• Brazilian Grand Prix

Button wins 'craziest race I've ever been in'

Jenson Button took the 15th win of his career at Interlagos © Getty Images

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• Report:
• Vettel secures third title in epic season finale
  

• Race:
• Brazilian Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Jenson Button

• Teams:
• McLaren

Jenson Button described the Brazilian Grand Prix as "probably the craziest race I've ever been in" as he won the final race of 2012.

Intermittent rain throughout the race made strategy difficult, with Button and Nico Hulkenberg building up a dominant cushion over the rest of the field having stayed out on slick tyres as those behind pit for intermediates. A safety car saw that advantage erased, and then Button dropped to third behind Lewis Hamilton, but when Hulkenberg and Hamilton came together Button took a comfortable victory and he said that getting that strategy right proved crucial.

"It was a crazy race; probably the craziest race I've ever been in," Button said. "Doing so many laps in the wet on slick tyres just feels wrong, but it was the right thing to do. The whole time you're on the radio with your engineer discussing what other people are doing and they keep saying "How wet is it? How wet is it?" and I'm like "Guys come on, I'm driving through turn six at 140mph!" But it was really good and it's good to have that relationship with your engineer, you have a really good understanding. He understands how I want to drive a race and I understand the pressures that he's under as well, but it was a very good call and we've come away with a victory because of that."

Button paid tribute to his outgoing team-mate after he had overtaken Hamilton on lap eight, saying there was "a lot of respect" between the pair.

"The car's been very strong and it's a pity that Lewis had his coming together with Nico because it would have been nice to finish the season on a high for him and also for the whole team. But we had a great scrap for the first ten laps of the race; a really good, close fight, clean fight, and I think we showed each other a lot of respect so it was really enjoyable. I wish him well for the future, and I think it's going to be interesting for him and hopefully for his sake their car is strong next year and we can fight again wheel-to-wheel because I enjoyed it very much.

"Lastly I'd like to congratulate Sebastian [Vettel] on his third consecutive title. Very impressive and we've got to do a better job next year to beat him."

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