Brawn delighted with perfect start

Brawn GP team principal Ross Brawn was full of praise for his team as they made it two wins out of two in their inaugural Formula One season with victory at the rain-shortened Malaysian Grand Prix yesterday.

Jenson Button was awarded top spot on the podium when the 56-lap race had to be red-flagged shortly after half-distance when torrential rain descended on the Sepang International Circuit.

The Briton was over 22 seconds ahead of the BMW Sauber of Nick Heidfeld on the 31st lap at the time of the stoppage and was named the winner when it was determined that the race could not be continued due to heavy rain and fading light.

The top eight finishers only received half of the allotted points but with Button taking five points and Rubens Barrichello contributing two for his fifth place, the Formula One newcomers moved up to 25 points, 8.5 clear of second placed Toyota.

“A fantastic team performance today and a thoroughly deserved second victory of the season for Jenson and the team,” said a delighted Brawn.

“It was an eventful race to say the least and I am pleased with how quickly we were able to react to the changing conditions to maintain the lead that Jenson had achieved in the first stint of the race.”