Jenson Button finally has his hands on the Formula One world title following a pulsating Brazilian Grand Prix yesterday.
Jenson Button finally has his hands on the Formula One world title following a pulsating Brazilian Grand Prix yesterday.
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A combination of brilliant driving and dramatic incidents elevated Button into fifth place at Interlagos, with title rivals Sebastian Vettel and Rubens Barrichello finishing fourth and eighth respectively.
That left Button with a 15-point cushion over Vettel, with Barrichello two points further back with just one race remaining.
Button becomes the 10th British driver to claim motor sport's greatest prize, inheriting the crown from last year's winner Lewis Hamilton.
The 29-year-old may not have wrapped it up in the way he would have liked, having won six of the first seven races, but his Brawn GP team also claimed the constructors' title just over 10 months after they appeared to be on the scrapheap when Honda pulled out of the sport.
Naturally, the tears and the champagne flowed at the end of 71 laps, with Button's father John admitting he and his son "cried like babies" when they embraced each other after the race.
That was an outpouring of relief, emotion, jubilation, as Button said: "You don't win the world championship and feel relief, you feel ecstatic.
"All the memories, good and bad, go through your mind, not just from this year, but previous years in the sport, especially this year.
"I had such a great start to the season and then the last few races were pretty stressful for me because the pace was there, but we struggled a few times.
"It made it very difficult for me because mentally that hurts when you are not able to get the best out of the car that day, but also I read too many newspapers and magazines and there were some negative comments.
"It's tough when you are a driver and you are at the top of your game, but the great thing is there's a lot of good stuff that has been written about this year, and so there should be.
"This team has done staggeringly well and what we've achieved this season after the winter we've had is exceptional, and I don't think there has been a season like it in Formula One.
"It's great to be sat here as world champion and I personally think I thoroughly deserve it. I've been the best over 16 races and that's what world titles are all about.
"I am it. I am a world champion and I'm going to keep saying it, especially after a race that for me was the best I've driven in my life.
"I know it's because of the emotion involved with it, because also I knew I had to make it happen, and that's why I'm sat here as the world champion.
"I'm going to enjoy this moment like you would not believe, and you can do that when you've won."
A combination of brilliant driving and dramatic incidents helped propel Button from 14th on the grid to fifth across the line at Interlagos.
An accident involving Toyota's Jarno Trulli, the Force India of Adrian Sutil and Renault's Fernando Alonso elevated Button to ninth come the end of the first lap.
Then there were the manoeuvres on Renault's Romain Grosjean, the Williams of Kazuki Nakajima, Toyota debutant Kamui Kobayashi and Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi.
"When I woke up this morning I knew I could do it," added Button, who conceded to feeling "sick" after seeing Barrichello put his car on pole yesterday following his own qualifying woes.
"In the last few races I did everything I could with the package I have, and today was no exception.
"I understand it's boring talking about me finishing, sixth, fifth, fourth or whatever, that I did a reasonable job, but that doesn't sell newspapers.
"I understand it's exciting to talk about me winning races, that I am losing it, or whether I'm a worthy world champion and all that.
"But none of it matters because I am sat here as the world champion, and that's something you can never take away."
Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber comfortably took the chequered flag that was waved by Ferrari's recuperating star Felipe Massa.
BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica was second ahead of Hamilton, who produced an outgoing world champion's drive in his McLaren after starting from 17th on the grid.
It is the first time in 40 years Britain has had back-to-back world champions since Graham Hill and Sir Jackie Stewart reigned supreme in 1968 and 1969.
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