Button sees the positives

Jenson Button was left a frustrated onlooker at yesterday’s Belgian Grand Prix, but he still walked away smiling after failing to score a point for the first time this year.

Button’s record as the only man to finish every race, and in the points this season, was wrecked after just 40 seconds of a highly eventful race at Spa.

Button’s Brawn GP was hit from behind by Romain Grosjean in his Renault, spinning the Briton into the gravel and a barrier at Les Combes.

In attempting to avoid the incident, reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton was broadsided by Jaime Alguersuari in his Toro Rosso.

With all four out, the chaos brought the safety car into play, the departure of which saw Kimi Raikkonen pass Force India’s Giancarlo Fisichella for a lead he held onto by 0.9 seconds at the finish.

Sebastian Vettel was third to close the gap to Button to 19 points, with Rubens Barrichello 16 adrift after he trailed home seventh due to a clutch problem at the start that relegated him from fourth on the grid to last by the first corner.

“It’s better to have my first retirement here where I haven’t been so competitive than when I’m running at the front,” he said. “So despite what happened, I’m positive.”