Button again best in the wet of Hungary

FORMULA ONEJENSON BUTTON delivered a perfectly judged drive at a rain-affected Hungarian Grand Prix to claim victory on his 200th grand prix start.

Five years ago here, Button had marked himself out as a driver well able to cope with difficult track conditions when he took his first win at a rain-lashed Hungaroring. While the conditions yesterday were nowhere near as extreme, Button’s ability to negotiate the delicate balance between tyre options was ultimately what handed him his 11th victory.

The race began in straightforward fashion, pole-winner Sebastian Vettel narrowly holding his lead through the first turn as the twin McLarens of second-placed Lewis Hamilton and Button bore down upon him.

However, in the cool temperatures and on a damp track, it rapidly became clear Vettel was struggling to get the best from his RB7, and on lap five, under pressure from Hamilton, he slid wide at turn two. Hamilton breezed by and quickly set about dominating the first half of the race.

Vettel’s hopes of recovery were then dealt a major blow in the first round of stops. With the track drying rapidly, the switch from intermediate tyres to dry rubber was obvious, but Button dived towards pit lane a lap earlier than Vettel, and when the German rejoined the action following his stop, the McLaren driver, with his tyres already up to temperature, was able to edge past the Red Bull as the pair went through turn two.

That move put Button in touch with his race-leading team-mate. But, with the weather stabilising, he could make no inroads on the five-second advantage Hamilton had established.

The calm of the middle phase of the race changed, though, as the drivers made their third stops. Hamilton, having saved a set of the supersoft tyres in qualifying, opted for another set of that quicker option, while Button and Vettel chose the harder but slower soft tyre. They would gamble on making them last until the end of the race, while Hamilton would have to make another stop for a final set of supersofts and establish a big enough gap to his rivals to maintain the lead.

As he set about firing in fastest race laps, it looked as though Hamilton was going to make a fight of it, but his risky strategy was soon rendered redundant as light rain again began to fall on the circuit.

And on lap 47 Hamilton’s race began to unravel when he spun at the chicane. That allowed Button past, but it also cost Hamilton later in the race. In turning his car back on track, he almost ran into Force India’s Paul Di Resta. The result, delivered some time later, was a drive-through penalty.

After the spin, though, Hamilton fought back and reclaimed the lead following a tense, wheel-to-wheel battle as Button slipped off track. But, with the rain continuing, both drivers were called to the pits for intermediates, with Hamilton diving in first.

“The team said we are going to pit for inters and to me that was a big surprise,” said Button. “I got to the pit entry and the team suddenly said ‘no, no, stay out. Stay out as Lewis is coming in’.

“He came in and I stayed out. Personally I was never going to come in anyway as it was nowhere near inter conditions.”

Button and Vettel braved the weather and, as the rain cleared, Hamilton, now clearly on the wrong tyre, faded. He pitted again to discard his intermediate tyres and finally was forced to pit again when hit with his penalty.

It was enough to give Button breathing space, and while he did briefly come under pressure from Vettel, he had enough in reserve to respond and maintain a comfortable gap until the chequered flag.

“This is the first place where I won a grand prix, back in 2006 in these sort of conditions, and it is my 200th race and I have won here again, so a great moment,” he said. “A great call by the team to put me on the prime tyre when they did and a great call by all of us when we decided not to go to the inter. All round, an amazing weekend.”

The victory marginally improves Button’s standing in the title race, with the McLaren driver maintaining fifth place but closing by 10 points on Fernando Alonso, who finished third yesterday.

However, the chief beneficiary of yesterday’s result was second-placed Vettel, who saw his lead at the top of the title race increase to 85 points over team-mate Mark Webber, after he could only manage fifth, the Australian being passed in the final stages by a battling Hamilton.

Vettel, though, only had eyes for a missed chance at victory.

“Second today is an important step,” he said. “Nevertheless, I think the win was within reach but we didn’t get it. I think the most important message is that McLaren, in the last two races, were very competitive and we are not happy with that. We need to come back so we are pushing hard for Spa.”