Button cruises to a career best

Britain’s Jenson Button was celebrating the best Formula One result of his career tonight after finishing in second place in the San Marino Grand Prix.

The 24-year-old car dealer’s son started the day in pole position but German Michael Schumacher eventually won the race comfortably, nearly 10 seconds ahead.

Button completed the Imola course in one hour, 26 minutes and 29.372 seconds.

Second place is Button’s best finish in his 71-race career, and comes after finishing third in the last two grands prix in Malaysia and Bahrain.

The result fuelled expectations that Button, from Frome, Somerset, will not have long to wait before he notches up his first Formula One win.

Speaking afterwards, Button said: “The first lap was a fantastic feeling, I was really wringing the neck of the car and wanted to build a gap.

“My pace in the first stint I was quite happy with. After that I struggled a bit compared to Michael.”

Button, who has three older sisters, was named by his rallycross racing father after his favourite car, the Jensen.