Button bounces back to snatch last-lap win in Canada

2011 Canadian Grand Prix report

12th June 2011, 23:0916th September 2023, 0:17 | Written by Keith Collantine

Jenson Button scored a sensational victory in the Canadian Grand Prix, passing Sebastian Vettel on the last lap.

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He bounced back after two collisions, with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, and a drive-through penalty.

A last-lap mistake by Vettel allowed Button to win having run 22nd at one point.

The rain had stopped before the race got underway but Charlie Whiting decided to start the race behind the safety car on the wet track. The cars circulated for four laps before the pack was released.

Sebastian Vettel came under attack from Fernando Alonso immediately but he repelled the attack.

Further back Mark Webber was attacked more aggressively by Lewis Hamilton, who tipped the Red Bull into a spin at the first corner.

Hamilton fell behind Michael Schumacher while avoiding Webber’s spinning car but was soon on his tail, trying to pass the Mercedes around the outside of the Casino hairpin.

Schumacher edged him wide and Button seized the opportunity to move ahead of his team mate.

Hamilton’s eventful race came to a sudden end on lap seven. He tried to capitalise on a mistake by Button at the chicane, but drew alongside his team mate into a narrowing gap between Button and the pit wall. Hamilton dealt the wall a solid whack, damaging his left-rear wheel.

McLaren told Hamilton to park his damaged car, and while Button headed for the pits the safety car returned to the track.

That promoted Kamui Kobayashi to sixth place, having made rapid progress from 13th on the grid.

At the restart Alonso began to slip back from Vettel, as he had during the first three laps of green flag running, with Felipe Massa lapping close behind his team mate.

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Having switched to intermediate tyres, Button quickly picked off Pastor Maldonado and Paul di Resta. But he was summoned to the pits for a drive-through penalty for going too quickly behind the safety car.

He served the penalty immediately, losing just five places, which he quickly began to take back. Noting his progress on the intermediate tyres, several other drivers reacted.

Among them was Alonso, who emerged from the pits with just one car between him and Button. The two Mercedes also made the switch.

Race suspended

But they were caught out when the rain returned with a vengeance on lap 19. The safety car came out immediately and all the drivers who had switched to intermediates pitted for wets with one exception – Adrian Sutil.

After just two laps behind the safety car, with the weather radars showing much more rain to come, the race was red-flagged.

The race remained under suspension for over two hours as rain lashed the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Finally the clouds lifted and the race resumed behind the safety car.

Another eight laps behind the safety car passed as the track conditions improved. So much so that when the start was finally given some drivers immediately switched to intermediate tyres.

Vettel held his lead from Kobayashi, who had risen to second ahead of drivers who had pitted for intermediate tyres, plus Massa who had stopped for more wets behind the second safety car. Kobayashi fended off an attack from the Ferrari as the race resumed.

Jenson Button was one of the first drivers to switch to intermediate tyres. The Ferrari drivers pitted at the same time and Alonso had to queue behind his team mate.

Button made to pass Alonso at turn three but the pair banged wheels, sending Alonso spinning onto a kerb where his car became stuck. Button limped into the pits with a front-left puncture as Bernd Maylander took the safety car out for the fourth time.

The remaining drivers completed their switch to intermediate tyres and Vettel led once more as the race restarted.

Schumacher climbs to second

Michael Schumacher was the man on the move at the restart, taking Webber for sixth.

That became fifth when Paul di Resta hit Nick Heidfeld, damaging his wing and stopping for repairs. He was later given a drive-through penalty.

Schumacher made a much more successful pass on Heidfeld and set off in pursuit of Kobayashi and Massa. He took both in a brilliant, opportunistic move on lap 50 when Kobayashi ran wide. Massa also moved ahead of Kobayashi.

By now drivers were pitting for slick tyres including Button, who had only just caught the pack in time for the restart. His pace on the super-soft tyres was whole seconds faster than Vettel’s, never mind the other cars, and he sliced past Heidfeld and Kobayashi for fourth, having been as low as 22nd.

Heidfeld mounted an attack on Kobayashi, but lost his front wing running into the Sauber at the Senna hairpin. The wing collapsed under the Renault and Heidfeld hurtled down the escape road at turn three.

He was unharmed, but with debris all over the track the safety car had to be summoned for a fifth time. During the interruption there was a frightening moment as a marshal fell over in front of de la Rosa and Petrov, who had to take avoiding action.

As the safety car came in for the final time the race clock threatened to bring the race to an end before the 70 laps were completed. The full distance was completed, but only just.

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Button snatches victory

Button snatched victory on the final lap

Vettel pulled away from Schumacher, Webber and Button at the restart, the latter briefly delayed by Timo Glock’s Virgin.

Webber made a few fruitless efforts to pass Schumacher, having to yield his position back at one point. On lap 63 he skidded at the exit of the final chicane and Button pounced for third place.

Button set off after Schumacher and took him on the very next lap. Webber would also demote Schumacher from the final podium position with three laps to go.

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: Vettel put two wheels on the still-damp surface at turn six and slewed sideways, allowing Button through to claim an improbable win.

Webber took third ahead of Schumacher while Vitaly Petrov claimed fifth.

Massa, who had been delayed after spinning and breaking his front wing, passed Kobayashi at the line for sixth place.

Both Toro Rosso scored points: Jaime Alguersuari in eighth, Sebastien Buemi in tenth, with Rubens Barrichello in between.

Vettel looked despondent after losing the lead he had held for almost the whole race. But he retains a healthy 60-point margin over Button, who is now second in the title race.

