On This Day: Button wins in the rain.

On this day in 2009, Jenson Button won a rain-disrupted race in Malaysia.

Button qualified in pole for the second consecutive race, after winning the first race in Australia, Jarno Trulli qualifying in second.

On race day, Button began the race poorly falling to fourth behind Nico Rosberg, Trulli and Fernando Alonso. Button was eventually able to pass Alonso, and once Rosberg and Trulli pitted for fuel – the Brit was back in the lead.

The rain that was predicted to fall, had begun to fall during lap 19 and many drivers pitted for wet tyres, but with no standing water on the track, they began to wear quickly. Timo Glock, on intermediates, moved up rapidly to third.

With the torrential rain, the race was abandoned on the thirty-third lap. The results of the race stood, with Jenson Button being awarded the win.

Timo Glock came in third, with Nick Heidfeld coming in second. Button’s win meant that Brawn GP became only the second constructor to win their first two World Championship Grands Prix since Alfa Romeo won the first two ever, in 1950.

As the race did not reach the required 75% distance (42 laps) for full points to be awarded, half-points were given instead, for only the fifth time in Formula One history and the first since the 1991 Australian Grand Prix.

Most drivers believed the decision to abandon the race was correct including Button, who said:

"It was way too wet out there and the decision to call it off was correct. I would obviously love to have the 10 points, but this is the best we could have done.”