As you may or may not have heard, Jenson Button has captured the points he needed to clinch the crown. The Englishman secured his first drivers’ title in Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix after a spirited drive from the 14th to the 5th position.. The race also saw Brawn wrap up the constructors’ championship at their first attempt.

As Lewis passed the baton of world champion to Brawn GP’s Jenson Button this afternoon, he signed off by posting a real champion’s drive, storming through the field from 17th on the grid to third at the chequered flag. With a first-lap accident prompting a Safety Car, Lewis’s crew chose to pit him immediately, effectively switching him to a single-stop strategy and placing him on the more efficient Prime tire for the remainder of the race.

Restarting the race from 14th, he pushed hard, passing both Jaime Alguersuari and Romain Grosjean on a single lap, and moving up to fourth before making his final stop on lap 42. Rejoining behind pole-sitter Rubens Barrichello, Lewis caught the Brazilian, finally KERS-boosting past him along the start-finish straight on lap 62 to be third.

“It was an incredible race for me and I’m so happy,” Lewis said. “Starting at the back was a completely different feeling from last year. This time, I wasn’t involved in the championship outcome, but I’m incredibly happy for Jenson. I’ve been down to congratulate him, his team and his family.

“As for my race, I was so far behind on the grid that I didn’t expect to finish on the podium, but I fought so hard and kept pushing like crazy throughout the whole race. It feels like a win when you come through fighting for positions all the time with good overtaking manoeuvres at the end.

“I just kept pushing and did one qualifying lap after another, which was very hard. The team kept telling me to keep going at that speed and our strategy was excellent. This was a great team effort.” The points scored today move Vodafone McLaren Mercedes to third position in the constructors’ world championship, one point ahead of Ferrari.