Formula 1 just gets more extraordinary.
Jenson Button made it two wins out of two in Malaysia after a fascinating race which was ended after 31 laps due to extreme weather conditions.
From the outset, the teams were bracing themselves for rain on what was already a slippery surface, and as the first fuel pit stops approached, a couple of drivers gambled on the wet tyres in the anticipation of a downpour.
It didn’t quite come as expected, and Timo Glock, the only driver who went for the intermediate tyre, benefited with a phase of quick driving which ultimately guided him to a podium finish.
The laps went by and the wets were getting worn, and so the race leaders jumped in to change to intermediate, hoping to follow the lead of Glock.
But then the heavens opened. After a couple of laps of treading water, spins and near misses, the safety car was deployed and then seconds later, the race was red flagged.
It was something I hadn’t seen before, but the cars all lined up on the grid wondering whether the race would re-start. The ruling states a race can only last either the lap distance or two hours, whichever comes first.
The minutes ticked by with the drivers still on the grid, and Mark Webber was championing the postponement of the race on safety grounds, and looking at the surface water on the track, it was hard to disagree with him.
Eventually, the two hour window came to a close and the race was declared a result, albeit with the top eight drivers only taking half points.
It meant a second successive win for Jenson Button, who picked up five points for his troubles, to go with the ten he got in Melbourne last weekend.
But there was yet more controversy. Timo Glock thought he had claimed second place, but was later switched with third placed Nick Heidfeld, just before the podium celebrations.
Likewise, there were changes in the rest of the order in the top eight, with Lewis Hamilton doing an interview on BBC thinking he had finished 5th, but being told that actually he had finished 7th, with McLaren reported to be appealing that decision.
So it seems another race weekend has gone by without a definitive final classification. And that’s before we even think about the Toyota diffuser hearing in a couple of weeks time, which could have ratifications on both the Malaysian and Australian grand prixs.
One things for sure though, Button won this GP, and he is well on course for what would be a sensational title challenge in the debut season of Brawn GP.
