… Button’s lead trimmed to 18 points.
VALENCIA, Spain, (Reuters) – Brazilian Rubens Barrichello ended five years of frustration yesterday with an emotional victory for championship leaders Brawn GP in the European Grand Prix.

Barrichello, whose last victory was with Ferrari in China in September 2004, beat McLaren’s world champion Lewis Hamilton by 2.3 seconds on a sizzling afternoon at the Valencia street circuit.

“I wish this moment could last forever. I want to stay here until Monday,” said the 37-year-old, who sobbed in his helmet as he took the chequered flag for Brawn’s seventh win in 11 starts.

Hamilton had led from pole, with Barrichello qualifying third on a heavier fuel load, but his hopes of winning for the second race in a row went out of the window when his team bungled the second pitstop.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen finished third.

Championship leader Jenson Button, Barrichello’s team mate, laboured to seventh place after a shocking start but, astonishingly, saw his overall lead trimmed by just half a point to 18 with six races left.

The Briton now has 72 to Barrichello’s 54 and 51.5 for Red Bull’s Australian Mark Webber. Mercedes-powered Brawn have 126 points in the constructors’ standings, with Red Bull on 98.5.

BADOER LAST
Webber finished out of the points in ninth place while German team mate Sebastian Vettel retired with a blown engine after a similar failure in pre-race practice. He has 47 points.

Barrichello’s victory was the 10th of a career that started in 1993 and the Brazilian, the oldest driver on the grid until Luca Badoer was drafted in at Ferrari to replace the injured Felipe Massa, was ecstatic.

“It’s fantastic,” said the Brazilian, whose career had looked to be over when Brawn’s predecessors Honda pulled out in December. “It’s been a weekend I will never forget.

“After five years you don’t forget how to win but it’s tough. There was a lot going through my mind,” added the Brazilian, racing with a message of support on his helmet for friend and compatriot Massa.

Hamilton, whose win in Hungary was the first of a troubled season for McLaren, refused to blame the team.

“We win and we lose together,” he said. “These things happen, but very rarely. Perhaps this is only the second time. I think they deserve a pat on the back.”

Vettel’s race had already been ruined by a problem with the fuel pump at his first stop, forcing him to return to the pitlane next time around.

“What happened? Too much. Too many issues. First stop, we did not put fuel in the car. Then the race was lost. After that we had an engine failure, or it was exhaust,” he said.

“I will fight for the championship until the last breath but days like this… not finishing the race is not a good thing.”

At the back, Badoer at least finished the race but there was little else positive to say about the 38-year-old Italian’s return after nearly a decade away. He chalked up his 50th race without a point, 17th and last of the finishers.

Badoer also collected a drive through penalty for crossing the white line at the pit lane exit and was lapped early on.

“I thought it would be a lot worse,” he said. “The press made me worry too much. I reached my objective, the objective was to finish the race and I didn’t make any mistakes. As a test, I passed.

“I really hope to improve at Spa. It suits my style of racing. It will be a different story.”