2011 Canadian Grand Prix

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Keith Collantine

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181 comments on “Button bounces back to snatch last-lap win in Canada”

Solo (@solo)
12th June 2011, 23:10
This comments is inspired by Rocky IV but it fits so well in this situation after seeing Vettel getting all this wins and everything going his way until that last lap.
“You see? You see? He’s not a machine, he’s a man, he’s a man.”
1. Solo (@solo)
  12th June 2011, 23:12
  “Comment” not “comments”. Damn Keith, we need an edit button.
  1. Scary Terry (@hatebreeder)
    13th June 2011, 5:55
    “Chance of rain promises classic race in Canada”
    SUCCESS.
2. matt88 (@matt88)
  13th June 2011, 8:01
  haha, that’s what i wrote too in the live blog!
  maybe the 2nd part of the season, with the limited HBD, will give us a more open battle…
Mach1
12th June 2011, 23:11
It felt sooo good when Vettel went wide…..
1. Eggry (@eggry)
  12th June 2011, 23:20
  I expected DRS overtaking but Vettel’s spin is still exciting.
2. Nikos
  12th June 2011, 23:21
  I totally agree. Jenson was flying on the last two laps. Unbelievable!!
  1. Scribe (@scribe)
    13th June 2011, 1:00
    5 pit stops, one drive through, 2 crashes last lap victory. Definatley his greatest ever.
    Considering that, what an idiot Hamilton is eh? Definatley had the car for the conditions, really should have been more calm. If Jenson could win despite what happened to him, you’d have to say Hamilton could have done.
    1. Elliot Horwood
      13th June 2011, 1:52
      and 6 safety cars
3. zappy j
  13th June 2011, 2:24
  Even better when Ramilton hit Button!
  LOL!
  1. Torg
    13th June 2011, 12:33
    Other way round mate, check the replays.
    1. Dave Bloomfield
      17th June 2011, 17:01
      Nah. The connotation is all wrong. LH was trying to be somewhere he had no sensible right to be – hence accident. JB was doing what he had every right to do. Thus the transgressor was LH. Thus he hit JB. You can’t blame someone for ‘hitting someone’ who runs into them…
F1andy83
12th June 2011, 23:12
First? And is there ant word on the 10sec penalty for his Alonso collision ?
1. Mach1
  12th June 2011, 23:16
  No but you better watch out…saying “first” usually gets you a penalty by the stewards (aka Keith)but as you’re not first and you actually made a comment…you may just get a reprimand!!!
  1. laird18
    13th June 2011, 0:01
    Hmm, let’s see…
    Di Resta makes a move at the final chicane (“standard” overtaking position). His competitor moves over and there is contact. Di Resta causes no damage to his competitor’s car and gains no advantage (in fact he is greatly disadvantaged by a damaged wing), but is given a drive through penalty.
    Button makes a move at turn 3 (an almost impossible overtaking place). His competitor gives him space but Button can’t make the apex and there is contact. Button causes his competitor to spin out of the race, but escapes damage himself, in the process unfairly gaining a position, yet is not punished at all.
    What the hell is going on with the stewards!!?
    1. panache
      13th June 2011, 0:14
      Surely you can’t be serious?
      The outcome of that contact resulted in Button being in last place following his pitstop.
      Impossible to consider that “unfairly gaining a position”
      The stewards decision for the Di Resta incident was incredibly harsh though.
      1. Javaguy (@javaguy)
        13th June 2011, 0:19
        He was serious. And don’t call him Shirley.
        Personally I really hope Button doesn’t get a penalty but, unfortunately, it seems likely, given how fashionable avoidable collision penalties are these days.
      2. Javaguy (@javaguy)
        13th June 2011, 0:23
        Oops. Missed the BBC Tweet saying the result stands.
        Interesting. I could imagine Di Resta being a little bit annoyed about that.
      3. laird18
        13th June 2011, 1:15
        Haha… okay I actually forgot that Button picked up a puncture in that incident. But I believe the point still stands: Di Resta’s drive-through was stupid (especially given the circumstances of the race).
        And for the record I don’t believe that Button deserves any penalty either.
    2. hohum
      13th June 2011, 1:23
      You must be wearing rose ( or rosso ) tinted glasses.
    3. Nick
      13th June 2011, 9:05
      Brilliant by Button, when will he get the credit he deserves!! As for hamilton he needs to learn to be patient, these top guys just dont move over because hamilton wants them to, his arrogance is breathtaking on times,his attempt to overtake Webber was a clumsy, wildly over-optimistic lunge that a 19 year-old rookie would be castigated for. He was in prime position to overtake Button, yet chose the wrong side & didn’t back down even when it was obvious that Button was closing the door – how dumb (& arrogant) was that? It wasn’t just Button’s responsibility – it was more Hamilton’s to drive around the car in front rather than (as usual) through it.
      No doubt hamilton is fast and aggressive but if it doesnt get you to the chequered flag then whats the point, Webber & Button are classic examples of getting your head down and just driving with a cool head.
2. Trey
  12th June 2011, 23:20
  Good question I am waiting on verdict on this otherwise it’s favouritism
3. BasCB (@bascb)
  12th June 2011, 23:22
  No penalties were handed out at this time (yet?) so how do you come up with a 10 second penalty?
  If given penalty (penalties) they would probably be 20 seconds or grid penalty for the next race.
4. Todfod (@todfod)
  12th June 2011, 23:26
  Yeah I want to know how that plays out. Whether the stewards will just write it down as a racing incident, or give him some sort of penalty for the next race. Jenson really enjoys wrecking Alonso’s race… 1st in Australia 2010 and today. Argh!
5. Ady
  13th June 2011, 0:09
  BBC Reporting no further actions by stewards. Result stands.
6. panache
  13th June 2011, 0:12
  I would consider it extremely unlikely that Button will receive a penalty from the stewards for his incident with Alonso for several reasons:
  1. Racing incident. Button had the inside line going in to the corner and even had his front wing in front of Alonso’s before braking in to the corner where both drivers were already fully committed.
  As DC/Brundle said on BBC coverage, Alonso was relying heavily on Button to slow the car down trying to maintain his position around the outside of the corner, driving into an ever closing gap.
  2. Even if interpreted slightly less favourably towards Jenson, he suffered a puncture during the incident which led to him being in last place after pitting. The Stewards will undoubtedly take this in to account.
