Australian Grand Prix

Formula One in 2009 has started with a bang with a stunning victory for Brawn GP and Jenson Button. The British ace led from start to finish and was followed home by team-mate Rubens Barrichello for a perfect one-two debut result.

In an incident packed race that saw two safety car periods, Button kept his head and stayed out of trouble to notch up his second career victory.

Behind him, Rubens Barrichello fought back from a start line stall and two accidents to gain second at the flag. The Brazilian only secured the position after BMW’s Robert Kubica and Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel both crashed out while fighting for the runner-up slot with three laps to go.

Behind the leaders Lewis Hamilton dragged his uncompetitive McLaren from last to third at the finish. After Toyota’s Jarno Trulli was demoted to 12th after receiving a 25 second penalty.

A chaotic first corner resulted in contact between a number of cars and the elimination of Heikki Kovalainen’s McLaren. Home hope Mark Webber also suffered, as he was forced to pit for a new nose cone, leaving him a lap down on the leaders.

There was disaster for reigning champions Ferrari after both Kimi Raikonnen and Felipe Massa failed to finish. The Finn slid into the wall with only a handful laps remaining, while his team-mate was forced out with a mechanical fault.

There was some consolation for the Italian squad after Sebastien Buemi brought his Ferrari-powered Toro Ross in seventh place, scoring two points on his grand prix debut.

But it was Button who had the most to celebrate. "This is a fairy tale ending really to the first race of our career together”, claimed the winner. “I hope we can continue this way. We are going to fight every way we can to keep this car competitive and at the front. This has got to continue and this is where we want to be.”

The teams now have a week off before travelling to Kuala Lumpur for the Malaysian grand prix on April 5.

Results:

1. Button Brawn GP
2. Barrichello Brawn GP
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
4. Glock Toyota
5. Alonso Renault
6. Rosberg Williams-Toyota
7. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari
8. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari
9. Sutil Force India-Ferrari
10. Heidfeld BMW Sauber
11. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari
12. Trulli Toyota
13. Webber Red Bull-Renault