Fourth was possible - Button

Jenson Button was fighting back from a bad start when he retired © Sutton Images

Enlarge

Jenson Button reckons fourth place would have been possible at the German Grand Prix had he not retired from the race with a hydraulics problem 25 laps from the end.

After a bad start that dropped him to tenth, Button was on a two stop strategy in the McLaren compared to the three-stopping Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel ahead of him when he retired. He was moving through the field and looking strong right up until the point when he was ordered to pull into his garage and retire.

"The pace was good compared to the cars in front - Massa and Vettel," Button told BBC Sport. "So it was all looking quite exciting and I had a lot of fun out there. It was pretty low grip.

"In the end we weren't going to get in the top three, but fourth was definitely possible. I was enjoying myself out there as well."

The McLaren driver explained his retirement: "I'd just overtaken Nico [Rosberg] for sixth when my power steering started to get heavy. Soon after, we retired the car on safety grounds because we had a hydraulic issue. It was a very disappointing end, but these things sometimes happen in motor racing and you just have to put it behind you and move on."

He congratulated team-mate Lewis Hamilton on his victory at Germany but said his focus was now on next weekend's race in Hungary.

"Already I've turned my attention to next weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, where I hope to have better luck," he said. "Vodafone McLaren Mercedes goes there on the back of a win and it's my intention to be back on the podium for my 200th grand prix."

ESPNF1