Brazilian Rubens Barrichello driving for Brawn GP achieved first place at the Italian Gran Prix, held yesterday in Monza. The driver and his teammate, Jenson Button, opted for a cunning strategy with just one pit stop which paid off in the end. The British driver achieved second place whilst the podium was completed by Ferrari’s own Kimi Raikkonen after Lewis Hamilton spun off with only a few hundred meters before the finishing line.
This race allowed Brawn GP to take some serious steps towards winning both the team championship and Button towards wining the pilots championship. After a few disappointing races, it seems that the rookie team might have a stunning end of the season.
One of the most shocking events was the Hamilton’s crash, as although he started in pole position, the fact that he needed two pit stops made him drop into third place in the last laps. Struggling to get Button which was in front of him, he lost control of the wheel and spun out with a few hundred meters before the checkered flag. Raikkonen benefitted from this and gained third place, before Team India’s Adrian Sutil. Fernando Alonso, Hekki Kovalainen, Nick Heidfeld and Sebastian Vettel completed the list of drivers who earned points in the Italian GP. It must also be mentioned that Giancarlo Fisichela, at his first race for Ferrari, ended up in ninth place.
As it stands, Button leads the driver competition with 80 points and Rubens Barrichello closely follows him with 66. Sebastien Vettel holds the third place with 54, followed by Mark Webber with 51.5. In the teams’ competition, Brawn GP has extended its lead, now owning 146 points, while Red Bull only has 105.5 points. Force India still holds the number three spot with 70 points, followed in the distance by McLaren, with 47.
Overall, it was a pretty tight race filled with unforeseen results. Look forward to the Singapore GP, taking place on the 27th of September.
