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By Chris Whyatt
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Jenson Button's perfect start to the season continued as he won the Malaysian Grand Prix after the race was stopped early because of heavy rain.
Brawn GP's English driver overcame a bad start off pole and drove superbly to ensure he was leading when a storm meant the race had to be declared over.
BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld was second ahead of Toyota's Timo Glock. World champion Lewis Hamilton was seventh.
Half points will be awarded to those drivers who finished in the top eight.
After an action-packed first race of the season in Australia - which Button also won in convincing fashion - the second race of the season lived up to the expectation that there would be more drama.
Yet safety was the prime concern as, following the arrival of the red flag after 31 laps, motorsport's world governing body, the FIA, decided the race could not be restarted as they had run out of allocated time when the lightning and torrential rain has passed.
 Drivers come to a stop in Sepang as a storm unloads heavy rain on the track
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That decision was in theory backed by most drivers, some of whom had called for the race to be suspended over their team radio because of the atrocious conditions even before the safety car came out.
"The visibility is nothing," said Renault's Fernando Alonso before the race was officially called off.
"We could have a serious accident if we restart."
Before weather conditions deteriorated the race itself was, ultimately, a tale of the continued dominance of new boys Brawn GP, especially Button.
"What a crazy race, it really was," said Button, who has now extended his lead at the top of the driver's championship.
"My start was really bad, I had a lot of oversteer and maybe I didn't get enough heat in the rear tyres.
"Choosing the tyres here was difficult because unusually when it rains here [in Malaysia] it pours, but it didn't [initially]."
More to follow.
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