Jenson Button scored a sensational victory in the Canadian Grand Prix, passing world champion Sebastian Vettel on the final lap in a rain-affected race that lasted four hours.
The McLaren driver bounced back after two collisions – with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso – a drive-through penalty and six visits to the Montreal pitlane.
Button’s victory came only after Vettel lost the lead on the final lap due to a driving error with just a handful of corners left.
The world champion had dominated the race from the start but came under pressure from a flying Button in the end.
Mark Webber was third for Red Bull Racing, with Michael Schumacher in fourth position – his best result since coming back to Formula One – and Renault’s Vitaly Petrov in fifth.
Felipe Massa was the only Ferrari driver to finish the race with sixth, after beating Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi to the spot right on the finish line. The margin between the pair was only 0.045 seconds!
Jaime Alguersuari, Rubens Barrichello and Sebastien Buemi completed the points-paying positions.
The Canadian Grand Prix started under the safety car, as the race director deemed the track was too wet for a standing start. The decision meant all twenty-four drivers had to start with the full wet tyres from Pirelli. The Drag Reduction System was also disabled while the track was wet for safety reasons.
The safety car dived into the pits after five laps, and Vettel managed to keep the lead despite an attack from Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.
Vettel’s team-mate Webber was not so lucky, however, and spun after making contact with the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton into the opening corners. The Australian was able to recover but was down in P14. Hamilton also lost some positions with the contact and he dropped behind team-mate Button after going wide at the hairpin while fighting with Michael Schumacher.
Hamilton tried to regain the lost position on lap seven, only to make contact with Button as he tried to pass on the main straight. Hamilton had been quicker coming out of the final chicane and tried to pass his team-mate on the left, only for Button to close the gap.
Their cars made contact and Hamilton hit the wall, retiring from the Canadian Grand Prix a few corners later and forcing the deployment of the safety car after parking his damaged car after Turn 5. Button pitted for repairs and rejoined in P12.
The race was restarted again on lap 12, with Vettel still leading from Alonso and Massa. Immediately afterwards, race control announced a drive-through penalty for Button for having sped under the safety car period. He had already made a visit to the pits to change to the intermediate tyres in the first stop and this penalty meant he dropped further behind.
While at the front, Vettel increased his lead quite comfortably, but Alonso decided to pit for intermediates on lap 18, seeing that Button was the fastest man on track.
Alonso rejoined in eighth, right in front of Vitaly Petrov and Button himself, but the rain became a downpour moments later and the safety car was deployed for the third time, with Alonso deciding to pit again for full wets.
Leader Vettel and team-mate Webber pitted for full wets during this safety car period, with the Australian also getting a new steering wheel as he was having problems shifting down gears.
Several drivers followed suit into the pits, leaving Vettel in the lead again, ahead of Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi – who had not stopped – and Massa.
Still under the safety car, Vettel told his Red Bull Racing team on the radio that it was impossible to drive and that the race should be stopped. On lap 25, Vettel’s wish was granted, and the Grand Prix was red-flagged.
Nearly two hours after it was stopped, the race was restarted behind the safety car and with mandatory full wet weather tyres.
Heikki Kovalainen became the second retirement even before the safety car was back in, the Finn suffering a driveshaft failure on lap 30.
After nine laps on track, the safety car drove into pits and the race was launched with Vettel out front, followed by Kobayashi, who managed to keep Massa at bay at the first corner.
The majority of the field pitted as soon as it was allowed to fit intermediates tyre, although Vettel stayed out for a couple of laps, before the safety car was deployed again when Button made contact with Alonso when trying to pass at Turn 3.
Button touched the Ferrari’s right rear wheel and sent the Spaniard into a spin, his car getting stuck on the kerbs. The McLaren driver had to pit again to change his punctured Pirelli.
At the time of the fourth safety car period, Vettel led from Kobayashi, Massa, Heidfeld, Paul di Resta and Webber, with Button dropping down to the back of the field.
The race resumed on lap 41, with Vettel opening a clear gap right away as Kobayashi held a train of cars behind him.
There was a lot action behind the race leader, with several position changes, which included a clash between Heidfeld and di Resta, the Scot having to pit for a new front wing.
Heidfeld’s team-mate Petrov was given a drive-through penalty moments later for having overtaken while the safety car was still on track.
