13:00 The race is underway behind the safety car. There is no warm-up lap so the race has started.

12.58 We've just been thumbing through the rule book and it turns out you have to start on the full-wet tyres if the race starts under the safety car.

12.57 Pirelli says: "We think it will be hard to go from full wet tyres straight to slicks so we'll almost certainly see a stint on the inters from everyone too"

12.55 Christian Horner has just told the Daily Telegraph's correspondent: "Track very wet now. Trying to second guess future weather can backfire." That'll be full-wet tyres then.

12.52 Vettel will be very happy about that decision as he is starting from pole position and will not have to defend too hard into the first corner.

12.50 We've just heard confirmation that the race will start behind the safety car.

12.49 It's interesting to hear that Buemi is on a dry setup but Toro Rosso team-mate Jaime Alguersuari has a wet setup. That also helps to explain why Alguersuari was off the pace yesterday.

12.48 Button says the track was very slippery on intermediate tyres and there was standing water on his run to the grid. He's confident his team will make the right call on tyres but did not say which way there were going to go. His two victories last year came in mixed conditions so he will fancy his chances today.

12.46 Here's a picture from earlier today of Michael Schumacher (possibly) sharing some words of advice with Narain Karthikeyan.

© Sutton Images

12.46 Mercedes says: "No rain at the moment, cars should start on wet tyres, too much water on track for inter right now. 18C air/track temp." Ross Brawn confirms to the BBC that it will have to be the full wet tyres at the start.

12.43 Vettel said that there is not much grip and thinks it is too wet for intermediates.

12.41 The latest weather forecast is saying no rain is expected over the next 30 minutes.

12.40 At the moment it looks like a gamble either way and Vettel is in deep converstaion with his engineer to try and come to a decision.

12.37 There is also a queue of cars at the end of the pits to practice starts in the wet conditions. Lots of cars are going out on intermediates but there are concerns that it might be a tad to wet and cold to get them working properly. It's not raining at the moment and if the weather holds off then the track will dry fairly quickly and come to drivers on inters.

12.34 The cars are now heading to the grid but quite a few are completing installation laps and coming back to the pits for minor changes to their front wing angle and tyre pressures.

12.25 Another big talking point in the paddock since qualifying yesterday has been Mark Webber's KERS. He didn't have it available to him in qualifying and the team has been working on it over night, we'll have to see if it's ready. Meanwhile, the Australian has been voicing his opinion on the ongoing KERS issue.

"It's hard knowing you're losing time on every straight," he said. "It's totally unpredictable. Sometimes it's very good and we have it under control, then we don't. It's a big challenge for us and costs us a lot of (lap) time when there are problems."

12.21 Here's Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery's view on the rain: "We've done five or six test days in the wet and then we had a rainy practice in Turkey. We're ready."

Words of confidence, but there have been reports of high levels of tyre wear on the wets in changable conditions. We'll have to wait and see if that causes any problems over a race distance.

12.20 Predictions, comments and questions are all welcome and you can get in touch by clicking on the link above this window.

12.15 But the rain should play into the hands of several drivers. Alonso is always very aggressive in the wet, Vettel has had some brilliant races in the past in damp conditions (not least, his debut win at Monza in 2008) and Schumacher was once known as the rain master - whether that's still the case is a matter of debate.

12.00 Welcome to ESPNF1's live commentary for the Canadian Grand Prix.

The big news today is that it's raining! That should make it exciting for all concerned and will play into the hands of those drivers who ran more downforce in qualifying yesterday in the hope of a wet race today. Amongst those are the two McLarens and Nick Heidfeld but we'll keep an eye out for anybody else running a fatter rear wing.

It's set to be the first wet race of the season, which means the first wet race for Pirelli. As Martin Whitmarsh said yesterday, it will be a "journey into the unknown".

Lap 1

Hopefully we won't have the safety car out for too long as 24 cars circulating on full-wet tyres should lift a lot of the surface water off the circuit.

Lap 2

The safety car is staying out for a second lap, but it looks dry enough to start the race now.

Alguersuari started from the pits which is why he is circulating at the back.

