Jenson Button Wins Australian Grand Prix

MCLAREN driver Jenson Button has won his third Australian Formula One Grand Prix title.

Button, winner in 2009-10, won from reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel in a Red Bull with the second McLaren of Lewis Hamilton in third place.

Australian Mark Webber was fourth - his best finish in his home race - while compatriot Daniel Ricciardo produced a stunning move on the final lap to secure ninth and grab his first championship points. Ricciardo was closing on Toro Rosso teammate Jean-Eric Vergne when he managed to take both Vergne and Paul di Resta in quick succession with a brilliant double overtake. Button stunned Hamilton by grabbing the lead at the start and broke out to a comfortable lead. French Lotus driver Romain Grosjean started from third but lost three spots at the start and, by lap three, his race was over with broken front suspension after a collision.  Home-town hopes Webber and Ricciardo both suffered at the start. Webber made his characteristic slow getaway and dropped from fifth on the grid to ninth rapidly but, by quarter distance, had battled his way back to fifth. Ricciardo was squeezed heading into turn one and bumped out of position and had to return to the pits to check for damage, returning in last place. With the race just 11 laps old, seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher's bid for a fifth Australian crown ended when his Mercedes expired and he was forced to retire. The second Lotus of returning world champion Kimi Raikkonen began a steady climb from 17th on the grid to move as high as third by the 18th lap, eventually finishing seventh. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso started from 12th but, with the help of a trademark speedy leap from the lights, moved quickly up the grid and into the top eight. He came home fifth. Lap 37 brought out the safety car when Russian Vitaly Petrov's Caterham limped to a stop beside a safety wall with crippled steering. When racing resumed, Button again put space between himself and the field, jumping to a three-second break over Vettel, followed by Hamilton, Webber and Alonso. Alonso's teammate Felipe Massa was forced to retire on lap 48 after a collision with the Williams of Bruno Senna.