Jenson Button and Brawn Win Spanish Grand Prix
Yawn. That is what Jenson Button and Brawn are turning the 2009 season into as they racked up another win by taking the Spanish Grand Prix in a processional race.
The Spanish Grand Prix has historically been one of the more boring on the schedule. This one was no different. The start saw some action as teams vaulted to and fro to be followed by a huge crash when a dense Jarno Truli dragged his Toyota back onto the track in front of speeding traffic. After that, it was fairly boring with the exception of another Ferrari miscue.
Ferrari luck has almost always been lauded because it has been so good. The team went about eight years with what seemed to be only good luck. Well, the roosters have come home to roost. The 2009 season for Ferrari is an utter disaster. The team is bad, but the luck is even worse. The Spanish Grand Prix was a perfect example as strong performance by Felipe Massa was compromised when the team failed to get adequate fuel into the car. To avoid stalling in the last laps, Massa had to slow down. He ended up finishing sixth after giving up positions to Vettel and Alonso.
As for Button, it was fairly clear sailing after a dog of a start. Button does not start well as has been seen in many races this year. Once he gets going, however, he is more than a match for the overrated Rubens Barrichello. Button lost the top spot to Barrichello at the start of this race, but soon took it back and drove away from the Brazilian like a man toying with a little boy. Rubens must be disappointed to realize he is really not championship material. Nice man, but an average driver.
McLaren was a contrast to Ferrari in one area. Ferrari showed dramatic improvement in pace thanks to a host of design changes. The car appears to be the third fastest on the track now. McLaren can’t say as much. The car is just a dog. Hamilton finished in 9th, but he was lapped. The Spanish Grand Prix shows the true pace of a car, so the poor performance should tell you everything you need to know about this years McLaren.
Driver of the Race
There really wasn’t one that stood out, so we’ll go with Jenson Button.
Team of the Race
A 1-2 finish is nothing to sniff at. Brawn wins again. Ross Braw for World Emperor!
What We Learned
Turn out the lights – the season is over! The Spanish Grand Prix was the race where teams would “recover” from the diffuser differences. The only team to show any major advance was Ferrari. The Red Car is much better than it was. That being said, nobody matches Brawn this year. We may see the one off victory by other cars every so often, but Brawn is so far ahead in the points now that it really won’t matter. As long as the Mercedes engine keeps working, Brawn is already the champion. The championship win could have the double effect of seeing Mercedes leave McLaren when it realizes that wins are available without spending money on a team.
Lemmy