Lap 3

Ferrari says: "No rain expected in the next 15 minutes". But Lotus is saying: "Rain expected 25-35 mins time".

Lotus Mike Gascoyne adds: "Safety car start on full wets, very early call for that, think it could have been a proper start"

When the next load of rain does arrive it is expected to be quite heavy.

Both Williams and both Virgins are also on wet setup alongside Heidfeld, the McLarens and Alguersuari.

Force India says: "Drivers report very poor visibility."

Lap 4

Good news! The safety car is in this lap.

Vettel will lead Alonso, Massa and Webber as they cross the line and then it will be a free-for-all around the rest of the lap (and hopefully for the rest of the race).

Vettel drops off the back of the safety car.

Lap 5

Alonso is very close into turn one but can't make it stick around the outside.

Hamilton comes together with Webber and the Red Bull spins. Hamilton loses a bunch of places too.

Vettel, Alonso, Massa, Rosberg, Schumacher, Hamilton, Button is the order.

Webber has dropped well down the order.

Lap 6

Vettel leads by 2.0 seconds from Alonso.

Hamilton is all over the back of Schumacher but the German is defending hard.

Hamilton runs wide at the hairpin and loses a place to Button. Hamilton was trying to pass Schumacher and got left high and dry.

Lap 7

Vettel leads by 4.2 seconds from Alonso.

A replay of the start shows how Hamilton simply understeered into the side of Webber at the start. The stewards might have something to say about that but the conditions were terrible.

Lap 8

Vettel missed the turn 8 & 9 chicane on the last lap but is still 4.7 seconds in the lead.

Hamilton and Button touch and Hamilton is up against the pit wall with a puncture. Button exclaims "What is he doing" as Hamilton parks his car at turn five. He is out of the race.

The safety car is back out to allow the marshals to recover Hamilton's car.

Lap 9

Button pits and comes out in 12th.

A replay of the McLaren incident shows Hamilton getting a better drive out of the final chicane and trying to pass Button on the outside up against the pit wall. Button took his normal racing line and squeezed Hamilton against the barrier. Hamilton will argue that Button should have seen him coming but it's a difficult one to call. The stewards are currently investigating the incident.

Lap 10

So, Vettel leads Alonso, Massa, Rosberg, Schumacher, Kobayashi and Heidfeld under the safety car. Button switched to inters at his pit stop and McLaren tells him that they are expecting "low-intensity rain". Let's hope so for his sake as that pit stop has dropped him to 12th and it looks at though he is on the wrong tyres.

Lap 11

Webber is told that he needs a stering wheel change at his next pit stop due to a problem with his gear change paddle. He's still running so it's probably a minor issue.

More bad news for Button, he's under investigation for speeding under the safety car. It may well have been when he came out of the pits and tried to beat Sutil for track position. We'll keep you posted.

Lap 12

Vettel has a bigger gap over Alonso this time and Schumacher is all over the back of his team-mate for fourth.

Lap 13

Webber has worked his way back up to ninth in the wet conditions and Button has also gained a position at the restart.

However, Button is now facing a drive-through which is terrible news. He goes straight into the pits and will come back out right towards the back of the field.

Lap 14

Button rejoins in 15th place, not good. But he is on intermediates so if the conditions come to him then he will be in a good position to pass the cars in front.

Vettel leads by 2.5 seconds as the drizzle returns.

Lap 15

Vettel sets about extending his lead once more. It's up to 3.4 seconds. Button is all over the back of Barrichello and it looked as though he found a way past.

Webber gets past Petrov and is up to eighth.

Button is up to 11th on his inters so is clearly on the right tyres.

Lap 16

Barrichello pits for inters.

Vettel leads Alonso by 4.1 seconds.

Button now has some clear air to try to exploit the grip of his intermediates. However, it is raining at the moment so conditions are changing all the time.

Lap 17

Button is 0.5 seconds quicker than the leaders in the middle sector so we can expect some pit stops soon for inters.

Button is up behind di Resta now and making brilliant progress. If the leaders pit he should be very close to the lead.

Lap 18

Alonso and Rosberg pit for intermediates.

