GA_googleAddSlot("ca-pub-1197233282945943", "Star_Sports_Skyscraper");

Sports

Friday September 25, 2009

Brawn’s Button, Barrichello continue battle under the lights

SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX
SEPT 25-27

JENSON Button and Rubens Barrichello resume their title duel on the streets of Singapore this weekend, where the focus returns to racing after another turbulent week off the track marked by bans and resignations.

Britain’s Button leads his Brawn GP team-mate by 14 points with four races remaining and while the team are closing in on a constructors’ championship in their debut season, Barrichello’s resurgence has ensured the drivers’ title remains a keen contest.

Fill her up: Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen refuelling a car during a promotional event in downtown Singapore Thursday. — AP

The sport’s authorities will be hoping a week that started with Renault being handed a suspended permanent ban for fixing Fernando Alonso’s victory at the same venue a year ago ends with a positive race under the Marina Bay Street Circuit floodlights.

Despite leaving the team five days prior to the International Automobile Federation (FIA) hearing into the fixing allegations, former boss Flavio Briatore and deputy Pat Symonds were banned for life and five years respectively by the sport’s governing body.

The inaugural running of the race provided a key turning point in last season’s title tussle between a Briton and a Brazilian which culminated in Lewis Hamilton’s podium finish helping him edge out Felipe Massa for the overall crown.

While the nationalities of the contenders are the same, Barrichello arrives in Singapore with the momentum of two wins in the last three races and will be hoping to go one better than his compatriot Massa and overhaul Button in the final standings.

“I’ve had a great time over the last month with two victories so we’ve got some good momentum behind us going into the final four races of the season,” the 37-year-old Brazilian said.

“I can’t wait to get back in the car and get on with the challenge.”

Barrichello is also looking forward to the demands presented by racing under lights around the technical 5.067km layout.

“I really enjoyed the circuit as it felt like a proper street circuit should with public roads, bumps, barriers and passing some of the famous city landmarks,” he added.

Button started the season with six wins in the opening seven races and his second place behind Barrichello at Monza last time out was his best showing since his victory in Turkey in early June.

The Briton is less comfortable with the Singapore course than his team-mate but is banking on a strict sleeping regime to remain as alert as possible for the 8pm start time.

“As last year, we will stay on European timing for the race weekend which means staying awake throughout the night and sleeping most of the day to ensure that we are alert and the body is ready to react in the right way for the evening timetable,” Button said.

“The circuit is pretty challenging and although it has a stop-start layout which isn’t usually my favourite type of circuit, I still enjoyed driving it.” — Reuters

  • E-mail this story
  • Print this story

Sports Poll