Despite the track being still wet, the race director enabled the use of the Drag Reduction System on lap 45.
By lap 50 – with twenty to the chequered flag – Vettel was leading Kobayashi by over six seconds and Massa by seven, with Schumacher having charged to fourth.
On lap 51, Webber became the first of the lead drivers to change to slick tyres, as Schumacher passed both Massa and Kobayashi and set his sights on Vettel, both still on intermediates.
However, Vettel was still the quickest driver on track, extending his lead over Schumacher to eleven seconds by lap 52. Schumacher pitted for slicks a lap later, with Massa following suit.
Vettel changed his Pirellis a lap later, as team-mate Webber showed slicks were the way to go, lapping three seconds faster than the championship leader. Vettel rejoined the race in the lead, while Massa was forced to come into the pits after damaging his front wing when losing control of his car while lapping an HRT.
With 13 laps to go, the safety car was deployed for the fifth time when Heidfeld crashed out following contact with Kobayashi. The Renault driver had damaged his front wing in the clash, and then it got under his car at speed, sending him off the track. Luckily he was able to stop the car without making contact with the barriers.
However the safety car was deployed while the Renault’s wing debris was cleared.
With nine laps to the flag, the race was relaunched once more with Vettel on top, followed by Schumacher, Webber, Button and Kobayashi.
Vettel continued his flawless run, opening a gap quickly as Webber and Button pushed a slower Schumacher hard.
Webber passed Schumacher with six laps to go, but had to let German through as he had jumped the final chicane.
On the following lap he made the same mistake again, this time losing third place to Button. The McLaren driver took second with five laps left, passing Schumacher comfortably and launching his attack on Vettel.
Webber finally captured third place from Schumacher with three laps left, but all eyes were on the battle at the front.
Vettel picked up the pace but Button continued to take several tenths of a second out of his lead per lap. On the penultimate lap he was able to use his DRS and take more time out of Vettel’s lead.
The pair began the final lap with Button within a second and poised to pounce in the DRS zone. But it was decided before then as Vettel put two wheels on the still-damp surface at turn six and slewed sideways, allowing Button through to claim an improbable win.
It was a fantastic performance by Jenson Button. Not only he made six visits to the pits for tyre changes, repairs and a drive-through penalty, but also he was at one point last in the field. He responded with a determined drive to pass the world champion on the final lap.
Vettel looked despondent after losing the lead he had held for almost the whole Grand Prix. But he retains a healthy 60-point margin over Button, who is now second in the title race.
Race results from Montreal:
1. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 4h04:39.537
2. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault +2.709
3. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault +13.828
4. Michael Schumacher Mercedes +14.219
5. Vitaly Petrov Renault +20.395
6. Felipe Massa Ferrari +33.225
7. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari +33.270
8. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari +35.964
9. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth +45.117
10. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari +47.056
11. Nico Rosberg Mercedes +50.454
12. Pedro de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari +1m03.607s
13. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth +1 Lap
14. Jerome D’Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth +1 Lap
15. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth +1 Lap
16. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault +1 Lap
17. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth +1 Lap
18. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes +3 Laps
Retirements:
Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 61 laps
Nick Heidfeld Renault 55 laps
Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 49 laps
Fernando Alonso Ferrari 36 laps
Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 28 laps
Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 7 laps
World Championship standings, round 7:
Drivers:
1. Sebastian Vettel 161
2. Jenson Button 101
3. Mark Webber 94
4. Lewis Hamilton 85
5. Fernando Alonso 69
6. Felipe Massa 32
7. Vitaly Petrov 31
8. Nick Heidfeld 29
9. Michael Schumacher 26
10. Nico Rosberg 26
11. Kamui Kobayashi 25
12. Adrian Sutil 8
13. Sebastien Buemi 8
14. Jaime Alguersuari 4
15. Rubens Barrichello 4
16. Sergio Perez 2
17. Paul Di Resta 2
Constructors:
1. Red Bull-Renault 255
2. McLaren-Mercedes 186
3. Ferrari 101
4. Renault 60
5. Mercedes 52
6. Sauber-Ferrari 27
7. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 12
8. Force India-Mercedes 10
9. Williams-Cosworth 4
Next race: European Grand Prix, Valencia. June 24-26.
