Button, whose lead on top seemed unreachable in the middle of the season, welcomed the rivalry within the team.

“Obviously I would rather be where Rubens is sat [sic], but he did a better job this weekend, so congratulations to you, man. But second is good. I lost two points to Rubens, but gained seven points on (Sebastian) Vettel. This guy here is my closest rival. And it is good. I think we have got a good relationship. But we are very competitive people, so I am sure we are going to take it down to the wire,” Jenson Button said.

Last year’s champ McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who started on pole, crashed out on the last lap while in third, allowing Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen to claim the final podium spot.

While Red Bull's title hopes are hanging by a thread after Sebastian Vettel picked up just a single point. Team-mate Mark Webber failed to get any.