THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOKYO — Formula One championship leader Jenson Button was the major winner at last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, even if English compatriot Lewis Hamilton took the checkered flag.
While Hamilton indulged in the customary champagne celebrations from the top of the podium, Button moved a step closer to succeeding Hamilton as F1’s world champion.
The two British drivers’ seasons have been a study in contrasts.
Hamilton’s title defence crumbled quickly when his McLaren wasn’t competitive during the first half of the season. He has since rebounded, winning or taking the pole position in four of the past five races.
Button won six of the first seven races of the season for the new Brawn GP team, taking a firm grip on the series early. But his once formidable lead has been steadily eroded by teammate Rubens Barrichello.
When Button qualified 12th in Singapore, it seemed as if his championship lead would be sliced even further. But a canny drive on a bumpy and twisty street circuit that didn’t suit his smooth driving style helped Button finish fifth — a place ahead of Barrichello.
Before Singapore, Barrichello trailed by 14 points with four races left. Now he is 15 down with three races to go, lifting the Brazilian’s required catch-up rate from 3.5 points per race to 5 points per race.
While Button knows his lead will be difficult to overhaul, he is acutely aware that Hamilton lost the 2007 championship after leading by 17 points with two races left.
Brawn GP boss Ross Brawn has promised both drivers a clean fight for the title, declaring there will be no team orders or different strategy to help one or the other.
That stands to reason, given there is very little chance of Brawn being caught by Red Bull for the constructors’ championship.
Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel was in position to make a difference in both the team and drivers’ title contests when he was running second for much of the Singapore GP, but his race was ruined by a pit drive-through penalty for carelessly speeding in pit lane. He finished fourth.
Red Bull teammate Mark Webber spun off when his right front brake failed, ending the Australian driver’s slim hopes of mounting his own title challenge.
With the contest for the drivers’ title nearing a climax, F1 fittingly moves on this weekend to Suzuka in Japan — site of several memorable showdowns.
A precedent for a teammate title fight came at Suzuka 20 years ago, when McLaren teammates Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna crashed into each other, handing Prost the championship. While relationships within the Brawn garage have understandably become a little more tense in recent races, the situation has not deteriorated to anything like the mutual antipathy of Prost and Senna.
The return of the Japan GP to Suzuka for the first time in three years has pleased all drivers, as the circuit is regarded as one of the most complete tests of car and driver on the F1 calendar.
As much as the action on the track is highly anticipated, events in the paddock are likely to be just as intriguing.
The standard late-season rumour mill regarding driver’s futures is building. One key signing was announced on Wednesday, when Ferrari said it had reached an agreement on a three-year deal to have Fernando Alonso replace Kimi Raikkonen starting next season.
Raikkonen has been linked with a move back to his old team, McLaren, to partner with Hamilton.
BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica was considered the driver most likely to replace Alonso at Renault, while Williams’ Nico Rosberg was also rumoured to be moving on, with Brawn topping the list of potential destinations.
The possibility that one of the Brawn drivers will have to make way for the German only adds to the stakes in their season-ending contest.