F1 buttoned
Vaibhav Sharma

McLaren-Mercedes driver Jenson Button of Britain is all smiles after winning Formula One's Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne Photo: AFP

THE opening race of the 2012 Formula One season was a clear indication of how the championship might pan out. Many unpredictable things happened during the course of the race. Two Brits were in the front row and on the podium, Sebastian Vettel was not on pole, but still made it to the podium, Red Bull Racing are as competitive as always and once a major force in the sport, Ferrari are way down the pecking order.

But most importantly, it will be remembered for a near-perfect drive by Jenson Button. The Briton took over the lead at the very first corner, and from there on, he never looked like giving it up. He made the most of an improved McLaren car. Despite the safety car coming out in the 37th lap, Button was able to time it all to perfection, and keep Vettel at bay throughout.

For his teammate Lewis Hamilton, it was sheer frustration. After grabbing the pole in the qualifying session on the previous day, Lewis was a frontrunner for the win, but the safety car coming out meant that Vettel was able to squeeze his way between the two McLarens.

Defending champion Vettel had made it clear that the new RBR car hadn’t pleased him much during the qualifying sessions, but he couldn’t complain after the race.

For Force India, the race was definitely a mixed bag, as Nico Hulkenberg was forced to retire out, while Paul di Resta had to make do with the lost of the point position. One point is not the ideal way to start a season with a new and, apparently, improved car, but it is better than missing out totally as Narain Karthikeyan and HRT found out. The Indian, who has bagged a starting slot with the team, must have been disappointed as the stewards did not allow HRT to take part in the race after they failed to qualify within 107 per cent of the time.

Karthikeyan, disappointed after missing out, has said that although they could have qualified in Melbourne, Sepang will be equally difficult to make the cut.

All in all, it was an action-packed weekend. The honours went to Button, but there were many who shared the spoils. The most prominent among them were team Sauber, who had both their drivers finishing well within points. While Kamui Kobayashi finished an astonishing sixth to pick up eight points, Sergio Perez was not too far behind with four points from an eighth-place finish.

The action now moves to Sepang, and everyone will be asking the same question`85 Can Jenson press the right button again?

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