Jenson Button re-confirmed his position as one of Formula One’s greatest wet weather exponents when he brought his RA107 home in fifth position in the Chinese Grand Prix. He boosted the Honda Racing F1 Team’s championship tally by four crucial points and achieved the team’s best performance of the season. Rubens Barrichello, meanwhile, endured a tough race to finish in 15th position.
Conditions were hot, wet and humid for the start of the 56-lap race at the Shanghai International Circuit. Both Honda drivers started the race on the Bridgestone Potenza wet tyre and Jenson lost one position away from the line to end the opening lap in 11th place. He spent the next 23 laps mixing it in the midfield until making his first pitstop on lap 24, when he became one of the first drivers to switch to dry tyres.
For the next 18 laps Jenson charged through the field, setting a series of fastest lap times. He immediately found grip which enabled him to climb up to fourth place by the time of his second and final pitstop on lap 42. He rejoined the race in sixth place and when Fisichella pitted ahead of him he moved into fifth, which is where he ended the race. Rubens’ race was compromised on lap two when he was running in 15th place. As he braked for turn one, he had a coming together with Anthony Davidson and dropped to the back of the field.
On lap 25 Rubens made his first pitstop and switched to dry tyres, but he made the decision to return to the pits for wets on the following lap when it started to rain again. The shower was short-lived and he found himself on the wrong tyre for the rapidly drying track conditions. He made a third stop later on lap 31 and he crossed the line in 15th place.
The Honda Racing F1 Team now has a two-week break before heading to Brazil for the final race of the season on 21 October.-HOnda
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