  3. Jenson went on to win the race. How often have we seen the race winner penalised and rescinded of his win following a post-race investigation?
  A penalty at this stage would reflect incredibly badly on the stewards undoubtedly causing an outlash that would not be forgotten for a long time.
  1. Zecks (@zecks)
    13th June 2011, 0:28
    true, but if you have seen the senna movie, nothing is impossible with the stewards
  2. Stubie
    13th June 2011, 11:16
    Race win rescinded post-race?
    Spa 2008
    1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      13th June 2011, 11:32
      …and a few more:
      Hamilton joins Senna, Prost, Schumacher and others who had F1 wins confiscated
John H
12th June 2011, 23:13
Fantastic race. Shame about drs at the end, I actually felt sorry for schumi for pretty much the first time ever!
1. George (@george)
  12th June 2011, 23:16
  Same here, I like Button, but I actually wanted to see Schumi on the podium more than I wanted to see Button pass Vettel
2. Mike-e
  13th June 2011, 1:58
  Considering since about 1994 i have hugely disliked schumacher (almost unjustifiable hate, in the beginning for celebrating the Imola 1994 win like nothing had happened, then all the controversy at the season finale, and everything he then added to his reputation in the next decade or so), for the first time ever i was actually rooting for him to stay ahead of webber and take 3rd. After the last safety car i was actually rooting for him to win!
  1. S.J.M (@sjm)
    13th June 2011, 10:52
    Im pretty much the same as Mike-e (inc the near hatred of Schuey till yesterday), i wanted him on the podium. Infact, and its nothing personal to vettel, but a Button -Schumacher – Webber Podium would have been sweet. Shame Kobayashi couldnt sneak on there, but always next time.
    1. Dan Newton
      13th June 2011, 15:09
      Me to. (I’m saving words in case there’s a shortage)
Mr JoeBlack
12th June 2011, 23:13
this is shumy’s race, he deserve at least a podium!!!
great work for Button, this is how we win races Lewis.
Bad luck for Vettel, its time to see other winner!
1. Trey
  12th June 2011, 23:18
  I appreciate that Jenson is your favorate however, I hope that the stewards fine him for the car accidents. It should not be one rule for some and not all drivers. Otherwise I will conclude that there is more politics in F1 and most importantly McLaren camp.
  1. Carl Craven
    12th June 2011, 23:25
    He didn’t cause either incident.
    He followed the racing line and Lewis tried to overtake wasn’t even alongside him.
    Button was actually infront of Alonso going into the corner so it was his corner. Alonso outbraked and drove across Button.
    1. Todfod (@todfod)
      12th June 2011, 23:32
      Alonso didn’t outbrake. He was on the racing line and was going on the outside of Button. Alonso left enough room to avoid contact, but Jenson as usual .. chose to ignore his presence.
      1. David-A (@david-a)
        12th June 2011, 23:36
        Absolutely, Button drove a good race afterwards, but JB dropped the ball there, and earlier on with Lewis.
      2. Copersucar (@copersucar)
        13th June 2011, 0:03
        …or deliberately ramming into him. JB has no right to win this race. But we all know with whom Charlie Whiting goes to bed.
      3. Snaiperskaya (@mgp-w01)
        13th June 2011, 8:41
        I didn’t know that the outside of the corner not on the apex is the racing line. Wow, you learn something new everyday.
      4. Todfod (@todfod)
        13th June 2011, 11:49
        But staying on the inside and onto the kerbs is racing line .. right?
    2. Todfod (@todfod)
      12th June 2011, 23:33
      Take a better look
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1L5uvhy8KA
      1. Mouse_Nightshirt (@mouse_nightshirt)
        12th June 2011, 23:37
        Looking at that, Jenson’s rear right was off the track (as defined by the white lines). In other words he could have been no more right at that point in time.
        Purely a racing incident. Jenson had as much right to be there as Alonso did to try and close the door.
      2. Zahir (@)
        13th June 2011, 0:06
        I have to agree with Mouse_Nightshirt. To me it looked like a racing incident, from certain camera angles it looks like Buttons fault, and others it looks like Alonso’s. Just one of those things really.
    3. Commendatore (@commendatore)
      12th June 2011, 23:59
      Button must be punished for this! +25 sec would do just fine. :)
      http://img848.imageshack.us/img848/7274/krash.jpg
      1. Mark Hitchcock
        13th June 2011, 0:38
        I love it when people post still images of incidents and call them proof of anything.
        Look, I found proof of a hover-car! http://www.0-60mag.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/jump_composite_800.jpg
        Don’t worry about the video footage. It will show nothing different to that image at all.
      2. Johnny86
        13th June 2011, 1:19
        Please dont say that line “its one of those things”!!..i am sick of Gary Anderson answering every question with this signature line of his.
        Q:why arent virgin improving?
        Gary:well its one of those things where your development goes wrong.
        Q: Why did lewis get a penalty?
        Gary: well its one of those things where he had to be.
      3. Rob
        13th June 2011, 11:08
        Looks to me like Button is exactly on the racing line (apex of the corner), Alonso messed up and cut back across instead of cutting the chicane as he wasn’t going to make the second apex.
        You’re welcome.
  2. Alex
    12th June 2011, 23:36
    Okay, I get it you are a Hammy obsessed fan , but you do realize that IF Button is gonna get a pen. than its gonna be for the incident with Alonso and not Hamilton, or did you really thought that the ppl at Mclaren are so dumb to let it be anything more than a racing incident, + Even Ham was not 100% sure the accident was all But´s fault, and when Mr.I-am-always-faultless says this than it means something+ If he is gonna get a pen. for not letting enough space for Alonso than its gonna be a 20sec. pen- which would only put him 5th, which is considering he won this race unfair(he could have archieved a better result whith a drive-through)+He had not gained anything after each incident,´even worse he had to pit both times…So with 6 pit-stops and being on EVERY single position, from the VERY last to the VERY first, Jenson Button won this race…
Novotny
12th June 2011, 23:14
I am convinced that Ecclestone sits at a vast console for every race with a ‘spin’ and ‘engine failure’ button for each car :D