And Alonso comes out just ahead of Button with Petrov in between. The good news for him is that Alonso and Button are in traffic.

Surely Vettel has to pit for inters now.

Lap 19

Vettel and Massa stay out on wets, do they know something we don't. At the moment they are lapping quicker but you get the feeling that is only because Button is in traffic.

Alonso is up to fifth on inters as Button passes Petrov.

But the rain is bucketing down now, so the wet tyres are now the best choice.

Lap 20

Safety car is out because of the rain. Alonso and Button pit for full wets again. The rain has eased slightly, this race is almost impossible to call. The good news for Button and Alonso is that they get a bit of a free pit stop.

Lap 21

Vettel pits for full wets and comes out behind Massa on a new set of tyres. Webber also pits for a new set of wets.

Buemi, d'Ambrosio, Sutil and Schumacher are all out on inters still which is not ideal in these conditions.

Lap 22

Massa also pits for a new set of wets and hands the lead back to Vettel. That also puts Kobayashi in second.

Vettel says that one end of the circuit - down by turn 10 - is undriveable. Vettel has now caught up with the safety car again.

Schumacher switches back to full wets.

Vettel says that one end of the circuit - down by turn 10 - is undrivable.

Lap 23

Hamilton is now back in the McLaren pit, he's our only retiree so far.

Vettel says the spray means it is too dangerous as the rain continues to fall here.

The onus is now on race director Charlie Whiting to make a call on whether to red flag this race or continue under the safety car.

Lap 24

The teams' forecast says the rain will continue at this intensity for 20 minutes before easing off. That's not good news for those of us wanting to see a motor race this afternoon.

Button says he can't see anything down at the haripin. The rain seems to be falling even heavier now and it has spread all over the circuit rather than just at one end.

Lap 25

The grid is starting to clear and the cars are being fired up.

No umbrella for Schumacher over his cockpit... the tent has also now been removed.

And it's raining again... but Ferrari tells Massa that it will last for just five minutes. Getting the cars up and running will help to clear any further water that falls.

Just seven minutes until the restart. New wet tyres for all the cars up and down the grid.

The track is looking a lot better as the drivers make their way back to their cars. There are some reports that more rain is on its way but we'll try not to think about that.

To clarify: as the race will be restarted behind the safety car, everyone must be on the full wet weather tyres just as they were at the initial race start.

The race will be restarted at 15:50 local time. That's just under 15 minutes time.

Ferrari adds: "The expected shower did not come: another confirmation that the weather forecasts are not really reliable today"

Sauber says: "Kamui is polishing his helmet. Still no news about restart!"

Mike Gascoyne: "Time to get this show on the road"

Carlos is in an optimistic mood: "If the race goes on, and there is no more rain, they could finish with slicks, that should be really interesting to see how the race develops."

Webber says he is surprised they are not out there now. But he is happy to wait for the weather to clear.

Sinisa is not impressed by the way Ferrari dealt with the pit stops ahead of the race suspension: "It is incredible what kind of errors Ferrai pitwall is able to make. First they pit Alonso 5 mins before huge incoming rain which I suppose was obvious to see with a simple look towards the sky. However with all these radars and high tech gadgets they are blind and dumb as bats to send Alonso out on intermediates. Then afterwards they pit Massa when it was quite obvious race would be red flagged. This seems to be going on for years. I think its long overdue for some heads to roll."

I'm not sure there are many more heads left to roll at Ferrari!

Renault: "Difficult conditions for Nick Heidfeld's hair out there..."

Martin Whitmarsh says the FIA is waiting for the next little shower to pass and that the organisers are doing a good job pumping the water away from the surface.

Renault's latest joke: "Drivers we should put in the car in these conditions:Calvin Fish, Billy Boat, Duncan Tappy." Let's hope the race restarts soon!

Mercedes says: "We should hear about a decision soon..."

Whitmarsh tells the BBC that Hamilton and Button have made up after their collision. He said: "Jenson didn't see Lewis".

