Jenson Button marked his 200th Grand Prix with a reminder of his class when he drove his McLaren to a stirring victory in an incident-filled Hungarian Grand Prix.
The 31-year-old Briton, who started third on the grid, made the most of some wretched ill-fortune for his teammate and compatriot Lewis Hamilton in changing conditions to record his second win of the year and the 11th of his career.
“It’s a great moment, all round a major weekend. For some reason I like these conditions,” said Button of the slippery track. Championship leader Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull was second with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso in third.
Back on the circuit where he claimed his first win in 2006, for Honda, Button revelled in the demanding circumstances which saw a record 88 pits stops.
Hamilton, having started second, led for long periods after taking early control, but was caught out by a succession of strategic errors – when he chose the wrong tyres in rapidly-changing weather – and a harsh stewards’ decision to give him a drive-through penalty after he forced Paul Di Resta off the track.
“The better man won,” said Hamilton who finished fourth ahead of Mark Webber. “It’s a fantastic way to go into the break. We would have liked a one-two, and I let the team down but we will be back.”
In spite of his second place, Vettel was able to increase his lead in the drivers’ title race as his nearest rivals finished behind him.
The German now has 234 points, 85 ahead of Webber with Hamilton, Alonso and Button bunched up behind.
Brazilian Felipe Massa came sixth in the second Ferrari with impressive British rookie Di Resta seventh for Force India.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 1st, 2011.
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