Button wins endless Canadian GP

The 2011 Canadian Grand Prix was action-packed and seemingly endless following a two-hour race suspension because of the weather conditions.

Sebastian Vettel had done everything right, managing well the several restarts, until the very final lap. Pushing hard to keep Jenson Button at bay, the Red Bull driver went wide at Turn 6 and almost span, gifting the win to his rival. The McLaren driver had an eventful race, with collisions with Hamilton and Alonso and a drive through penalty.

Mark Webber took third ahead of Michael Schumacher. Petrov was fifth.

How the race unfolded :

At the time of lining up on the grid, rain had stopped but the track was wet. The teams had no other choice but to fit full wet tyres on their cars.

In such conditions, the race started behind the safety car. Jaime Alguersuari started from the pitlane after his Toro Rosso team opted for a full wet set-up change.

The Safety Car released the field on lap 5. Fernando Alonso immediately tried to attack Sebastian Vettel but the German defended well to stay in the lead. Hamilton and Webber collided at Turn One, sending the Red Bull into a spin. Both of them could continue. The Briton then sent on chasing Schumacher for fifth place but ran wide on lap 6 and lost a place to his teammate.

At the front, Vettel pulled a gap to Alonso and enjoyed a 4.7s cushion on lap 8. The Safety Car had to be deployed on this same lap as the two McLarens tangled and Hamilton touched the wall, damaging his rear left wheel. He had to retire while his teammate pitted for intermediate tyres.

The Safety Car pitted at the end on lap 12. Vettel safely negotiated the restart and instantly pulled away from Alonso. Race direction handed a drive through penalty to Button for an infringement to the safety car speed limit, which he served on lap 14. He rejoined in fifteenth position and tried hard to make up the ground lost.

As he was passing Maldonado for P11, Webber passed Petrov for P8.

Barrichello pitted on lap 16 and followed Button’s lead in taking on intermediate tyres. Alonso, Rosberg and Maldonado followed suit on lap 18. It then started to rain heavily and the Safety Car came back on track.

Several drivers – among them Alonso, Button and Rosberg - took the opportunity to pit for full wet tyres. Vettel pitted from the lead on lap 21. His teammate Webber came in seconds after he had left. Vettel rejoined in P2 but soon retook the lead as Felipe Massa pitted on lap 22.

As the field was lapping around behind the Safety Car, Vettel radioed his team to say the track was way too wet for the race to be restarted at that point. Button agreed with him, telling his team visibility was really poor in some places.

They were apparently heard as the race was red-flagged on lap 25. Cars lined up on the grid, waiting for the race to be restarted. When the race was stopped, Vettel was leading from Kobayashi, Massa, Heidfeld, Petrov and di Resta.

Some drivers stayed in their cars while others sheltered in their garages. As there was no easing of the rain, more drivers made their way towards the boxes.

The rain kept pouring down for an hour, drenching brave team personnel and spectators, as well as the marshals vainly trying to clear the track with brooms. The rain stopped shortly after 3pm local time and it was eventually decided that the race would be restarted at 3.50pm behind the Safety Car. All cars had to be fitted with wet weather tyres.

Heikki Kovalainen had to pit on lap 30 with a broken shaft. He was pushed back in the garage and his race was over. The Safety Car came in at the end of lap 34.

Vettel eased away at the front while Kobayashi came under pressure from Massa. A few drivers dived in the pitlane to take on intermediate tyres.

Kobayashi, Massa, Petrov, Webber, Alonso and Rosberg all stopped on lap 36. Alonso crashed on his out lap after colliding with Button. It prompted another deployment of the Safety Car. Button limped back in the pits with a front left puncture.

In the meantime, Vettel pitted and rejoined in the lead. The race resumed at the end of lap 40. Vettel once again safely managed the restart… and Kobayashi had to fend off the assaults of Massa. In the middle of the field, Sutil and Rosberg made contact but both were able to continue. Di Resta collided with Heidfeld and had to pit for a new nosecone.

DRS was enabled on lap 46.

Vettel set a good pace at the front and had a 6.2s lead over Kobayashi on lap 50. His teammate Webber stopped on lap 51 and put on super soft slick tyres. Kobayashi came under attack from Massa and Schumacher and slipped down to 4th place. Schumacher moved up to P2.

Massa and Schumacher pitted on lap 53. Vettel stopped one lap later, so did Kobayashi, Petrov and Rosberg. The Red Bull driver stayed in the lead and had a ten second gap to 2nd-placed Schumacher. The Mercedes driver then came under attack from Webber but did well to keep him at bay.

Heidfeld broke his front wing on the rear of Kobayashi’s Sauber, hit the wall and crashed out of the race on lap 57. There were debris scattered on the track so the Safety Car had to be deployed once more. It came in at the end of lap 60.

Schumacher tried to pull a move on Vettel at the restart but the younger German defended well and eased away at the front. A battle for 2nd subsequently developed between Schumacher, Webber and Button.

Pastor Maldonado retired on lap 63. Webber made good use of the DRS to overtake Schumacher for P2 but cut the chicane and had to hand him the place back. Another mistake by the Australian allowed Button past. The McLaren driver then quickly dispatched Schumacher and set on to chase Vettel.

He was nearly two seconds a lap faster than the World Champion at this point. Vettel instantly upped the pace and was doing well but ran wide in the final lap, handing the win to Button. He crossed the line in 2nd position while his teammate Webber held on to third.

Schumacher was fourth, Petrov fifth and Massa sixth. Kobayashi, Alguersuari, Barrichello and Buemi scored points.