Formula One: Button cleared to race in Germany after eye problem

Jenson Button was given the all-clear on Friday to continue racing at the German Grand Prix after a fragment of carbon brake was washed out of his eye. The British driver said he felt a "very painful" irritation in his eye while he was driving his McLaren Honda car during Friday afternoon’s second free practice session. He went to the Hockenheim circuit medical centre before being transferred to hospital at Mannheim where the particle was removed. "Everything was OK, I just had something in my eye, some carbon or something I had to have taken out," he told reporters. "I've had it before, a bit of carbon from the brakes. It wasn't just dust in my eye, it was a bit more severe than that. "They didn't have any systems to check it here so I had proper checks at a hospital, and they found something, washed it out, and all good. It was very painful, and that's why I stopped early." Button ended the session eighth quickest, 1.473 seconds adrift of German Nico Rosberg of Mercedes, but 0.138sec ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso who was 10th. "The session was alright -- apart from my eye," added Button.