Formula One/Hungarian Grand Prix: One-hundred-and-thirteen starts after Jenson Button came into Formula One as Britain's great white hope, and a score or so races after his star had begun to plummet, the Englishman finally turned an erratic career into thrilling victory in a race packed with incident.

After early highs such as his signing for Williams at age 20 after winning a driver shoot-out and then scoring a third-place grid spot at the daunting Spa circuit in his first season, his path has been one of promise unfulfilled.

Yesterday, though, the 26-year-old from Somerset stormed back into the limelight in a race which, for once, proved that anything can happen in Formula One.

In the final practice session before qualifying, he had fried his Honda engine and was immediately dropped 10 places down the grid, eventually slotting into 14th for the start yesterday.

Not that anyone was paying any attention. Up front the title contenders, Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher, were making all the news.

First Alonso was hauled before the stewards on Friday as the normally ice-cool Spaniard lost the plot in practice, first braking hard in front of Red Bull tester Robert Doornbos in a dangerous move aimed at putting manners on the Dutchman, whom he deemed to have impeded him, and then overtaking under yellow flags and also making rude gestures at other drivers from his cockpit. The result a two-second penalty that dumped the champion to 15th on the grid. The ball was firmly in Schumacher's court.

But then the Ferrari driver had his own moment of brain fade, passing Alonso when the red flags (indicating a stopped session) were brought out after Button had blown his engine.

With Schumacher pushed to 11th after qualifying and Alonso four spots back, the field seemed clear for pole winner Kimi Raikkonen of McLaren or even the man beside him on the front row, Ferrari's Felipe Massa, seeking his maiden F1 win.

Yesterday, though, dawned gloomy and wet and the drivers started on a track made more hazardous by standing water.

Raikkonen held his lead into turn one but screaming up behind were Alonso and Schumacher, both having made stunning starts - Schumacher, in particular, showing great skill in braking at the last possible moment and sweeping round the outside of the first corner to rise to fifth, with the Spaniard slotting in behind in sixth.

Within a few short laps it became abundantly clear that Alonso's Michelin intermediate tyres were working far better than Schumacher's Bridgestones.

As the rain resumed, they began to work even better, and the champion blazed past Schumacher to claim third, after those in front had slipped back.

Up front, though, Raikkonen was carving out a decent lead.

Button, though, had made his own move. Climbing to sixth in the tricky conditions, he had an apparently fading Schumacher in front, the German struggling for grip. Button muscled past, with the tail-lights of Alonso and the McLarens of Pedro de la Rosa and Raikkonen almost in sight.

Alonso, though, was setting blistering times, and as the McLarens pitted he claimed the lead. As Schumacher tangled with Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella farther back and had to pit for a new nose cone, it seemed a decisive moment.

But the incidents kept on coming. Raikkonen, seeking to pass back-marker Vitantonio Liuzzi, smashed into the back of the Toro Rosso, bringing out the safety car. As Raikkonen limped off, de la Rosa made his second stop and Button rose to second, right behind Alonso.

For once he had the quicker car, reeling in the Spaniard in a handful of laps. When he made a short, short stop just for fuel it got him out ahead of Alonso and in control. The Briton's pace never flagged and in the end he was able to make a quick stop for fresh tyres to cement his advantage in the closing stages.

Alonso pitted for tyres on 51. He emerged, looking good to build on his championship lead, but suddenly a wheel nut flew from his car; he lost control as the right-rear wobbled and ended the afternoon parked by the tyre wall.

Schumacher scrambled to third, but in the closing laps his car developed a problem, eventually forcing him to retire with two laps to go, ceding the podium positions to de la Rosa and BMW-Sauber's Nick Heidfeld.

Fortunately for Schumacher, BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica was disqualified, handing the seven-times world champion a vital point for eighth place despite his retirement.

Kubica, Poland's first F1 driver, had finished seventh in his debut race, but stewards said his car had run two kilos too light.

The point for Schumacher trimmed the overall lead of Renault's Fernando Alonso to 10 points with five races remaining and everything to play for.