Well done that Button boy though. Thoroughly deserved. And Massa! Get in there!
Paulipedia
12th June 2011, 23:14
Driver of the day will be easy to choose. Fantastic stuff
1. Novotny
  12th June 2011, 23:17
  That fellow in the safety car was never overtaken, I thought he did well, led for ages before having to retire
  1. gwenouille (@gwenouille)
    12th June 2011, 23:22
    Nice comment ! I thought of him for DOTD too…
  2. caci99 (@)
    13th June 2011, 0:21
    +1
  3. hohum
    13th June 2011, 1:29
    By midrace he had lead for more laps than anybody.
  4. Mike
    13th June 2011, 2:35
    I agree, he has a significant power disadvantage but he managed to hold his position before he was forced into the pits.
    1. brendant (@brendant)
      13th June 2011, 4:28
      Don’t forget the almost non-existent aero and the 100 kg or so of penalty weight in the passenger seat!
2. GeordiePorker (@geordieporker)
  12th June 2011, 23:21
  +1 – it’s obviously Hamilton! ;)
3. John H
  13th June 2011, 12:29
  I would give it to Schumacher and not Button due to his ‘incidents.’
  Where was Rosberg this race?
  1. Paulipedia
    13th June 2011, 12:58
    All Michael did was keep it on the road. He made a great but fortunate pass on Massa and Kobayashi.
David-A (@david-a)
12th June 2011, 23:16
Shame for Vettel to lead almost the whole way then lose it on the final lap, but the margins between 1st and 2nd can really be that thin.
Credit to Button for setting such a good pace after those incidents with Alonso and Hamilton. But I loved seeing Michael so near the front, shame he didn’t quite get a podium. Massa took too long getting past Kobayashi before his spin, though it was exciting seeing him get past at the finish line.
1. Novotny
  12th June 2011, 23:18
  Very mixed feelings here between wanting Webber to start doing well, and wanting Schumi to get a podium again.
  All in all, I’d rather the third man had been the Baron.
Ionut R
12th June 2011, 23:17
Jenson all the way baby! Also, thanks for a great drive Michael, you will be back on the podium champ, don’t worry about that, Mercedes just need a bit more progress, and it will get there!
Drive of the CENTURY for Button though, proved that he is one of the best drivers in F1 today, if anyone still had doubts, which they shouldn’t have!
carlos
12th June 2011, 23:18
Great win for Button. And why did Massa tried to pass on the wet side with slick tires. By the time he tried the track has a thin dry line and not the double lanes towards the end. I can never understand why he keeps on making so many mental mistakes.
1. Aldo
  13th June 2011, 1:30
  He was overlapping KAR but the dude didn’t see the blue flags. Massa decided to move out of the dry line and lost control of the front of the car. He managed to avoid a serious crash.
2. hohum
  13th June 2011, 1:31
  Both sides were the wet side, same trouble Webber had Schumi.
  1. hohum
    13th June 2011, 1:32
    …with Schumi.
3. Face21 (@face21)
  13th June 2011, 2:19
  The HRT had made a mistake out of the corner and was going way too slowly on the dry part of the track. Massa just tried to avoid it, with the consequences we saw. Can’t blame the HRT too much, it was clearly just a mistake coming out of the corner. Bad luck again for Massa, and I’m sorry for him. You can never tell, but I think this looked a clear podium finish for him and he deserved it.
Faraz
12th June 2011, 23:19
Took-out his team mate and Fernando. Felipe had to make an unscheduled pit stop. 3 or 4 cars retired, in front of him. Webber and Schumacher all on older tyres. Made mistakes due to lack of grip. Vettel made mistake. After all that did only Jenson win. Also don’t say Jenson this and Jenson that. His team made amazing strategic calls.
1. Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
  12th June 2011, 23:21
  Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure!
  1. Faraz
    12th June 2011, 23:23
    Well everyone would be saying that Lewis or Fernando got lucky if they won through all that carnage.
    1. The Last Pope
      12th June 2011, 23:47
      Oh give up. Your comments are nonsense.
      1. Julian
        13th June 2011, 4:02
        Faraz is half right though.
      2. Damon (@damon)
        13th June 2011, 10:37
        Faraz is largely right indeed.
2. Trey
  12th June 2011, 23:22
  I hope that the stewards fine him for the car accidents. It should not be one rule for some and not all drivers. Otherwise I will conclude that there is more politics in F1
  1. hohum
    13th June 2011, 1:36
    Yes Trey your favourite driver never does anything that could be considered unfair or worthy of a penalty, right?
3. Novotny
  12th June 2011, 23:23
  Yes but Jenson this and Jenson that, actually
4. Dipak T
  12th June 2011, 23:44
  The guy had an amazing drive. Last year at Monza he kept a snarling Alonso in a faster car behind for 40 laps, never at one point did he crack and make a mistake under that pressure. Vettel cracked under the pressure Button was piling upon him.
  Button is a deserving winner. End of Story.
  1. Dipak T
    12th June 2011, 23:46
    Thats not to say that Vettel cant handle the pressure, hes proved he definetly can, I just mean that this time Button pushed into the error.
    1. Patrickl
      13th June 2011, 11:39
      If anything, Vettel has proven that he can not deal with pressure (from behind). Australia 2009, Monaco 2009, Turkey 2010, Spa 2010, Silverstone 2010, China 2011 and now Canada 2011.
      Apart from China and Canada, Vettel just hasn’t had any pressure this season. He could have had some in Monaco, but the race was stopped just short of that.
      1. Todfod (@todfod)
        13th June 2011, 11:58
        Maybe you should remove Silverstone 2010 and China 2011 if you really want to prove your point. At Silverstone, Hamilton slit his rear tyres at turn1, yet Vettel managed to battle from dead last to 7th. China 2011 he was just on the wrong tyres/strategy, and there was no possible way for him to hang on to that lead.
      2. David-A (@david-a)
        13th June 2011, 15:54
        I agree with Todfod, plus he was under pressure in Monaco before the red flag, with Alonso already trying to line up moves and Button on fresher tyres behind both of them. In Spain he also was under pressure from Hamilton. Vettel has shown he can handle pressure, but can crack too.
5. James_mc (@james_mc)
  12th June 2011, 23:55
  While I fully believe that Jenson deserved the win and was worked very hard for it; there is a certain amount of truth here – if it had been the other McLaren there would have been lots of fuss…
  1. Ilanin
    13th June 2011, 0:06