Ferrari confirms that more rain may well be on the way: "The rain stopped but Meteo France sent a message that there will be a 5 min shower at 3.25 pm"

Mike Gascoyne's latest update: "Rain stopped and sky clearing, just depends on the standing water." He adds: "Next heavy shower in 15 mins, but this is only a shower, the front has passed over".

Engines are being fired up on the grid which is always a positive sign. Still no official word from the FIA.

This is what the circuit looked like at the start of the race. It's currently quite a bit worse, but the Canadian organisers are doing a good job at clearing it with pumps and brushes.

© Getty Images

The latest from the circuit: "GP promoter François Dumontier says Charlie Whiting is willing to 'wait as long as necessary'. Only limit is daylight."

A big thanks to Dennis for this weather update: "According the weather radar at McGill, Quebec at the Environment Canada web site, the rain should end shortly and the sky is clear to the west pretty well all the way to Ottawa."

The latest tweet from Mercedes is not as promising: "Still raining at the moment and the amount of standing water on track is now the biggest concern..."

Mike Gascoyne says: "Rain definitely easing now and starting to get brighter, in fact nearly stopped." It certainly looks as though the rain is easing off from the live feed.

It turns out Rhianna has not gone home but is instead having a chat with Hamilton in the McLaren garage.

Our man at the track is now saying: "10-minute restart notice could take place in 10-15 minutes." But that hasn't been confirmed.

According to Red Bull Rhianna is on her way home: "Having watched the cars sit on the grid in the rain for 30 minutes, Rihanna has called it a day."

Excitement in the paddock ... a camera man falls over while trying to film pop star Rhianna.

Ferrari says: "This is the radar message now: After 14:45, rain will become less heavy."

Heikki Kovalainen tells the BBC: "I think you're quite optimistic if you think the rain is easing off right now."

HRT tells Karthikeyan that they are not expecting a restart for the next 30 minutes.

Red Bull says: "The fans are being, despite the conditions, fantastic; clapping and cheering our boys on the grid in the rain."

Jessica Michibata, Jenson's Button's girlfriend, is also busy tweeting: "Right, time for a swim?"

The jokes continue to roll on Renault's Twitter feed: "Plan being worked on to send out the groundhogs to drink the surface water. Fortunately @antdavidson is in Le Mans so they're safe."

Mike Gascoyne is confident the show will get back on the road: "Only 2.30pm here, plenty of time to get this done. This shower is going to stop in 10 mins and then looks quite clear after that"

Williams' technical director Sam Michael told the BBC that his team tried to fit softer torsion bars to Barrichello's car but were told by the FIA that they were not allowed to make changes like that under the red flag. As we saw in Monaco, tyre changes and like-for-like replacements are allowed.

Miran says: "Whose decision is it that all the safety cars (and others we are seeing at the moment) are Mercedes make? Aren't other manufacturers like Ferrari, Renault etc. jelaous?"

I believe Mercedes pays a substantial amount of money to have their SLS out there. On the plus side it does look quite pretty.

Mike Gascoyne says: "With the time left and the lap times in the wet we calculate we can do around 43 laps so will be close to full distance when we restart."

Our latest report from the track is not so optimistic: "Apparently the hairpin is a lake..."

Rob says: "I must say I do long again for the days of Donnington 93, Estoril 85 and Spain 96 where drivers were not pampared and told go out and race in the wet. This race should not have started under the safety car."

I tend to agree, Rob.

Jasmin was not impressed by Massa's decision to pit under the safety car which dropped him from the lead to third: "What a stupid move from Massa to pit few laps before red flag, like there is no rain radar in his box."

Our man on the ground in Canada has just told us: "FIA says race will re-start behind the Safety Car, without saying when. For now, still raining hard."

Lotus' Mike Gascoyne reports: "Rain building up again and rain for the next 20 mins"

Michael asks: "If the race would be called off now, how many points would Mark Webber get?"

All the top ten would get half points. So for Webber in seventh that would be three points. The drivers need to have completed 75% of the race to get full points.

Renault says: "Asking race control if we can use the team hairdrier on the track... " For those not aware there seems to be some sort of ongoing joke at Renault about Heidfeld's hairdrier.

