Button goes wire-to-wire in win

Veteran driver had only two 2nd-place finishes in past 10

McLaren Mercedes’ Jenson Button led Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix from start to finish to take his second victory of the season and his first since the opener in Australia.

It was a welcome victory for the veteran driver from Great Britain, who has had an otherwise disappointing season. In 10 other races, Button had two second-place finishes but failed to score points in four.

“To get a victory here from lights to flag is very special,” Button said of the majestic Spa-Francorchamps circuit. “It’s not been easy this year for me, so, yeah — very, very special weekend.”

Button was able to avoid a dramatic crash right after the start that took out four cars, including points leader Fernando Alonso of Ferrari and Button’s teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Germany’s Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull Racing finished second, and Kimi Raikonnen of Finland placed third.

Despite the crash, Alonso remains in first place with 164 points. Vettel’s second put him in second place with 140 points. Vettel’s teammate, Mark Webber of Australia, finished sixth Sunday and sits in third place with 132 points, one ahead of Raikonnen. Button’s victory moved him up to sixth in the standings, 16 points behind Hamilton.

There is a quick turn- around between races this week as the teams head north for the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza circuit near Milan.

Monza can be considered a home race for Ferrari, which is headquartered in Maranello, about 100 miles to the southeast. Thousands of redclad fans, known as tifosi, will be out in force for the race, and a Ferrari victory would trigger a frenzied celebration.