A torrential downpour delivered the shortest Formula One race for 18 years and back-to-back victories for Brawn GP’s Jenson Button at the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.
The race suspended when the red flag came out after 32 laps as a tropical storm lashed the Sepang track, making conditions impossible for drivers. A restart was considered for 50 minutes, but with the rain continuing and darkness descending after the twilight start, the race director elected not to attempt a restart.
Because less than three quarters of the scheduled 56 laps were completed, only half points were awarded to drivers and teams. It was the first time that had happened in F1 since the Australian GP at Adelaide in 1991.
“It wasn’t like a river, it was a lake,” Button said of the track conditions when the race was stopped.
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