Button sees red over blue flags

Jenson Button was furious after “pathetic” backmarkers cost him valuable seconds as he missed out on a maiden Formula One victory in the Monaco Grand Prix.

Button was just 0.4seconds behind winner Jarno Trulli at the end of the race after an exciting finale saw the Englishman close relentlessly.

His chances of victory rested on a brave last-lap move but Minardi pay driver Zsolt Baumgartner got in the way to ruin that hope.

But Button was more upset about an incident with Toyota driver Cristiano da Matta, who he accused of refusing to yield when being lapped.

Da Matta was given a drive through penalty by race officials for ignoring blue flags, which are waved to order slower cars to allow faster rivals to lap them.

Button, who when told about the Brazilian’s penalty replied “good”, claimed da Matta had not played fair. He said: “I was really struggling with traffic. I was sitting behind da Matta for three-and-a-half laps. I have never seen anything like it. I really haven’t.”