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Jenson Button Digs Deep At Australian Grand Prix
| The Australian Grand Prix is held at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne and is 58 laps. The circuit length is 5.303 km with the race distance being 307.574 km. The first F1 race in Melbourne took place in 1996. The race is a favourite with Grand Prix fans and the racing participants alike because of the festive atmosphere that surrounds the event. Qualifying on the Saturday saw Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel take the pole position. His teammate Mark Webber from Australia secured second position on the grid for Sunday's race. Fernando Alonso of Ferrari placed third in the qualifying round. Just before race time, rain showers came that caused wet track conditions. The start of the race saw a major collision in Turn Six between BMW Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi, Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi and Williams' Nico Hulkenberg. They all exited the competition on this first lap. In fact, the start of the race also saw a minor brush up between Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Mercedes' Michael Schumacher. However, these three drivers were able to continue with racing. Jenson Button started the race in fourth position. He pitted for a tire change early in the race on Lap Six. He switched to slick tires as the circuit was beginning to dry. The rest of the drivers followed suit a few laps later. As the race progressed, pole sitter Sebastian Vettel was still holding his lead. Button had worked his way into second place ahead of Robert Kubica of Renault. It became a two-car race for the lead as Vettel and Button extended the gap over third place Kubica. Meanwhile, the rest of the pack engaged in wily maneuvering, engaging in overtaking opportunities presented to them. This made for an exciting race as drivers battled for positions. However, the afternoon proved to be a disappointment for the young German phenom Vettel. While in the lead, he experienced mechanical failure on his car. On Lap 26, he developed a wheel problem, which caused him to fly off the track into the gravel run off. His race day was over and his chance for championship points. Jenson Button, taking advantage of Vettel's misfortune, drove an exquisite race. He drove with that signature smooth style, going easy on his tires. He needed no further pit stops and negotiated his path to victory with calmness - his 2010 profile has been raised already. With Vettel's retirement from the race, Robert Kubica moved into second place. He withstood any challenges to his position. This was an inspiring result for Kubica and his new team Renault. They secured 18 points for this second place finish. Third and fourth respectively were Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso of Ferrari. Combined with their one-two finish in the first race of the season, they are building significant points for Ferrari early in the season. Alonso battled his teammate hard for third but Massa was able to hold him off and gain third spot on the podium. Nico Rosberg of Mercedes had problems with his tires. This forced him to make a second pit stop. He started sixth on the grid and ended up placing fifth in the race. He finished ahead of his much heralded teammate, multiple world champion Michael Schumacher, who placed tenth. This earned Rosberg 10 championship points, while Schumacher earned one point. Button's McLaren teammate and fellow Brit Lewis Hamilton drove a strong race as well. He started on the grid in 11th place but worked his way through the pack to finish in sixth place. This garnered him eight valuable championship points. Force India - Mercedes' Vitantonio Liuzzi had a very respectable showing coming in seventh place. He earned six points, which was significant considering he started the race in 13th place on the grid. Eighth place went to Rubens Barrichello of Williams-Cosworth, while Mark Webber of Red Bull took ninth place. The top ten finishers earn points for the 2010 Formula 1 racing season. When the checkered flag came down Fernando Alonso was still leading the Drivers' Standings with 37 points. His teammate Felipe Massa was in second spot with 33 points. Jenson Button holds down third spot with 31 points. In the Constructors' Standings, Ferrari has 70 points. McLaren has 54, while Mercedes has 29. The Australian Grand Prix saw much more overtaking than occurred during the first race of the season in Bahrain. It bodes well for the rest of the season as the teams square off in subsequent weeks. There's still a long way to go in this 19-race season. |
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The season's Monaco Grand Prix details are at Monacoproperty.net and they also have information on how to open a Monaco bank account
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