The common belief that the Hungarian Grand Prix and excitement couldn't go hand-in-hand was debunked as
Jenson Button defied the odds and all the weather gods could throw at him to claim his maiden
F1 victory.
Despite starting from 14th on the grid after an engine change penalty, the Briton made the most of changeable conditions and perfect strategy from the
Honda team to emerge at the head of an unusually formed field to break the 113-race 'losing' streak that had given his detractors a stick to beat him with. Although Button will be the first to admit that the conditions played a part in his triumph, his victory came at just the right time to quell speculation that GP2 points leader
Lewis Hamilton would be Britain's next grand prix winner, picking a weekend on which the younger man struggled with the weather.
After the GP2 race had been drenched by the morning downpour, the F1 field lined up on a wet circuit, but with the belief that the road, along with the weather, would dry up as the afternoon went on. The race would be the first wet one of the season, and the first in the Hungaroring's 21-year relationship with
Formula One, throwing Saturday's planning out of the window for most of the eleven teams.
Ironically, among those with a lot to gain from the conditions, the penalised
Fernando Alonso and
Michael Schumacher - both of whom had had their qualifying efforts hampered by time penalties - could adjust their strategy right up to the moment the pit-lane closed. Button, meanwhile, had made it through to the top ten run-off and was forced to carry his qualifying fuel load into the race, which he would start between the two title contenders.
