New Delhi: Red bull's Sebastian Vettel may have been guilty of erring with the finishing line in sight, but in all fairness the weather gods could be credited for turning a routine victory for the defending champion at the Canadian Grand Prix into one of the most intriguing races in quite a while.
McLaren's Jenson Button reaped the benefits of being constantly in the mirrors of the race leader, and deserves a pat on the back for forcing the error from Vettel which denied the German his sixth win in seven starts in the 2011 Formula One season.
A drive through penalty for speeding behind the safety car, and collisions with teammate Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, failed to deny Button one of the greatest come from behind wins in F1 history.
The 2009 champion exhibited great skill in trying wet weather conditions to snatch victory from Vettel in the very last lap of a race which was held up for over two hours because of persistent rain.
Formula One supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, obviously knew what he was talking about when he put forward the idea of artificial rain to make the sport more interesting.
His suggestion was met with mixed feelings then, but this year's Canadian GP might just strengthen the case for water on the track every now and then.
The bringing back of overtaking tools, KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) and DRS (Drag Reduction System) have not really aided in providing any kind of competition for Vettel , nor have the Pirelli tyres whose faster rate of wear was supposed to assist in the drivers passing each other on a regular basis.
History is witness to the fact that the most electrifying races have been the ones where rain has played an active part.
Seven time world champion Michael Schumacher and the late Aryton Senna are considered among the greatest ever because they were brilliant when the rain fell.
It's one situation where the pace of the car is not the only factor in deciding the final outcome. Tyre strategy (using of wet weather and intermediates for rainy conditions and slicks for dry weather), pit strategy and the driver’s ability to push the car in tricky circumstances all add up towards a fascinating contest.
The last to first fairytale of Button on Sunday which turned the race at Montreal on its head proved just that and makes a strong case for rain to be used in perhaps the only sport where it's more of a boon than bane.
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