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Vettel too accident prone to take title - Button

Jenson Button retired after being hit by Sebastian Vettel in Belgium © Getty Images

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Jenson Button believes Sebastian Vettel has made too many mistakes to take this year's title, but is hoping to resurrect his own campaign at the Italian Grand Prix in two weeks' time.

Neither driver scored points at the Belgian Grand Prix last weekend, after Button was taken out by Vettel on lap 16 as the Red Bull driver attempted to overtake in damp conditions. The accident dented both drivers' title chances and left Button 35 points adrift of championship leader Lewis Hamilton.

"He just made a mistake, and for me it was a big mistake that cost me a lot of points," Button told the Press Association. "It was a very costly mistake and I'm the person who has paid for it, but he's made a couple of them this year.

"I'm not saying he's dangerous, I'm saying that for me he has made too many mistakes this year to fight for the world championship. But he is extremely quick, we can't take that away from him, and to get seven poles is extraordinary in the amount of races we have had. But to throw that many away is also very surprising."

After the accident a distraught Button said: "It's a massive blow - a massive blow. It hurts quite a bit really." But away from the heat of the moment he is more confident about the situation in the drivers' standings.

"When I got out of my car and walked into my drivers' room I said what happened had massively hurt my championship, and coming back from it would be very difficult," Button told the Press Association. "But I was very down at that point, as you would be after losing so many points. I had gone from a massive high to a massive low.

"Looking at it now 35 points is still a lot, which in old money is about 14 points, but it's definitely still possible. I go to Monza positive I can have a good race, but also forgetting the championship. I'm in a position now where I have to work towards a race victory because if I come away with that it's a very different atmosphere and a very different feeling for me.

"So that's my aim. It's a circuit I love, one I will do very well on this year, confident in the car and that I'll have a good weekend. I learned last year that you have to take every race as it comes and work on fine-tuning the car, on making sure it's the best for that race and not thinking too far ahead. And I'm definitely thinking like that for now. In two weeks' time we'll be in Monza, we'll have a good car and I will be fighting for a victory."

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