Jenson Button may have taken a long time (113 grands prix) to score his first F1 victory, but his skillful Hungarian Grand Prix win was well deserved. The 26-year-old Briton was aided by changeable conditions at a rain-drenched Hungaroring, a rare technical failure to Fernando Alonso’s Renault and a patchy performance by Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher, but his professionalism shone through the murk.
Jenson Button may have taken a long time (113 grands prix) to score his first F1 victory, but his skillful Hungarian Grand Prix win was well deserved. The 26-year-old Briton was aided by changeable conditions at a rain-drenched Hungaroring, a rare technical failure to Fernando Alonso’s Renault and a patchy performance by Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher, but his professionalism shone through the murk.
By Mike Fourie – Editor
If it hadn’t been for the persistent rain that swept over Budapest on Sunday, the woefully-unimaginative Hungaroring could have served up yet another F1 procession. At least the starting grid looked different than usual… Alonso and Schumacher started from 15th and 11th places respectively after they were penalised for indulging in petulant driving tactics that really did not befit a pair of drivers that collectively hold eight world championship titles (Alonso brake-tested Red Bull’s Robert Doornbos in retaliation at being held up in Friday’s practice and overtook under a yellow flag and Schumacher overtook under red-flag conditions during Saturday morning’s practice). Button started from 14th position, but not because he’d been naughty – the Briton’s Honda engine had failed on Saturday morning. Then came the rain.
The field started on intermediate and wet tyres needing to negotiate large pools of standing water. Kimi Raikkonen, who had started from pole position, streamed into the lead ahead of Honda’s Rubens Barrichello and Pedro de la Rosa (McLaren) in third. Ferrari’s Felipe Massa struggled for grip and fell back, but Schumi and Alonso who were fourth and fifth by the end of the first lap.
The Spaniard and the German were in a thrilling duel. Alonso feigned a move down the inside of the final corner on lap three, but Schumacher held him at bay until the defending world champion completed an audacious maneuver around the outside of turn four to take fourth. De la Rosa blasted past Barrichello to take second position and the Brazilian – whose Honda was on wet-specification Michelins – pitted for intermediate tyres shortly afterwards.
Schumacher’s 248 F1 was also on wet-specification rubber and struggled for pace on a steadily drying track. German dropped another position when Button slipped through the inside of Turn One on Lap 7 and fell back 20 seconds behind Alonso in the next 10 laps.
When Renault’s Giancarlo Fisichella tried to pass Schumacher, the German’s Ferrari slid into the Renault and broke its front wing. The seven-time champion struggled back to the Ferrari pit box to have a new nose cone and intermediate Bridgestones fitted.
Raikkonen and De la Rosa made their first pit stops in quick succession and Alonso was in the lead by lap 17. Schumacher rejoined in ninth, but his title rival had yet to stop. It was then that Fisichella spun off and his Renault careered into the tyre barriers… One a day that it seemed the Régie had regained the upper hand over its rampant rival from Maranello, Fisi’s crash was quite costly.
Alonso at least had the consolation of lapping championship rival Schumacher, who had trounced him in the three previous grands prix, on lap 24. There was further drama on lap 26 when Raikkonen collided with Antonio Liuzzi’s Torro Rosso while trying to lap the Italian and the Finnish McLaren-Mercedes ace retired from the race.
The safety car was deployed while marshals cleared the accident debris from the track and Alonso immediately made a pit stop. Schumi unlapped himself and took advantage of the safety car to close right back to within 15 secs of the Spaniard, albeit down i