    There seems to be quite a lot of fuss regardless.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
12th June 2011, 23:20
Best race I’ve ever seem
Schumi was the man of the race, despite Button’s win. What he did today was amaizing!.
1. hohum
  13th June 2011, 1:38
  For an old man you mean?
  1. Face21 (@face21)
    13th June 2011, 3:00
    I don’t think it has anything to do with age. I’m sure Rosberg would have been happy to perform like Schumacher today, regardless the age. Somebody must be blind to deny that what Schumacher did today (Going from 12th to 2nd under the drying track, with only one DRS pass) was special. He used to be the best with changing conditions, and I was glad to see today that he still keeps some of that magic!
    Also, in my opinion, DRS took the magic of Button’s win to the bin. He was so much faster than the guys in front that he might have been able to do it even without the DRS (Canada is a circuit where cars overtake, we’ve seen it in previous years), and I would have been truly impressed by that. DRS just ruined it: he just had to press a button, and he was in front of the guy even before they started breaking as if he was lapping them. Not to take anything away from him, you have to use the rules to your advantage and he did a pretty good job keeping it together after so many incidents, so hats off for him, but I was more impressed with Schumacher’s race.
    BTW, I think we were lucky to see a wet race. From what we saw in the dry it might have been shameful to only see dull DRS “overtaking” (if you can call that overtaking) throughout the whole race. At least we saw some action in the rain!
    1. Damon (@damon)
      13th June 2011, 10:39
      it might have been shameful to only see dull DRS “overtaking”
      Yes, that would be a disgrace for racing.
      The advantage DRS was giving was ridiculous.
2. MW (@)
  13th June 2011, 12:58
  Schumi was the man of the race
  Agreed! Button’s misfortunes actually worked in his favour. The extra trips to the pits meant that he was always on the optimal rubber. Then he just needed to drive steadily around and benefit from others mistakes (eg. Webber after the final chicane). Infact the only time Button defended or attacked an equal car he crashed into them and was lucky to continue.
  Schumi was defending or attacking for the entire race in a far inferior car and didn’t put a foot wrong throughout. Infact if it wasn’t for the ridiculous DRS it’s hard to see how Webber or Button would have taken 2nd place from him.
  Definitely my driver of the race.
f199player (@f199player)
12th June 2011, 23:21
Whether you love or hate Jenson Button you got to respect him. How many drivers could get a penalty, crash into his team mate and a Ferrari, get a puncture and fight back from last place in one race and still win it. That has to be one of the greatest drives ever
1. nbouler
  13th June 2011, 0:03
  You ain’t kidding!!! This long time Jenson fan screamed from Vettel’s off all the way to finish. An exciting GP, but doesn’t Canada always have an incredible result?! That’s why it’s always sold out!
neracer (@neracer)
12th June 2011, 23:21
button seems to get all the luck – no other way he could have won. safety car played a big factor. waiting to hear if he gets any kind of penalty….
1. Novotny
  12th June 2011, 23:25
  Actually no, Vettel has had things fall his way for much of this season. I think most people would recognise that whilst Vettel has drove very well, luck has also gone with him too up until today.
  1. David-A (@david-a)
    12th June 2011, 23:33
    I agree, anything can happen, and Button drove a great race.
  2. hohum
    13th June 2011, 1:41
    Especially if you are his team-mate.
2. Mouse_Nightshirt (@mouse_nightshirt)
  12th June 2011, 23:39
  To be honest, the luck was all falling Vettel’s way that race. He had two free pitstops, it’s only the last safety car and Vettel not accounting for the threat of Button early enough which cost him the race.
3. Ady
  13th June 2011, 10:26
  Hit from behind by your team mate, drive through for “speeding” behind the safety car (when following the other cars), cut up by Alonso and being put to the back of the field due to a puncture.
  Yes, seems to get all the luck.
  1. Patrickl
    13th June 2011, 11:54
    That wasn’t luck no, those were all errors that Button made himself.
    The luck part is obviously in the bit where the safety car makes up for all his errors.
Gridlock
12th June 2011, 23:21
Vettel drives a superb fast lap and in a car made for him by Adrian Newey will win from pole every time, UNLESS he come under pressure from a better driver.
Discuss..
1. David-A (@david-a)
  12th June 2011, 23:32
  Button isn’t a “better” driver than Vettel. Only Hamilton and Alonso could be considered better.
  And Vettel can handle pressure. The last two races:
  Hamilton (probably better than Vettel) pressurises Vettel in Spain – no mistake.
  Button and Alonso pressurise Vettel with better tyres on the circuit where a mistake like today’s = barrier. No mistakes from Vettel.
  As Solo said earlier, he’s human and will make mistakes, but he can definitely handle pressure from the best drivers on the grid.
  1. James_mc (@james_mc)
    12th June 2011, 23:57
    I think Vettel’s tyres were kinda going off a bit which contributed to his mistake on the last lap. I think his tyre caught the slippery white line and that’s what tipped him into a spin
    1. Zecks (@zecks)
      13th June 2011, 0:31
      yeah it seemed like the mclaren had fair better traction today
      1. Patrickl
        13th June 2011, 11:55
        I think it’s called KERS.
        Red Bull chose to go for an inferior KERS implementation.
2. Mads (@mads)
  12th June 2011, 23:35
  Like what happened in Spain, and in Monaco.. Oh wait, hold on…
Novotny
12th June 2011, 23:22
BTW has anyone noted that with McLaren having Pedro De la Rosa as their test driver – the guy who helped develop the Pirelli tyres – perhaps Button’s legendary cleverness with tyres is getting some assistance?
It was a mate of mine who pointed this out earlier, and he’s right – McLaren have access to more knowledge about those tyres than anyone else.
1. Hairs (@hairs)
  13th June 2011, 0:01
  No they don’t. Pirelli give all the same data about the tyres to each team.
  Each team has its own dedicated set of Pirelli tyre staff who advise them on the tyres.
  The tyres react completely differently on different cars.
  Pedro’s experience didn’t help him control the Sauber this weekend.
  Pedro’s experience as a test driver is on the Pirelli Test car (a 2010 beta-spec Toyota that has been modified with parts that would be illegal to fit on a racing F1 car).
2. mr.t
