Jenson takes it lying down

Jenson Button under pressure? You must be joking. Anything less than second place in Brazil this weekend, and Sebastian Vettel's title bid is over. Anything less than fifth for Rubens Barrichello, and it's goodnight for the Brazilian. All Jenson needs is third place - less if his rivals fail to beat him on Sunday - and the championship is his.

So while Seb and Rubens were probably pacing up and down their engineers office like caged animals yesterday, Jenson took the afternoon off to chill out by the pool with his mates. Far from tying himself up in knots, fretting about the Brazilian Grand Prix, he'll be asking his mechanics to pour Radox into his cockpit next.

People have questioned Button's motivation. Why isn't he driving the socks off the Brawn, like Barrichello? Why hasn't he won since Turkey? Valid complaints from those seeking a feisty champion, but Button has played smart. Since establishing an epic lead, Jenson isn't taking risks. Should he fail to seal the deal in Interlagos, he'll have another chance to do so at the final round in Abu Dhabi.

Still, it would put an authoritative stamp on the history books if Button could surge to the front again at the finish post. That will be hard in Sao Paulo. Firstly, Interlagos demands an aggressive driving style and its back-braking bumps have never been to super-smooth JB's taste. Barrichello has always been fast here, but often unlucky. He believes, though, that he is destined to win on home turf.

And there is a high chance of rain. That will play well for wet weather wunderkind Sebastian and havoc for the Brawn's low temperature loathing rear tyres.

And then there are the ever improving efforts of the other teams which could easily result in, say, a Lewis Hamilton victory. Irrelevant of where he finishes, bumping Vettel and Barrichello off the podium would almost certainly hand Button the title.

Here's something to consider, though. While everyone was watching Vettel take a superb victory in Japan two weeks ago, his team mate Mark Webber set the fastest lap of the race despite being two laps down. Webber's weekend was a write-off after he failed to make qualifying. Instead, Red Bull set about a race long test - a rare opportunity these days - to try out a range of experimental wings. It seems Red Bull could be a lot quicker than Brawn in Brazil, as a result of these technical developments.

It's been a championship full of surprises, and it would be terrific if Button's rivals can take it down to the wire in two weeks time. Then again, Brazil's podium confetti and samba beats guarantee a memorable championship finale. Then Jenson could spend the whole weekend poolside in Abu Dhabi.