Defending world champion Jenson Button won the second round of the Formula One world championship in a dramatic Qantas Australian Grand Prix. McLaren's excellent one-stop tyre strategy - and another mechanical failure for pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel who was in the lead - gave Button's the edge in the dry-wet Melbourne race.
Still, drama began prior to the race when rain began to fall in Albert Park following an overcast weekend. Cars started on the intermediate wet tires when Button, Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher collided in the first corner, with the McLaren spinning the Ferrari into the Mercedes.
On the second lap Sebastian Buemi, Nico Hulkenberg and Kamui Kobayashi were all involved in a crash at Turn 5 when, for the third time of the weekend, Kobayashi’s machine lost the front wing. The safety car was deployed until lap 5.
Martin Whitmarsh gambled first and called Button to change to soft slick tires on lap 6 as soon as the field went green while track was getting dryer but initially that appeared a wrong move as he started sliding on the drying track. However, few laps later the rest of the field was also forced to pit and change to slicks. After being handed the lead, Button decided never to pit again retaining his slick tyres over 50 laps in order to secure his first victory for McLaren and the first repeat win on the same track in his career.
In the press conference after the race he quoted:
"It is very special. It has taken me a little while to get to grips inside the car, but the team has been fantastic and welcomed me in. It is difficult to put it into words, it is a very special feeling and we will take a lot from this. I feel I am building in confidence, and I hope in the next rate we can do something similar as this feels too good.
I think it is a lot easier for the drivers to feel the conditions. Teams can see clouds coming in but we can feel what is coming in. I didn't have a balance at all on inters, so I thought let's get in and stick slicks on. There was a dry line but a few places were wet. When I went into pits I thought it was a catastrophic decision as it was wet in the pitlane but once I got up to speed it was pretty good. I was able to put in some laps and overtake a few cars. It was the right call - I'm very happy to have made it."
Robert Kubica ran a brilliant race bringing the Renault home in second after charging from ninth on the opening lap. Massa was third followed by teammate Alonso in fourth as Ferrari decided to continue racing without another pitstop although 2-pit stop cars of Hamilton and Webber were approaching them furiously having a clear fresh tyre advantage. Still overtaking to fourth Alonso was not easily achievable. With three laps to go Hamilton finally got to Alonso, but as Hamilton was trying to pass the Ferrari on the outside he was hit and turned by incoming Webber who tried to take advantage of the overtaking. Both cars suffered heavy damage but were able to continue; Hamilton finished sixth behind quietly paced fifth Nico Rosberg, Webber ninth with Tonio Liuzzi in seventh and Rubens Barrichello eighth. Michael Schumacher was 10nth after overtaking Pedro de la Rosa in last laps.
A total of 10 cars retired before the race was over, with Heikki Kovalainen and Karun Chandhok the only drivers of the four new teams for 2010 to finish the race under power.
