Jenson Button left trailing in his Brawn GP during practice

Jenson Button's first serious drive in his new Brawn GP ended in disappointment this morning as he trailed in fifth fastest during the two free practrice sessions ahead of Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.

Malaysian GP: Practice 2 times

1. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1:35.707 2. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 1:35.832; 3. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 1:35.954; 4. Nico Rosberg (Williams) 1:36.015; 5. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 1:36.026; 6. Rubens Barrichello (Brawn) 1:36.161; 7. Jenson Button (Brawn) 1:36.254; 8. Kazuki Nakajima (Williams) 1:36.290

Jenson Button's chance of winning drivers’ world title could be over before it has begun

Jenson Button is facing the real possibility that his best chance of winning the Formula One drivers’ championship could be over almost before it has begun.

Diffuser row poses threat to unity of Fota

On the face of it, the row over the diffuser at the back of Jenson Button's car is about a technicality - a box-shaped carbon-fibre structure at the rear of the Brawn GP vehicle that channels air out of the back of the machine. Seven teams on the Formula One grid say that Brawn GP, along with Williams and Toyota, have abused the rules, that the diffusers are too big and give those drivers more grip and thus more speed.

Formula One opens season with new rules

A dizzying spree of rule changes has added a heightened level of unpredictability heading into season opener in Australia. As the opening race of the Formula One season, the Australian Grand Prix is always filled with unknowns about which teams and their drivers will start strongly.

Lewis Hamilton disqualified by Melbourne stewards

Lewis Hamilton is facing one of the biggest crises of his career after it emerged that he had “deliberately misled” the stewards and the race director of the Australian Grand Prix.