1 Aug 2011

Button celebrates 200th start with victory in Budapest

7:38 am on 1 August 2011

McLaren's Jenson Button celebrated his 200th Formula One start by winning the Hungarian Grand Prix, taking the chequered flag ahead of Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, and Lewis Hamilton.

In a thrilling race decided by tyre choices in wet, sliipery conditions, Button and his teammate Hamilton had traded the lead four times, until Hamilton made a wrong choice of tyres, and copped a drive through penalty following a spin.

Seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher's miserable run continued when he had to retire his Mercedes before the halfway stage with a gearbox failure.

Sebastian Vettel increased his championship lead to 85 points over his teammate Mark Webber with 8 races left.