Sakhir, Bahrain - Jenson Button extended his lead at the top of the Formula One drivers' standings Sunday when the Brawn GP driver claimed victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir. The Briton secured his third win out of four this season in a time of 1 hour 31 minutes 48.182 seconds ahead of Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull with Toyota's Jarno Trulli, who started from pole position, having to settle for third.

Defending world champion Lewis Hamilton in a McLaren-Mercedes came home fourth, followed by Rubens Barrichello in the second Brawn GP car.

Sakhir, Bahrain - Jarno Trulli clinched pole position ahead of team-mate Timo Glock in a first Toyota one-two in qualifying Saturday for Sunday's Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, the winner in Shanghai last week, was third, ahead of Brawn GP's Jenson Button, the overall leader.

World champion Lewis Hamilton provided a boost for McLaren-Mercedes with fifth place to start in the third row alongside Brawn GP's Rubens Barrichello.

There was also improvement for Ferrari, still without a point this season, who had Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen eighth and 10th respectively.

Sakhir, Bahrain - Mercedes could consider its future in Formula One racing if motorsport's governing body FIA imposes "unreasonable" sanctions against the McLaren-Mercedes team over charges of deceiving race stewards, the boss of Daimler has said. In an interview to appear in the German news magazine Focus on Monday, Dieter Zetsche, the chairman of Daimler AG, said the company's future in the sport could come under review.

Sakhir, Bahrain - Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali Friday backed record Formula One champion Michael Schumacher as "part of our team" following criticism of the German's advisory role.

Schumacher, who retired in 2006 after winning seven championship titles, had come under fire from former world champion Niki Lauda and others for the team's failed strategies in the opening two races of the season.

Schumacher did not attend last week's Chinese Grand Prix when Ferrari was again out of the points, and was not planning to be at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday.

Sakhir, Bahrain - Lewis Hamilton led from Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica as McLaren-Mercedes and BMW Sauber got a much-needed boost on Friday in the first practice session for the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix.

The world champion Hamilton posted 1 minute 33.647 points for the 5.451-kilometres lap on the Bahrain International Circuit in his McLaren.

Germany's Heidfeld and Kubica of Poland drove their BMWs to 1:33.907 and 1:33.938, seconds, respectively.