Button leads Brawn front row in Australia

Eurosport - Tue, 31 Mar 15:05:00 2009

Jenson Button took pole as Brawn GP captured a sensational front row lockout at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, while Lewis Hamilton will start in 18th after an enforced gearbox change.

FORMULA 1 2009 - Brawn GP driver Jenson Button of Britain drives in front of Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany during qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix - 0

Button will fly the flag for Britain Down Under after a last-gasp lap of 1:26.202 pipped his Brazilian team-mate Rubens Barrichello to pole by three-tenths of a second.

Hamilton was initially sent to the back of the grid as a result of the gearbox issue, which ruled him out of Q2.

However Toyota - whose drivers Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock qualified sixth and eighth respectively after reaching Q1 - were found by stewards to have breached regulations regarding their upper rear wings and unclassified, putting them on the back row.

"There was something on the rear of the car: I couldn't continue," Hamilton told the BBC trackside. "It's the rear drivetrain or something.

"I'm sure they'll (the mechanics) fix it up (for the race)."

Team principal Martin Whitmarsh said: "A gear catastrophically failed. We will be changing the box so we're going to take the hit of a gearbox change."

His team-mate Heikki Kovalainen also struggled and will start from 12th on the grid after the Toyota demotion.

Red Bull star Sebastian Vettel impressed again in claiming third spot and will occupy the second row alongside Pole Robert Kubica of BMW Sauber.

Nico Rosberg, who led all three practice sessions for Williams, was fifth - his team-mate Kazuki Nakajima could only take 11th - to continue a positive opening weekend for the Grove squad.

Toyota, like Brawn and Williams the subject of an official protest regarding their rear diffusers on Thursday before the action got underway, had come out of qualifying slightly better than Ferrari, one of their critics.

Glock was ahead of Felipe Massa - who fought for the 2008 drivers' title until the final moments - before the penalty while behind them Trulli emerged from a slow start to edge out Kimi Raikkonen.

Twice world champion Fernando Alonso - desperate to compete at the top this season after struggles in the first half of 2008 - did not make it to Q3 in the Renault and will start from 10th, alongside BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld.

Home driver Mark Webber made it to Q3, like Red Bull team-mate Vettel, but was bottom of the pile in the final 10 minutes. He will start in eighth.

The bottom eight places will be occupied by rookie Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso), the struggling Nelson Piquet Jr (Renault), Force India duo Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil, Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso), Hamilton, Glock and Trulli.

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Jonathan Symcox / Eurosport

Comment 330 - 349 of 349

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  1. oh look the alite is comin bach here to help us under­ stand f1 after spending 2 weaks at f1 fantastic­ ramedeal skool for the dumb

    go back to yer own barn ya­ hipocritacal moron

    From Francis S, on Tue 31 Mar 4:37PM

  2. globalchoiceeu looking a bit of plank now boy.

    From Ardsay e Giv-a-Shee, on Sun 29 Mar 10:25AM

  3. SO JENSON BUTTON IS A RUBBISH DRIVER???? WELL STUFF­ YOU ALL YOU DOUBTERS !!!!!

    From m.e.jenner, on Sun 29 Mar 9:03AM

  4. at last F1 becomes more interesting. No longer a­ two-constructor battle between ferrari and mclaren.­ nice job by brawn and vettel. But surely it's too­ early to say that. let's see how brawn can compete­ today. but at least they had stole the show.

    From Lukas, on Sun 29 Mar 6:37AM

  5. MARION. WHAT A NICE NAME FOR A GIRL. :))

    From eric, on Sun 29 Mar 6:16AM

  6. MARION. WHAT A NICE NAME FOR A GIRL. :))

    From eric, on Sun 29 Mar 6:16AM

  7. MARION. WHAT A NICE NAME FOR A GIRL. :))

    From eric, on Sun 29 Mar 6:16AM

  8. MARION. WHAT A NICE NAME FOR A GIRL. :))

    From eric, on Sun 29 Mar 6:15AM

  9. MARION. WHAT A NICE NAME FOR A GIRL. :))

    From eric, on Sun 29 Mar 6:15AM

  10. How many front wings spraid over albert park in the­ first corner. looking at the seize of the front wings­ and the field mix up at the starting grid. I'm­ expecting trouble in the first corner.

    From Christopher, on Sun 29 Mar 5:48AM

  11. The tires are more of an issue, I'm expecting most­ teams have choosen for the hard compound althought its­ difficult to get heat in the tires they have better­ performance over the long stints, i've noticed­ several teams complain bout the softer compound,­ optimal performance only lasted a flying lap!!!

    From Christopher, on Sun 29 Mar 5:38AM

  12. Do we have proof that KERS saves fuel usage over a lap­ or even several laps, as KERS is activated only with a­ button on the steering which provides the driver a­ temp. power increase of 70-80 HP. I'm pretty sure­ the engine uses more fuel with 70-80 extra HP.

    From Christopher, on Sun 29 Mar 5:33AM

  13. I think anything can happen in this race. Toyota will­ be able to come back to the front pack without any­ trouble because there is going to be a great diversity­ in the performance of the cars. For example, the­ Honda's are certainly quick, but they're not­ running with KERS if I'm not mistaken. If the KERS­ devices are saving kinetic energy, aren't the cars­ with the KERS devices going to be able to go longer­ between pit stops? Who knows how the tires are going­ to be holding up? There is no information from prior­ races to go by. I think this is going to be a very­ interesting race.

    From fishblue6, on Sun 29 Mar 4:56AM

  14. headlines hamilton will start race in his reverse to­ findd some speed

    From Christopher, on Sun 29 Mar 4:12AM

  15. paul paul paul . speakin of pervs . guess that makes­ hampster look pretty normal and not the great wonderful­ mbe dbs efg or whatever the queen gave him .ooppps­ guess the brits gonna jump hamspsters ship nad get in­ the buttons camp

    From Francis S, on Sun 29 Mar 2:18AM

  16. VOOM VOOM VOOM RACE OVER

    From Nicholas, on Sun 29 Mar 2:14AM
  17. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    a Rashid anna illegal immagrant willa arrive froma­ calais toa morow a mornin he willa claim asylum asa­ soon he arrive within a few a days he bea british a­ citzen does that a then make hima english WAKE A UP any­ a one cana be a british a citzen justa ask mr a­ hamilton asun

    From , on Sun 29 Mar 12:44AM
  18. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    a neil a Rashid anna illegal immagrant willa arrive­ froma calais toa morow a mornin he willa claim asylum­ asa soon he arrive within a few a days he bea british a­ citzen does that a then make hima english WAKE A UP

    From , on Sun 29 Mar 12:38AM
  19. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    a neil a Rashid anna illegal immagrant willa arrive­ froma calais toa morow a mornin he willa claim asylum­ asa soon he arrive within a few a days he bea british a­ citzen does that a then make hima english WAKE A UP

    From , on Sun 29 Mar 12:37AM
  20. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    a neil a Rashid anna illegal immagrant willa arrive­ froma calais toa morow a mornin he willa claim asylum­ asa soon he arrive within a few a days he bea british a­ citzen does that a then make hima english WAKE A UP

    From , on Sun 29 Mar 12:37AM
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