Virgin reports: "People in paddock club seem to be throwing bread into the pitlane to feed the seagulls"

Mercedes has erected tents over their cars on the grid. They win the Scouting award for this weekend.

Lewis Hamilton's McLaren is being lifted back to the pits. But he will not be taking any further part in this race no matter what. The car comes back to the pits swinging quite wildly on the back of the pick-up truck. McLaren thought there was some rear suspension damage to the car after the accident, which is why they asked hamilton to stops, but the Brit has since told the BBC that he reckons it would have been OK to get the car back to the pits under its own steam.

Red Bull tells Vettel that the rain is set to get even worse and predicts that race control will not call for a restart in the next 20 minutes. Of course there is then a ten minute period before the race actually gets underway again.

Paul di Resta tells the BBC that he is surprised the race wasn't red flagged earlier. He also suspects that several laps will be completed under the safety car to clear the water if the race restarts, but he isn't holding his breath.

Ferrari reports: "Still raining heavily".

McLaren's managing director Jonathan Neale told the BBC that surface water is the key to when the race restarts. At the moment the rain is continuing to fall, so it doesn't look like it will be any time soon. Some drivers have got out of their cars, others are still sat in their cockpits.

The race has been suspended so that means when it restarts the lap count will continue from where it left off. However, because this is a wet race it is likely that we will come up against the two-hour time limit. At the moment the race clock has been stopped and will restart when the race does. Whether the race is called off completely is down to the race director Charlie Whiting but we still have plenty of hours of daylight left here in Canada.

Webber is told that Red Bull's weather spotter is reporting that turn seven is looking a bit brighter. But it still looks torrential over the pit lane.

If the race is stopped the drivers will get half points. But if the rain eases off then we should see a restart. The teams will get a 10 minute warning if that is the case.

The race is suspended. The cars will return to the grid and wait for further notice.

We may well see a return to the action but at the moment there is no way the cars can go racing. Continuing to run behind the safety car would be fairly pointless.

The mechanics have run out to meet their drivers on thr grid. They will be able to change tyres and make changes to the car. Alonso has got his car.

Lap 26

We're back underway behind the safety car.

There is a fair bit of standing water out there but it has stopped raining.

Huge cheers as the cars round the hairpin.

Lap 27

The safety car is staying out which is no surprise. It's also worth mentioning that all the cars are on the same lap so there are no backmarkers mixed up with the frontrunners.

Virgin is getting a lot of feedback from their drivers: "OK this is officially exciting now. Both drivers constantly on the radio"

Lap 28

The safety car is staying out for another lap.

The spray is still pretty bad on the back straight and that will be race control's main concern.

Lap 29

Lotus boss Tony Fernandes tweets: "Jarno says too much water on the track epecially for visibility."

But Massa reckons the visibility is "OK".

Kovalainen appears to have some kind of a problem. He's dropped off the back of the snake of cars without any drive. The team tells him to pit.

Lap 30

The safety car is staying out for another lap.

Tyre track lines are starting to emerge on some parts of the track so the worst of the standing water is gone.

Kovalainen is pushed back into the Lotus garage.

Lap 31

The safety car is still out on track.

Ferrari says: "Visibility is the main issue at the moment."

Lap 32

The drivers cross the line behind the safety car once more. Surely the full restart is not far away...

The sun has come out in the pit lane but still no message from race control that the race is about to get back underway.

Confirmation from Lotus that Kovalainen retired with a driveshaft failure.

Lap 33

The racing line is definitely in much better shape but still no word from race control. Button believes the track is ready for racing to resume.

Lap 34

The safety car will come in this lap.

D'Ambrosio has taken on intermediates which is hard proof that the race is ready to start.

Button says he is almost ready for inters too.

Vettel drops off the safety car and then floors it on the back straight.

Lap 35

Kobayashi is a long way off Vettel into turn one and just holds off Massa for second.

Schumacher and Sutil pit for inters. Glock, Barrichello and Buemi are also in.

Vettel is comfortably in the lead once more and will be quite happy to have the Sauber holding up the rest of the field.

