Autoblog UK

As early as the seventh race out of 17 inked in on the 2009 F1 calendar, all the experts had concluded that Jenson Button had the title in the bag. The Brawn GP driver had already accumulated 61 out of a possible 70 points and established an apparently unassailable lead in the standings. In the eight races that followed, though, the Englishman's points haul was a meagre 24; in fact, his performance during this period was measurably inferior to no fewer than five other drivers: Sebastian Vettel, Rubens Barrichello, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Räikkönen and Mark Webber. But in the Brazilian GP at Interlagos, Button finally snuffed out the hopes of the chasing pack by picking up the decisive few points to clinch not only the drivers' championship for himself but also wrap up the constructors' title for Team Principal Ross Brawn. As F1 champion elect, he can now enjoy the grand finale to the season at the new circuit in Abu Dhabi. Recipe for success for the 29-year-old was the reliability of his car and consistently finishing amongst the points: the Belgian Grand Prix was the only one from which he went home empty-handed. Congratulations from autoblog, Jenson!