• McLaren

'I feel for Lewis' - Button

Jenson Button believes the battle for the title is no longer a clean fight and that Lewis Hamilton deserves to be beating Nico Rosberg.

The two Mercedes drivers have been locked in a head-to-head battle since the start of the season, which boiled over at the Belgian Grand Prix when the pair made contact on the second lap. The incident punctured Hamilton's tyre and helped Rosberg to take a 29-point lead in the title race.

"It is a shame it is not a cleaner fight," Button said. "I've always said the person who wins the world championship this year is the person who does the best job on the circuit, but that does not quite seem the way it is at the moment.

"I feel for Lewis, he was leading the race ... it is unbelievable. I've never seen such bad luck, or misjudgement on other people's part, for Lewis to lose so many points over a period of races. It's astonishing, really. I've never seen that before, especially when you have a car that is so dominant and they should be first and second every race.

"It is just a matter of fighting it out and beating your team-mate, although I know that takes its toll. But for me Lewis has come across really well in the media after some disappointing races. He has definitely grown as an individual, which is good to see, and has taken it on the chin. Hopefully it will build his confidence for the rest of the season rather than shatter it."

However, Button believes the title battle will keep fans gripped to the sport for the rest of the season.

"[Mercedes] will still win the championships, but what has happened definitely adds spice to what is already a pretty spicy relationship. Is it good for the sport? It's negative because we didn't see a good battle between those two.

"But it does get everyone excited about the next grand prix in Italy where none of the fans will be cheering for either of them and would love a coming together. It adds spice, but it's a shame in that true racers want to see them fighting."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.