• Singapore Grand Prix

McLaren podium not possible - Button

Jenson Button: "When you're racing you don't want to let anybody past, especially Kimi" © Sutton Images

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• Race:
• Singapore Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Jenson Button

• Teams:
• McLaren

Jenson Button said a podium was not realistic at the Singapore Grand Prix despite running in third position towards the end of the race.

Button eventually slipped to seventh, but was one of several drivers attempting to make a set of tyres last from the start of the safety car period on lap 25 to the end of the race on lap 61. However, Button's pace nosedived eight laps from the end as his medium tyres degraded and he lost third place to Kimi Raikkonen.

"It felt like it was close, but it was so far from being close," he said. "I think I finished 19 seconds behind Felipe [Massa] who was in sixth. It was a good try but the problem was I had set the car up for the other tyre [super-soft] and we were going to do a different strategy today [without the safety car]. The prime [medium] tyre hasn't been my tyre all weekend but it's good to get some points.

"I had Kimi behind me for so long, 20 laps, and I didn't want to let him past. It's easy to say it would have been the right thing to do, but when you're racing you don't want to let anybody past, especially Kimi. When he got past and pulled away by three seconds a lap I realised fighting for a podium wasn't on."

Button admitted Vettel's dominance of the race had been "scary" after finishing 83 seconds behind the Red Bull.

"When you looked in practice they were two seconds quicker than anyone on their long runs. That's quite scary. Sebastian's done a great job but he's only doing as much as the car will let him do and that car is very good at the moment."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.