From second on the grid, Button made a solid start, filing in behind team-mate
Lewis Hamilton, but with rain falling the race was suspended for 51 minutes
after nine laps.
Shortly after the restart, the 32-year-old collided with the HRT of Narain
Karthikeyan, losing the right end of his front wing, which was the beginning
of the end for Button.
“I just locked up the rears, couldn’t slow the car down and hit Karthikeyan,
which was very frustrating,” said Button.
“Then I had to come in and change my nose which took a long time, and after
that it was a tough afternoon, tough when you are in 14th or 15th place.
“But everyone is so close, it’s so difficult to overtake around here, but a
lot of the issues I suffered were because I wiped my front wing off shortly
after the restart.
“So not a good race for me, not one in which I’ll look at the TV footage.
“I finished almost a lap behind, which is the thing that will stick in my mind
for a little while, but I’ll get over it.
“The amazing thing is I’m still third in the championship after a day like
that.”
As Button concedes it is now a case of “chin up” as F1 embarks on a three-week
break between races following a back-to-back start.
“We’ll just move forward and hopefully I’ll have a better weekend in China,”
said Button.
“This was one of those races that sometimes happen. We’ll put it behind us and
move forward from there.
“I’m positive things will hopefully get back to normal in China, but I just
want to sorry to the guys again, which is the most important thing.”