Silverstone serves Button championship warning

Jenson Button was handed a stark warning on and off track as a British Grand Prix that began with hope ended in disappointment.

After dominating the first seven races of the season in which he won six, Button was given a dose of his own medicine in front of a 120,000 sell-out Silverstone crowd.

The 29-year-old started sixth and trailed home sixth at the end of 60 punishing laps from championship rival Sebastian Vettel, who was in a league of his own.

Vettel cruised to the third win of his career, second of the year and first in the dry after previously taking the chequered flag in the wet in Italy last season and China this.

The 21-year-old underlined his dominance by scoring Formula One’s equivalent of the hat-trick, known as the grand chelem, of pole, race win and fastest lap.

Button has always known the day would arrive when he would be left trailing, but the fact it came on home soil was the galling part.