For the second race in a row, McLaren committed a crucial pit-stop error in the Chinese Grand Prix. In Malaysia the slip-up was with Lewis Hamilton, whereas in Shanghai this afternoon it was Jenson Button who lost out.
The 2009 World Champion was battling with Nico Rosberg for the lead and would have had to catch the German after his final stop, but the error dropped him back into the chasing back. Button would eventually get the better of Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel, but Rosberg was by then 25 seconds down the road.
“I came in to my marks but we had a problem at the rear,” Button explained, with McLaren having repositioned its pit markings to ensure an easier entry for the drivers. “I sat there waiting for about nine or ten seconds, so that was it. It was a pity because I then had four cars in front when I left the pit lane, so I couldn’t hunt down Nico.”
Despite the problem, Button enjoyed a highly dramatic event in China:
“A great race. We were on a three-stopper, so that was different and really good fun, even with that problem we had. I’m happy to come home second because it was a good fight and very clean with everybody, which is always good to see.”
Lewis Hamilton now leads the Drivers’ Championship courtesy of three third places in as many races. Button sits second, just two points adrift of his team-mate.
Series
Formula 1
Personalities
Jenson Button
Teams
McLaren
Other
Get your official Formula 1 tickets at Sportstadium.com
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:36:26.929 |
| 2. | J. Button | McLaren | +20.626 |
| 3. | L. Hamilton | McLaren | +26.012 |
| 4. | M. Webber | Red Bull | +27.924 |
| 5. | S. Vettel | Red Bull | +30.483 |
| 6. | R. Grosjean | Lotus | +31.491 |
| 7. | B. Senna | Williams | +34.597 |
| 8. | P. Maldonado | Williams | +35.643 |
| 9. | F. Alonso | Ferrari | +37.256 |
| 10. | K. Kobayashi | Sauber | +38.720 |
| Full results | |||
| Jenson Button | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
| More Jenson Button photos | |||
English
Nederlands
Español
Italiano
