Pit Stop

I'm not a great fan of Queen, but I have to admit I liked a recent rendition of We Are the Champions. Jenson Button belted it out on the in-car radio after his heroics in Brazil, even with a touch of vibrato at the end. Fair play to the lad, he's earned his moments of euphoria, even if his shouts of 'I'm the world champion baby!' were a little too Austin Powers for me.

After his six victories at the start of the season, it was a crawl to the line in the end, but that shouldn't take away from his achievement. The race at Interlagos put to bed any arguments about his right to be champion. It was a stunning race by the Englishman, peppered with breathtaking overtaking that was more impressive for the fact that one mistake could have ruined his season and, by extension, his career.

He wasn't the only one having a big afternoon. Ross Brawn became the first person to mastermind the world championship with three teams. To win both the drivers and constructors titles in the first year with your name over the door, despite having to fight to keep the company afloat, has been his biggest achievement. No wonder the normally Zen-like boss was reduced to tears.

Spare a thought for a man who fancies his chances of winning this weekend in Abu Dhabi and won in Brazil, Mark Webber. The Australian has had a stellar season but his second win was virtually ignored and the podium celebrations seemed an intrusion into the good-natured riot in the Brawn garage.

Sympathy for Webber is dwarfed by the feelings any sane person will have for Rubens Barrichello. His only chance of being world champion has gone. He is unlikely to find a race seat in a competitive team next year, if one at all. It's a measure of the man that he gave his teammate such hearty and heartfelt congratulations. Let's hope he's still in the paddock next season.

Next year is where minds are being focused right now, not Abu Dhabi. The future is a lot clearer now that Jean Todt has been voted in as the new president of the sport's governing body, the FIA. It's not so much a retrograde step as no step at all. Given that he was backed by Max Mosley, the outgoing boss, you have to fear for the future.