunity for teams to test what minor changes they had been able to make since last Sunday's race in Shanghai.Force India expects to take a step forward in Bahrain, having added an interim two-tier diffuser beneath the car, trying to match the speed of Brawn, Williams and Toyota, which have used the aerodynamic aid all season. McLaren and Renault added them in China.Ferrari, seeking to avoid its worst season start in formula one history by going four races without a point, used the Kers power-boost device on Felipe Massa's car, but not Kimi Raikkonen's. Raikkonen was 10th fastest in Friday's opening practice.Renault had not revealed its Kers strategy, but is considered likely to reattach it in Bahrain.Toro Rosso's Sebastian Buemi had the only significant problem of the opening practice, as his car stopped after driving roughly over a kerb.Lewis HamiltonJenson ButtonMcLarenBrawnFerrariToyotaWilliamsForce IndiaRenaultSauberToro RossoFormula oneMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Lewis Hamilton dominates first practice session for Bahrain Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton overcame McLaren's catastrophic start to the season to set the fastest lap of the first practice session for Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix.

Hamilton all but concedes the F1 title

• 'We are getting better but we're just not as quick as the Brawns'• Turkey and Silverstone circuits will not suit the McLarensLewis Hamilton has virtually conceded his formula one world championship title and is putting his support – and possibly his money – behind Jenson Button. Hamilton insists he will fight for every remaining point but admits he has a near-impossible task to catch up on the Brawn driver.Hamilton currently trails Button by 42 points with six of the 17 grands prix completed. This time last year he was celebrating winning his first Monaco grand prix and taking the lead in the world title standings, but this time around it was Button who won in Monte Carlo while Hamilton crashed in practice and could only manage 12th place in the race."I doubt very much whether I can fight for the championship now, but I'll keep pushing and we'll see what happens. I won't give up. I'm ready to fight another day in Turkey because bit by bit we are getting better, but we're just not as quick as the Brawns," Hamilton said."Jenson and the Brawn team are doing a fantastic job this year. Clearly he is in the best position to win the championship. All the best to him. I'd definitely put my money on him."Although Hamilton had a strong car in Monaco due to the slow corners, the high-speed circuits of Turkey and Silverstone next month will probably find the McLaren wanting.When asked whether he was finding his pace again, Hamilton replied: "No, don't get your hopes up. It's not the case, it was just Monaco. When we get to Turkey it will be an even tougher race because it's all high-speed corners, and we don't have a good car for those. It will be a similar finish to Barcelona [where Hamilton was ninth in the Spanish grand prix], but we will push to get as high as possible. I just hope my car improves and then we can start challenging for wins or some good points."Recognising this is one of those seasons that most drivers endure at some point, even world champions, he added: "It's very tough, but we all go through it. All world champions go through tough times, and that's what we're going through."Lewis HamiltonJenson ButtonFormula oneMcLarenBrawnMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds