Button back on form as Barrichello closes gap

Barrichello races to victory at Monza (Paddock Talk)

Championship leader Jenson Button did not win the Italian Grand Prix at Monza yesterday, but will have been relieved to see two potential world title rivals, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, slip out of contention for the driver's crown. Despite this, teammate Rubens Barrichello drove immpecibly to win the race to close the gap to 14 points behind the Englishman.

It was not a dramatic race that we come to expect from the legendary Monza circuit, with events of Mika Hakkinen sliding out of the 1999 race when comfortably leading and sobbing behind the forest greenery or Michael Schumacher's last Italian grand prix in front of the tifosi fanatics back in 2006 fresh in the mind of Formula One supporters.

The Kers-operated car of Lewis Hamilton sped away from Adrian Sutil and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen in the early stages of the race that saw Webber retire from the grand prix after colliding with BMW driver Robert Kubica down the tricky second chicane in the first lap. However, the first three drivers, including the impressive Force India of Sutil, were on two-stop strategies - not the most ideal tactic as drivers with heavier fuel loads are not usually punished with the cooler conditions and long straights that Monza poses. That played into the hands of the Brawn combination of Button and Barrichello.

With Webber out, the onus fell on Vettel to catch up with the fast Brawns. However, his Renault engine lacked horsepower and competitiveness, and soon found out he was unable to trouble the frontrunners. Brawn pressed on and when Hamilton came into the pits for his first fuel stop, the Brawns continually churned strong lap times, eliminating Raikkonen and Sutil from contention to win their first Italian grand prix.

When the Brawns pitted at half race distance with Barrichello leading, Hamilton retook the lead and continued to produce fast times to return from his second pitstop still ahead of his Brawn rivals. He didn't and found himself in behind Button and unabling to pass him. His ability to push his McLaren to the limits has won respect from many drivers, but has also become his downfall. On the final lap, Hamilton produced the fastest first sector time in his pursuit to overtake Button until he came out of the tight Lesmo corner taking too much curb and slamming his car into the barriers, making the lap a precession for Barrichello and Button, who gave Brawn their first one-two finish since Monaco in May.

Raikkonen joined the Brawns on the podium, while Sutil finished a respectable fourth and earning his first world championship points. World championship contender Vettel finished eighth profiting from Hamilton's costly error, but fell 26 points behind Button in the driver's standings with four races left and with little hope of capturing the crown.

The final race of the European season saw many drivers fighting for their spots for next season. The future of Fernando Alonso is shrouded in mystery, heightened especially with Renault's current court case of fixing last year's Singapore race, and the clarity of Ferrari's interest.

Upcoming star Robert Kubica is also without a drive as BMW announced earlier this season it will discontinue its F1 journey, while Heikki Kovalainen has won few praises for his performances in the McLaren since joining at the start of last season. He will be expected to leave the team at the end of the season, possibly by Nico Rosberg. It seems of all the talent the Finnish driver has, he does not have the racing aggression that teammate Hamilton has, and a desire to win at all costs. His only win came in Hungary last year, only after Felipe Massa retired with a blown engine with only three laps remaining.

Former Force India driver Giancarlo Fisichella had a difficult weekend as he struggled to adjust to a Kers running Ferrari, but performed admirably in the race to finish ninth. He will remain with the team until the end of the season, and will slot in a testing role for the team next year.

With four races left, there are still contracts left unsigned and drivers with a point to prove. But the drivers championship is left wide open and it is the Brawn team reasserting their dominance down the F1 food chain.