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Jenson Button yesterday became the Formula 1 World Champion after a magnificent and controlled drive at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo. His victory makes it back-to-back wins for British drivers in the motorsport, following Lewis Hamilton's triumph last year.

Button picked up four points for finishing fifth in the Brazilian Grand Prix having started the race in 14th spot on the grid after a disastrous qualifying session. Going into the last race of the season, the Abu Dhabi GP in a fortnight's time, he now has an unassailable 15-point lead over Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull, with Brawn teammate Rubens Barrichello a further two points back in third spot. Brawn also picked up the constructors' championship yesterday, with a 25.5-point lead over Red Bull also proving to be too much to overturn.

Almost overshadowed by the division of the silverware was another typically chaotic and exciting race at Interlagos. A first-lap clash between Toyota's Jarno Trulli and Force India's Adrian Sutil (which also did for Fernando Alonso in his penultimate Renault drive) almost turned physical as the drivers squared up to each other. Then a pit-lane incident saw Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari temporarily turn into a fireball as fuel from the McLaren of Heikki Kovalainen sprayed over it.

While other drivers were finding the circuit a real test, Button was quietly making up his lost ground, while at the front of the pack the Red Bull of Mark Webber was powering ahead. When Barrichello suffered a late puncture, to limp home in eighth, Button clinched the championship. Webber's win was his second of the season, and Hamilton came from 17th on the grid to grab third place, behind Kubica of BMW, and suggest that next season he will be a force to reckon with again