Lap 36

Lots of cars pitting for inters including Heidfeld, Button and di Resta.

Meanwhile, Vettel crosses the line 2.4 seconds ahead of Kobayashi.

Schumacher is making short work of the backmarkers on his new set of inters.

Sutil nearly lost it trying to pass a Lotus at the hairpin.

Lap 37

Both Ferraris come into the pits and Alonso has to queue behind Massa, costing him lots of time. Vettel stayed out.

Once again it plays into Vettel's hands as he gets a free pit stop.

Alonso has beached his Ferrari at turn four and Button has a puncture. We don't know if they are related.

Lap 38

A replay shows that Button and Alonso came together as they went through turn three and four. Alonso ended up out of the race after beaching it on the kerb and Button is making a very slow return to the pits with a puncture.

Again a difficult one to pin the blame. They were side-by-side going into the corner but there just wasn't enough space for two cars to fit.

Lap 39

At the front it's still Vettel, Kobayashi, Massa - all on intermediate tyres now. Di Resta is keeping his head down and is fifth behind Heidfeld in the Renault.

Lap 40

Safety car is in this lap. Vettel has to focus on his mirrors once more.

He backs up the pack through the chicane and once again Kobayashi is a long way back.

Lap 41

Vettel leads by a second as they cross the line. It's tight in the middle of the pack with Webber trying to have a go at di Resta while blocking from Schumacher.

Webber has a faceful of Force India gearbox and they may have just made contact coming out of the hairpin.

Lap 42

Vettel leads by 1.5 seconds. Kobayashi is just fending off Massa by 0.9 seconds, who is 1.2 seconds up on Heidfeld.

A replay shows that Sutil clipped Rosberg under the safety car and the Mercedes is fropping down the order.

Schumacher beats Webber out of the hairpin as the Red Bull struggles for grip.

And disaster for di Resta who loses a front wing endplate against Heidfeld in the chicane.

Lap 43

Di Resta will have to pit for a new front wing and is struggling to make every corner. What a shame because he was on for a great race.

Lap 44

Vettel sets another fastest lap to extend the lead to Kobayashi to 3.7 seconds. Massa is just 0.4 seconds off the Sauber and will be willing Kobayashi to make a pass in order to chase down Vettel.

Sutil gets a drive-through for hitting Rosberg behind the safety car.

Lap 45

Schumacher is holding off Webber now, who is trying to cool his tyres on the straight by running off the racing line in the wet. Heidfeld leads them both at the moment.

Massa told "Quick as you can get past him" as he continues to lose time behind Kobayashi.

Schumacher just steams past Heidfeld and is using his DRS which should be illegal in wet conditions. But the DRS has been enabled we've just heard so that was entirely legal.

Lap 46

Schumacher set the fastest lap with the use of the DRS and is now chasing down Massa, who still can't fins a way past Kobayashi.

Lap 47

Webber is all over the back of Heidfeld but is struggling to pass. Those two have the same engine so Webber won't have the power advantage Schumacher had down the back straight.

Webber's exit from the hairpin is terrible and rather than attacking Heidfeld he comes under attack from Petrov down the straight.

Lap 48

Vettel leads by 5.5 seconds and Massa is told that he was pressing his DRS too early so it wasn't working for him in his battle with Kobayashi.

Lap 49

Webber is all over the back as Heidfeld but is still struggling for traction.

Meanwhile, Button is up to 12th and Schumacher is the fastest man on the circuit.

Button is making more progress, passing Maldonado and now attacking Alguersuari for 10th.

Lap 50

Vettel is in another class this afternoon and has stretched his lead to 6.2 seconds as Massa still can't find a way past Kobayashi.

Schumacher is now 3.4 seconds off the battle for third and will fancy the first podium since his comeback last year.

Lap 51

Di Resta is hit with a drive-through penalty for his collision with Heidfeld.

Webber pits for super-soft slicks, Vettel reckons they are still a few laps off. Massa also found a way past the Sauber at the hairpin.

Schumacher is past Massa and Kobayashi for second!

Lap 52

A replay shows that Kobayashi went wide in turns eight and nine and held up Massa. Schumacher took advantage and beat the both out of teh chicane.

