Sick Button to miss GP?

Jenson Button's role in the Chinese Grand Prix is under scrutiny as the Briton attempts to recover from the effects of food poisoning that plagued him throughout Friday free practice.

The BAR-Honda driver, who is due to make his 100th grand prix start this weekend - becoming the youngest driver to reach a century - was laid low by a stomach upset both before the opening day of the Shanghai meeting and through two hour-long sessions behind the wheel.

"I was pretty ill yesterday," Button told Reuters, "It must've been a bit of food poisoning or something. I'm still on rice water and just plain water and that's about it, so I'm feeling a little drained."

Despite setting the ninth quickest time of the day, Button remains under observation, with BAR having the option of slotting reserve Anthony Davidson into the car ahead of qualifying on Saturday. The Briton, a former karting rival of Button's, filled a similar gap when Takuma Sato was laid low with a tropical fever in Malaysia, but his car last all of two laps on that occasion.

"I went home really early yesterday and got twelve hours kip and that sorted me out," Button insisted, "I don't want to get into the details - in fact, I don't want to think about it again. I don't know what somebody's fed me, but it wasn't nice."