  13th June 2011, 0:25
  Perhaps you should point out to your friend that Nick Heidfeld and Romain Grosjean also helped test the Pirelli tyres too, but I suspect he isn’t shouting about Renault claiming an unfair advantage?
  1. Novotny
    13th June 2011, 1:11
    Thanks for the perspective – it was just a little theory of ours :)
Victor. (@victor)
12th June 2011, 23:22
Fantastic race. The best finish to a race since Brazil 2008.
91jb12 (@91jb12)
12th June 2011, 23:22
Congrats Button, steller performance. Margains at the front now are as fine as putting tyres an inch offline. Still think JB would’ve passed SV before the line, he was super close anyway.
Amazing race, bit annoyed being a Seb fan but I’d have take 5 wins and 2 2nds and a 60pt lead before melbourne.
Ionut R
12th June 2011, 23:23
Sorry to break it to you, but Jenson has ALWAYS made his own calls regarding pit stop and tire strategy. Haters gonna hate!
Dan_the_McLaren_fan (@dan_the_mclaren_fan)
12th June 2011, 23:27
How many investigations are ongoing?
MacademiaNut
12th June 2011, 23:28
“an sensational victory”?
Mach1
12th June 2011, 23:28
on another note….I nearly s**t myself when the stewards started picking up debris on a blind corner when half the pack hadn’t gone through or caught up with the pack, and then fell over in front of an F1 car….I bet he s**t himself too, I thought we were about to see a horrible accident – just thankful he got out of harms way
1. Novotny
  12th June 2011, 23:29
  That was very scary.
2. Mouse_Nightshirt (@mouse_nightshirt)
  12th June 2011, 23:40
  Heart in mouth moment until the cars got past, then laughing hysterically. Man those Canadian marshalls seem to have issues putting one foot infront of the other this weekend.
3. Bleeps_and_Tweaks (@bleeps_and_tweaks)
  12th June 2011, 23:57
  Yeah that was really bad, I think the marshals got a bit over excited, one in particular! It was only nearly a full lock up by one of the Saubers that saved one of the marshal’s from getting hit. Heart in mouth stuff.
Carl Craven
12th June 2011, 23:29
Re Alonso Button crash
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVF8r075Kuc
Youtube Video of Button Alonso Incident
4 to 5 seconds into the video you can clearly see Button is ahead.
1. Novotny
  12th June 2011, 23:31
  I think they were both equally at fault, if either are. Has to be a racing incident.
2. Jombe
  12th June 2011, 23:38
  But by the time they collided Alonso was clearly ahead. Also there was room for Button on the inside, but instead of compromising his line for the following corner by evasive action Button continued into the back of Alonso. I think he would deserve a penalty, but I would have preferred the stewards to reach a decision during the race.
3. mvi
  12th June 2011, 23:39
  But it shows that Alonso is clearly ahead.
4. Ionut R
  12th June 2011, 23:43
  Button had the inside, started to break as the turn was coming and he had Rosberg in front, Alonso gets stubborn on the outside and breaks extremely late, leaving Button nowhere to go. Button ends up with a puncture, pits, gets out last, and ends up winning the race! ’nuff said.
  1. The Last Pope
    12th June 2011, 23:52
    This is the truth.
  2. Bleeps_and_Tweaks (@bleeps_and_tweaks)
    12th June 2011, 23:58
    +1
  3. caci99 (@)
    13th June 2011, 0:36
    Lol, Alonso stubborn. So if Alonso wouldn’t be stubborn he would either go straight ahead or leave a place to Button. Meanwhile, Button has room to take the corner on the inside, room left by the “stubborn Alonso” but he rather chooses to go straight ahead as if Alonso wasn’t there at all. Lol
  4. Anoop
    13th June 2011, 12:20
    Alonso was clearly in front from the video. H was sticking to his side, where as button came behind nico and he just pulled into Alonso’s line. Had he just keep his line behind Nico, this collision can be avoided.
5. Dipak T
  12th June 2011, 23:50
  They were side by side, neither could claim the optimal line without causing an incident.
  The only sane conclusion is a racing incident.
  Also, why do people have such problems accepting something as being a racing incident? Heidfeld and Kobayashi is a prime example where neither was at fault, but some people seem to always conclude that one driver has to be at fault and therefore has to be penalised!
  1. Carl Craven
    13th June 2011, 0:25
    Only one driver can have the racing line, that was Button.
    1. Face21 (@face21)
      13th June 2011, 3:12
      Can’t agree with that. Alonso was on the ouside and that’s the racing line. That’s the way to make the chicane quicker, and that’s why Alonso is ahead in the chicane while he was behind before braking. Button was trying to put his move on Alonso on the inside and that’s why he’s earlier on the brakes. Since it’s Button hitting Alonso and not the other way round, I’d say Button is more responsible for this one, but I don’t think he deserves a penalty for that. Both drivers were too optimistic and I guess you should call it a racing incident
      1. David-A (@david-a)
        13th June 2011, 5:01
        +1
      2. John H
        13th June 2011, 12:34
        +1 = 2
Ionut R
12th June 2011, 23:30
It would be retarded for the officials to ruin one of the most exciting and unbelievable victories in F1 history by hitting Button with an after race penalty – which he wouldn’t deserve anyway, as Hamilton impatiently forced him on the outside in lap 8, and Button had the inside in the Alonso incident, with Fernando literally not leaving Button anywhere else to go by being stubborn and not allowing him to pass after an obvious overtake.
1. James_mc (@james_mc)
  12th June 2011, 23:59
  Not like they don’t have a precedent though of ruining exciting races…
RandomChimp (@randomchimp)
12th June 2011, 23:31
Best 5 hours spent in front of a television ever.
1. Novotny
  12th June 2011, 23:33
  I have some of those German dvds that Coulthard and Vettel were discussing if interested
Ral (@)
12th June 2011, 23:43
BBC Commentary missed Kobayashi’s spin into turn three on the last restart. That’s how he ended up behind Petrov and finally caught by Massa on the line. A shame. But with the hot-blown exhausts on the overrun being banned, surely Sauber, Williams and Torro Rosso are set to catch up a bit with the front runners a little bit, especially in qualifying. And that will mix up the race results a bit as well.
Good race, when it was finally allowed to start :)
OEL
12th June 2011, 23:47
“Massa, who had been delayed after spinning and breaking his front wing, passed Kobayashi at the line for sixth place.”
Not quite that simple, as the HRT was in the middle of the road, forcing Massa off.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
