Jenson Button's challenge for the 2009 Formula 1 World Championship was strengthened in Bahrain. After starting from fourth the Brawn GP driver went on to win the Grand Prix in convincing fashion to extend his points lead.
Toyota 1-2 in Qualifying with Trulli and Glock
The 2009 Formula 1 season is proving to be highly unpredictable, and in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix it was Toyota's turn to shine. Jarno Trulli claimed pole, with his team-mate Timo Glock joining him on the front row. A superb lap from Chinese Grand Prix winner Sebastian Vettel saw him line up third on the grid in his Red Bull, with a heavy fuel load.
Button was the fastest of the Brawn GP drivers, starting from third, just ahead of fellow Briton Lewis Hamilton. Rubens Barrichello was sixth quickest in the other Brawn GP car, followed by Fernando Alonso's Renault and Felipe Massa in the leading Ferrari.
While Vettel enjoyed a trouble free run to third on the grid his Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber was less fortunate. The Australian was eliminated in Q1 after being obstructed by Force India's Adrian Sutil. The latter was given a three place grid penalty for his misdemeanour.
Button Wins Bahrain Formula 1 GP
At the start of the race Glock made the better getaway, leading from Trulli into turn one. At the end of the first lap Hamilton had moved up to third, ahead of Button and Vettel. Further back there was frantic scrapping in the midfield, with Webber making good progress. Button quickly passed Hamilton and settled into third position, but Massa's race was compromised by an early unscheduled pit stop for a new nosecone.
The order at the front remained unchanged until the first round of pit stops. Glock was the first to stop, followed by Trulli a lap later. The extra lap allowed Trulli to leapfrog Glock, but Button stopped even later and emerged in front of both Toyota drivers. When Vettel eventually stopped he rejoined behind Trulli and Button. Kimi Raikkonen, heavy with fuel, led for a few laps having started tenth.
Button assumed the race lead following Raikkonen's pit stop and eased away from Trulli, while his Brawn GP team-mate Barrichello started lapping very quickly and closed the gap to the leaders. Having caught up to Hamilton's McLaren the Brazilian then dived into the pits for fresh tyres, clearly on a three stop strategy.
With the final pit stops completed Button found himself with a healthy lead over Vettel in second and Trulli in third. It stayed that way to the chequered flag, with Hamilton fourth and Barrichello fifth. Raikkonen scored Ferrari's first points of the 2009 Formula 1 season with a sixth place finish. The final points went to Glock in seventh and Alonso eighth.
Incredibly, Williams driver Kazuki Nakajima was the only retirement, pulling into the garage with eight laps remaining. The Formula 1 season now moves into Europe, beginning with the Spanish Grand Prix on May 10th.
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