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No stewards action for Button

Jenson Button has kept his Canadian Grand Prix victory after the stewards deemed no action was needed following his collisions with Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton

The McLaren driver had made contact with Alonso on lap 44, sending the Ferrari into a spin after touching the right rear wheel when trying to pass at Turn 3.

The incident was investigated by the stewards, who felt no action was needed - ensuring Button keeps his victory.

In a statement, the stewards said that Alonso was on an out-lap, and Button had his car: "Firmly established on the inside line prior to the entry of the corner and drove onto the kerb to avoid Car 5 on the outside."

The stewards added: "In view of the conditions and the statements by both drivers and their team representatives, the Stewards decide that this was a 'racing incident' and have taken no further action."

Button also escaped any sanctions for his clash with team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

The stewards said as the two drivers exited Turn 13 there was a legitimate overtaking opportunity for Hamilton as his speed was greater than Jenson Button's

At the moment that Hamilton moved to the left to pass, the stewards reckoned Button looked into his mirror.

The stewards said: "It appears from the position of Hamilton at that moment [and is confirmed by the drivers] that Button was unlikely to have seen Hamilton

"At the point of contact Button had not yet moved as far to the left of the track as he had on the previous lap, or that Schumacher had on that lap.

"The Stewards have concluded that it was reasonable for Hamilton to believe that Button would have seen him and that he could have made the passing manoeuvre. Further, the Stewards have concluded that it is reasonable to believe that Button was not aware of Hamilton's position to his left.

"Therefore, the Stewards decide that this was a 'racing incident' and have taken no further action."

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said that although he reckoned Button was more responsible for the crash with Alonso - as he hit the Ferrari driver from behind - he could not blame him entirely.

"As a general principle, if you receive a touch on the rear right, and you have contact, and one car has contact on the front left, then normally the one that is in front, the car that received the touch on the rear right, is in front," explained Domenicali.

"But then, of course, the conditions were tricky because on the inside the line was slippery, because Jenson had a little bit of understeer in that moment.

"We just had bad luck today. Fernando was stuck in the middle of the kerbs without having the chance to restart because he was stuck in the middle, and that means today wasn't really our day. That is it."

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