12th June 2011, 23:57
No penalty for Button for the Alonso incident.
1. f1alex
  13th June 2011, 0:00
  Good, I think it would be the last thing the sport needs for the stewards to ruin one of the best races in the sport’s history by punishing the winning driver even though he wasn’t really at fault.
carldec
13th June 2011, 0:00
Fox in the US cut off coverage right after the race finished and did not show the interviews.
I would pay a lot of money to see Button and Vettel talk about this race…
sigh… another News Corp brain fart.
1. nbouler
  13th June 2011, 0:07
  I KNOW!!! We have to find that!!! Will Speed run it?
  1. carldec
    13th June 2011, 0:17
    Speed will rebroadcast race on Tuesday. They may have a minutes worth of post race coverage tonight on the speed news show.. but it will be mostly about Nascar.
    If anyone knows where I can download a copy of the end race coverage….
    sigh.
  2. hohum
    13th June 2011, 1:51
    Twice already. straight after and then in weekly roundup, and probably again on F1 debrief.
Hairs (@hairs)
13th June 2011, 0:05
An in non-racing discussion:
How much of a massive improvement was the rain-affected commentary by Martin and DC during this race? I hadn’t thought about the horrors of Legard for months, but this race really brought it back. The race was stopped or under the safety car for 2 hours, and I wasn’t bored listening to them once. After 5 minutes of Legard last year in Brazil I was ready to claw my own ears off.
1. Novotny
  13th June 2011, 1:14
  We respect them. Legard’s just a journo. God love him, he never had a chance. His being a bit crap didn’t help mind
Copersucar (@copersucar)
13th June 2011, 0:29
Awful strategic calls by Ferrari. JB’s t-boning was the final cause of FA’s DNF, but it was only possible due to the horrific pitstop calls. I was hoping to see a SV-FA duel for the win but Ferrari ruined it.
And for some time I though that Kobi would probably take a podium, and might just win. That would have really thrilled me.
Alistair
13th June 2011, 1:01
Good victory for Button. I would just note that both RBR cars made massive errors and Jenson didn’t need to do much to ‘overtake’ them.
Hamilton almost has half the points of Vettel now. It could have been so much better. I know many will blame Lewis; but, consider this. If McLaren had ignored their diagnosis of Lewis’s car from the telemetry and had got the car back to the garrage, they could have worked on it for the hour plus the race was abondoned. He could easily, then, have got points. Once again, McLaren strategy is awful. As for Lewis, he was unlucky. But he should also know that F1 doesn’t reward overtaking. He should, therefore, be far more cautious in the next few races.
1. The Last Pope
  13th June 2011, 1:40
  Did you watch the race? How on earth could Lewis easily have gotten some points, even if he had driven it back to the pits and the mechanics had decided to for some weird reason fix is car, he would have been over 10 laps behind everyone at the restart. ??? Bad Strategy?????
  1. hohum
    13th June 2011, 1:54
    Don’t let the facts ruin a good theory.
2. Hairs (@hairs)
  13th June 2011, 8:09
  “F1 doesn’t reward overtaking”.
  He says, in a race where the winner worked his way from LAST to FIRST in 25-odd laps!!
rogerdugans
13th June 2011, 2:40
A great race and a great win for Button!
Hmm- 6 pitstops, racing incident with his team mate, penalty for speed behind the safety car, being almost pushed of the track and THEN driven into by Alonso which put him in last place (Good try, Alonso!) and still he managed to win.
One for the record books.
As for the unrealistic Alonso fans who are so sure that anything in red is perfect- look, it was a Racing Incident. Button had no choice but to follow his line or go off track. Alonso turned in on him too soon and if he had NOT taken himself out of the race would probably have been penalized for causing the accident.
1. Anoop
  14th June 2011, 12:01
  Just read this article if u need video, will send u the link abt the collision.
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/formula_one/13754746.stm
Malibu_GP
13th June 2011, 2:47
It would have been great to see Schu on the podium in Canada. As well, the thought of KK up there had Me pretty ecstatic. Say what You will, that was a Champion’s drive from Jense. I know, I know, I’m strange (perpetually positive) but I really wanted to see Filipe have an epic day also. This must boggle the mind of the hateful among Us, of which there are many. I always prefer People do well. Regarding the criticism of LH: He is far too talented to go away. He will learn patience. It is too bad they don’t have a full spectrum drivers skill competition. Give them equal machinery, and let them compete at various tasks. Wet weather, braking efficiency, overtaking, starts, etc. That would certainly give Us more of an opportunity to back up Our rhetoric. It could be sort of like an All Star event. With the top performers at seasons end participating. Don’t need a focus group to tell Me how the reception would be. It could be added to the final race or added as an attraction at testing the following season. Ahhh…, I digress. Electrifying race though! Even with the delay.
Malibu_ GP
13th June 2011, 2:55
Oh…, North America RULES! Especially Southern Cali. Can’t wait till Austin. The day tickets go on sale I’m grabbin em! May even get paddock club passes. It is an awesome Love affair, this romance.
1. Aussie Fan
  13th June 2011, 7:13
  Oh yeah? well AUSTRALIA RULES MORE JUST BECAUSE I USED MORE CAPS LOCK!!!!! Woot! Yeah! :-)
YUTAO
13th June 2011, 3:15
Massa should be penalized for overtaking Heidfeld and Kobayashi under safety car.
1. David-A (@david-a)
  13th June 2011, 4:53
  He overtook Heidfeld, but clearly Heidfeld pulled over as if he passed Massa illegally in the first place.
  With Kobayashi, you have no idea what you’re talking about.
  1. YUTAO
    13th June 2011, 15:09
    On lap 34 Massa was ahead of Kobayashi. Although eventually Kobayashi defended his 2nd position, technically when Massa crossed the line of lap 34 he was ahead of Kobayashi, which is illegal because of the safety car.
    1. David-A (@david-a)
      13th June 2011, 15:28
      It’d be silly to penalise him for that. I mean it’s like saying that if you cut a corner to gain an advantage, then give the place back immediately, then overtake a few laps later, you should still be penalised.
      Only if Massa took the place there and then, and didn’t cede or lose position could he be penalised.
Pink Peril (@pink-peril)
13th June 2011, 7:51
