September 13, 2009

Veteran Rubens Barrichello produced a beautifully-measured drive from fifth place on the grid to win the Italian Grand Prix ahead of his Brawn GP team-mate Jenson Button.

The 37-year-old Brazilian made the most of his one-stop strategy and a fine start to finish 2.8 seconds ahead of the 29-year-old Englishman and endorse his challenge for the drivers' world championship.

Australian Mark Webber had a disastrous day, retiring on the opening lap after tangling with Robert Kubica's BMW, but retained fourth place in the championship.

Button, winner of six of the seven opening races of the season, remains on top with 80 points, but Barrichello is now second with 66 points, having cut his teammate's advantage from 16 to 14 points with just four races remaining.

Defending world champion Briton Lewis Hamilton, who started from pole, looked certain to come home third for McLaren Mercedes, but crashed heavily at the Curva di Lesmo on the final lap and failed to finish.

This left local hero Finn Kimi Raikkonen to take the third podium place for Ferrari ahead of German Adrian Sutil of Force India, two times champion Fernando Alonso, who was fifth for Renault, and Finn Heikki Kovalainen in the second McLaren.

German Nick Heidfeld finished seventh for BMW Sauber and compatriot Sebastian Vettel eighth for Red Bull.

Barrichello's win was his second this season and 11th in his long 284 races career, lifting him into a strong position to catch Button in this unpredictable season.

The Brawn pair now looking certain to deliver the constructors championship to their eponymous team-chief Ross Brawn in the outfit's first season.

The Monza fans had seen Hamilton make a perfect start from his 15th pole position and led the field down and through the Rettifilio Tribune, Raikkonen storming past Sutil into second place and Barrichello advancing from fifth to fourth.

Hamilton continued his fast opening surge with a series of fastest laps before he pitted after 15 laps with a lead of more than seven seconds.

On lap 17 Sutil pitted from second behind Raikkonen who in turn came in after a further two laps.

All of this early action meant the drivers on a two-stop strategy were in command with the two Brawn GP cars in control, Barrichello ahead of Button by 2.4 seconds, with Hamilton third.

Debutant Vitantonio Liuzzi, on a presumed one-stop strategy in the second Force India, was fourth at this stage ahead of Raikkonen and Alonso.

Hamilton struggled to keep pace with the Brawns before their pit stops and the Force Indias were also proving a match for the Ferraris until, lucklessly, Liuzzi suffered a mechanical failure on lap 22 and joined the growing list of retirements.

Button was the first Brawn to pit from second and a 12-seconds advantage on Hamilton after 28 laps with Barrichello following a lap later.

With all of the leaders having pitted once, Hamilton led Raikkonen and Sutil ahead of Barrichello and Button, but the Briton's advantage was only 5.6 seconds.

Hamilton made his second stop after 33 laps when he led by more than 16 seconds, but he rejoined fifth behind the two Brawn men.

The two leaders, Raikkonen and Sutil then came in together after 36 laps, the Force India driver arriving with such velocity that he sent one mechanic flying. He appeared to be unhurt.

Raikkonen seemed to stall before rejoining, gifting Sutil an opportunity he was unable to take.

This left Barrichello leading ahead of Button by 5.4 seconds with Hamilton third a further 2.9 seconds adrift with 15 laps to go, with those placings remaining until Hamilton's last lap disaster.

Italian Grand Prix Results
1. Rubens Barrichello (BRA/BRA) 1hr 16min 21.706sec
2. Jenson Button (ENG/BRA) +2.866
3. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/FER) 30.664
4. Adrian Sutil (GER/FOR) 31.131
5. Fernando Alonso (ESP/REN) 59.182
6. Heikki Kovalainen (FIN/MLA) 1min 0.693
7. Nick Heidfeld (GER/BMW) 1min 22.412
8. Sebastian Vettel (GER/RBR) 1min 25.407
9. Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA/FER) 1min 26.856
10. Kazuki Nakajima (JPN/WIL) 2min 42.163
11. Timo Glock (GER/TOY) 2min 43.925
12. Lewis Hamilton (ENG/MLA) 1 lap
13. Sebastien Buemi (SUI/TOR) 1 lap
14. Jarno Trulli (ITA/TOY) 1 lap
15. Romain Grosjean (FRA/REN) 1 lap
16. Nico Rosberg (GER/WIL) 2 laps
Not classified: Vitantonio Liuzzi
(ITA/FOR) 31 laps
Jaime Alguersuari (ESP/TOR) 34 laps
Robert Kubica (POL/BMW) 37 laps
Mark Webber (AUS/RBR) 53 laps

F1 Drivers Ladder
1 Jenson Button (GBR) Brawn 80
2 Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Brawn 66
3 Sebastian Vettel (GER) Red Bull 54
4 Mark Webber (AUS) Red Bull 51.5
5 Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) Ferrari 40
6 Nico Rosberg (GER) Williams 30.5
7 Lewis Hamilton (GBR) McLaren 27
8 Jarno Trulli (ITA) Toyota 22.5
9 Felipe Massa (BRA) Ferrari 22
10 Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) McLaren 20
11 Fernando Alonso (ESP) Renault 20
12 Timo Glock (GER) Toyota 16
13 Nick Heidfeld (GER) BMW Sauber 12
14 Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Force India 8
15 Robert Kubica (POL) BMW Sauber 8
16 Adrian Sutil (GER) Force India 5
17 Sebastien Buemi (SUI) Toro Rosso 3
18 Sebastien Bourdais (FRA) Toro Rosso 2
19 Kazuki Nakajima (JAP) Williams 0
20 Nelson Piquet Jr. (BRA) Renault 0
21 Luca Badoer (ITA) Ferrari 0
22 Romain Grosjean (FRA) Renault 0
23 Jaime Alguersuari (ESP) Toro Rosso 0
24 Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA) Force India 0

Team Pts
1 Brawn 146
2 Red Bull 105.5
3 Ferrari 62
4 McLaren 47
5 Toyota 38.5
6 Williams 30.5
7 BMW Sauber 20
8 Renault 20
9 Force India 13
10 Toro Rosso 5