Button pits for slicks.

Lap 53

Sutil is out with what looks like suspension damage.

Schumacher and Massa pit. Vettel and Kobayashi are staying out.

Massa has a damaged nose and looks as though he will have to pit.

Webber sets the fastest lap by nearly three seconds on the super-soft tyres.

Lap 54

Vettel, Kobayashi and Petrov pit from the lead.

Massa lost control trying to lap a HRT off the racing line. His nose hit the wall and he's now changed it, but no other obvious damage.

Webber is now battling Schumacher and had to take to the run off at the final chicane to avoid the Mercedes.

Lap 55

Vettel leads Schumacher by 10.7 seconds. But the seven-time world champion in the Mercedes is only thinking about keeping Webber behind him.

Button has worked his way up to fourth and is by far and away the fastest man on the track.

Lap 56

Schumacher closes the gap to 8.7 seconds to Vettel, so maybe I was wrong about that battle.

Heidfeld went into the back if Kobayashi in turn one and two and then went out of the race in dramatic style as the front wing folded beneath his front wheels.

Lap 57

Safety car out which will reduce Vettel's lead to zero. There was a lot of debris from Heidfeld's Renault and that has caused the caution period.

Lap 58

Button was lapping very quickly so maybe he will fancy his chances of winning this race after the restart.

Lap 59

Heidfled complains that Kobayashi nearly stopped as he tried to pass him and that caused the accident. But to us it looked like the Sauber was on the wet and simply couldn't accelerate.

Button will have to deal with a Virgin before getting on to the back of the Red Bull of Webber.

Lap 60

There is still a fair bit of debris on track but the safety car is coming in this lap.

Vettel sprints away but has Schumacher close.

Lap 61

Schumacher struggled in the chicane and lost some time, falling into the clutches of Webber who is under pressure from Button.

Vettel is now extending his lead as the focus turns to the three-way battle for second.

Lap 62

Vettel leads by 2.2 seconds. Webber is struggling for traction and has Button on his gearbox.

Lap 63

Schumacher is still clobbering the kerbs in the final chicane, he clearly isn't holding anything back.

Vettel leads by 3.0 seconds.

Lap 64

Webber gets past Schumacher but cut the chicane and had to give the position back while holding off a very racey Button. So it's as we were, but Webber is getting a huge advantage from the DRS on the back straight.

Lap 65

Button gets past Webber after the Red Bull missed the final chicane for the second lap in a row. Button did remarkably well to miss the Red Bull and hold it together on the wet.

Button is now all over the back of Schumacher. He gets past easily with the aid of the DRS and took two seconds out of Vettel on that lap.

Lap 66

Five laps remain with Button 3.1 seconds off Vettel and closing. After leading for most of the race Vettel is now coming under huge pressure.

Lap 67

Button closes the gap by 1.5 seconds in one lap and now the gap is just 1.6 seconds. Remarkable stuff.

Button can't use his DRS on this lap. And Webber hhas got past Schumacher into the final chicane with the aid of the DRS.

Lap 68

Three minutes remaining and Button has the gap down to 1.3 seconds. Vettel is repsonding though.

Button is still not quite close enough to use his DRS but is told he can "have him" buy his team.

Lap 69

The race will go the full distance with two laps remaining.

Di Resta's race is over with a wheel missing from his Force India.

Button gets the use of his DRS on this lap and is closing in with one lap left.

Lap 70

Button wins a brilliant race with Vettel coming home second. Webber takes third, just ahead of Schumacher.

Button is through! Vettel lost it on the final lap but just about holds on.

And it looks like Massa took sixth on the line, passing Kobayashi with the use of his DRS. A brilliant race right to the last minute. Button pitted six times and is absolutely ecstatic.

The only thing that might be worth keeping in mind is that Button is under investigation for the incident with Alonso. Hopefully it will come to nothing.

Button hugs his girlfriend, his dad and all his team as he jumps out of the cockpit. A sensational win four hours and nine minutes after the start.

Button takes a well-deserved slurp of champagne as the celebrations continue on the podium.