Tody I wanted the podium to be about 6 drivers wide! So many who deserved a shot at the step. But most of all, I was happiest that the top step was occupied by someone different for a change. Coco the clown could’ve won the race and I wouldn’t have cared less. Hopefully, this is just the start to a proper challenge to Vettel.
baldry888
13th June 2011, 8:41
Look today’s race was amzing, one of the one’s you will tell your grand children you witnessed. Lets just stop the bickering and acknoledge an amazing drive by a great driver and think about how lucky we were to witness it.
Leeh1987
13th June 2011, 9:26
Button was a bit naughty on Hamilton, He knew what he was doing! He was gonna get took by Ham and thought there was no way he was gonna let Ham make him look stupid by winning another team battle so nudged him out, HOWEVER what a fantastic drive by him, My estimation of this guy went up massively after this race. I’m puzzled as to why the Mclaren in race spec on low fuel and fresh tyres seems to be a second a lap quicker than the Red Bull.
1. Rob
  13th June 2011, 11:12
  Perhaps when McLaren said they had a wet setup they meant a setup more for wet-but-drying conditions like at the end of the race, plus Button is good in greasy conditions.
  1. Leeh1987
    13th June 2011, 17:24
    Its happened in the last 3 races now. Looks like Mclarens look after their tyres better than red bull. Vettel has been hounded by a Mclaren in the last 3 races at the end of the race from a Red Bull bein fairly comfortable although Vettel had very old tyres in Monaco
just.daz (@nemo87)
13th June 2011, 11:02
Im so so happy that Vettel was knocked off his tower. Lets hope it continues. I’m absoloutly gutted foe lewis though.. I don’t blame either driver. what happend, happened. no use crying over spilt milk right..?
I’m pretty sure we would have been looking at a McLaren 1-2 otherwise :\ such a shame. oh well. Roll on Valencia where hopefully the Bulls can be tamed once again :)
AA
13th June 2011, 12:03
What a race. Shame Schumi couldn’t hold on to a podium position, but serisouly what a weekend for Motorsport. What. A. Race. !!
1. AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
  13th June 2011, 21:19
  Having either (or both!) Kobayashi or Schumacher on the podium would have been brilliant.
gazzap
13th June 2011, 12:30
Does anyone know how many GP’s in history a driver has come from last to win the race? Would love to find out.
Fixy (@)
13th June 2011, 12:39
The Ferraris were strangely much slower than Vettel, with Massa probably faster than Alonso. Sad for him when he had to go off-line to lap a Hispania and crashed; I thought, when he put the slicks, “he’s going to crash”. Sad even for Di Resta as it’s the second time he crashes into someone, and he was very strong. Sad for Schumacher, who lost the podium, sad for Kobayashi who was too slow to keep 2nd place.
Extremely positive for Button though.
paolo (@paolo)
13th June 2011, 12:51
I don’t share the sympathy for schumi. He’s pulled some outrageous moves over the years with no consideration for other drivers or any remorse. I’m not going to turn around now and give him a pity vote.
Maybe he should have done what he does best and try and ram button and webber off the road to secure second place
1. David-A (@david-a)
  13th June 2011, 15:30
  “Done what he does best” is squeeze the last thousandths out of his car to achieve a good result. And that’s what he did yesterday. If you’re going to be a boring troll, do so somewhere else.
  1. Michael
    13th June 2011, 15:42
    +1 David A!
    I know that threads like this are more interesting when there’s a difference of opinion, but after a race like that I think we can all be in agreement that it was a fantastic exhibition of driving skills at it’s finest.
    Button, Schumi, Vettel, Webber, Kamui Kamikazee :),Massa and the Torro Rosso boys all showed us some class and magic in extremely difficult conditions..
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
13th June 2011, 21:16
A brilliant review Keith but it’s so fresh in my memory after such a stunning race I hardly needed it!
I glanced away from the screen and missed Schumacher’s double overtake :(
1. wasiF1 (@wasif1)
  14th June 2011, 2:49
  Where were you looking?
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
14th June 2011, 2:47
What a race? It finished at 3 am in my region still with sleep in my eyes I couldn’t sleep,I think this has to be the best race I have seem in my life since 2003.I have to put this with the likes of Japan05,Europe07,Brazil03.
Schumacher was great today,his pace was just raw seems like after the last safety car he couldn’t capitalize on the pace lost a lot of ground to the others.Hamilton was a joke today to be honest,poor guy couldn’t leave the circuit at least had Rihanna with him in the pit.Massa came back,made a mistake towards the end of the race but a photo finish between him & Kobayashi.
Many times after the race finises I always look for the next race this time I want to watch this race may be at least 10 times before i go for Valencia.
GameR_K
14th June 2011, 9:40
Absolutely devastated for Vettel. Got to give credit where it is due, Button a deserving winner. Kinda reminds me of Kimi in 2004 in Canada, some 6 pitstops and finishing 6th except that JB won here.
I seriously believe RedBull’s stronghold at the front is over. JB was 2 full seconds faster during the last phase. Even if Mark’s KERS failed, a best flap time of 1:19.572 compared to Vettel’s 1:17.217 indicates something wrong with the RB cars. Full credits to JB for pulling this off, but to me it seemed that McLaren had serious speed, they are the RB’s of race pace.
Anoop
14th June 2011, 12:04
Button knew wat he was doing. About Hamilton collision button clearly knows hamilton is just behind his toes on the race line. he was looking at the mirrors before closing the gap , which made hamiton hit on the barriers. About alonso incident, Alonso was ahead, Button was no more than halfway alongside and the Spaniard was entitled to turn in. He gave Button space, and the McLaren under-steered on the slippery kerbs into the Ferrari.
read martin brundle’s article
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/formula_one/13754746.stm
1. Mr draw
  14th June 2011, 16:40
  Great article.
antonyob
17th June 2011, 16:36
even later than an F1 SC i just remembered did anyone else see Button taking to Webber immediately after the Canadaian GP? Button made a hand gesture that mimicked Vettels slide off the track and Webber, with a huge grin on his face said “no way”!
1. andrewf1
  17th June 2011, 17:40
  now that’s not quite an accurate description of their dialogue, webber did the hand gesture and it was just a ‘no way’ surprise look. there was no huge grin on his face either.