Q & A with Jenson Button

Source : www.autosport.com
By Jonathan Noble

Q. I guess fifth place was not what you expected when you came to the Nurburgring?

Jenson Button: No. It was all screwed by the start really. I got a poor start, and was eighth coming out of Turn One. There were people everywhere and I didn't want to damage the front wing. I made up a few places at Turn Three and Turn Four, and then I got past Felipe Massa.

So I was running in fourth behind Heikki Kovalainen, but he was running a long stint and he had the old package on his car - and his pace was nowhere. I lost a lot of time there, and behind Rubens in the third stint we couldn't get the hard tyre to work as we have struggled with it all weekend. I worked out a way to make it work, but I couldn't overtake Rubens and when he pitted I went over a second a lap quicker than him. So the pace was there, but we just didn't have the luck.

Q. You were weaving on the straights to try and get heat into the tyres. Was that the route of your problems?

JB: Yes. The circuit got cooler throughout the race, which made it more difficult. Finishing fifth is disappointing as I thought we could have got a podium finish.

Q. What was your reaction to Mark Webber's maiden victory, as he is a good friend of yours?

JB: It is fantastic. The guy has been very close many times and it is well deserved. He did a good job over the weekend and the whole year, and he is another person in the title fight. Mark is closer, Sebastian Vettel is closer so it is getting competitive out there. It is going to be a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to the next couple of races, which should help us a little bit.

Q. What did you make of Mark's race?

JB: He drove a great race. He was a bit aggressive at the start and I actually think he was a bit silly at the start. There was no need for it, but the race itself – he drove a great one, he has been quick all weekend, very superior and a great job.

Q. Aren't you worried a little bit about the championship situation?

JB: Well, wouldn't you be? I've had a sixth and a fifth in the last two races, but I expected more here. I thought I would be on the podium, but I didn't expect to beat the Red Bulls. So, you have to worry but I don't think it is a 'oh damn we are going to lose the championship. It is a ‘come on, let's make the difference'. We have some new parts for Hungary, and I am looking forward to it. We know our car will be strong there, but we don't know how strong. We have to wait and see.

Q. What are your predictions for the Hungarian GP?

JB: We've got to look forward to it. It's only two weeks away, so not too long. Something on the aero package is new and it is a hot circuit – so let's hope we are quick there, because if we are not then we have got a problem.

Hopefully it will be nice weather there. I've won a race there and it has been wet, so hopefully that won't happen – the wet bit. These last two races have been quite difficult. I didn't think this one would be so much, but it was, and we have just got to hope that it is hot in Hungary. And if we are not quick in the heat there we have got a problem, but I think we will be competitive.

Q. So is it important to stay calm?

JB: Yeah for sure. You can shout at the team and say improve this or improve that, but they know what they have got to do. We do need to stay calm, put the improvements on the car and just get every little bit out of it. We are very experienced at being midfield, so we know all the little details and that everything has to be perfect to be competitive. We will be stronger in Hungary and I am glad we've got these two races out of the way, I just wish we had a few more points out of them.

Q. How do you rate the chances for Webber and Vettel?

JB: The good thing is that both drivers are competitive. If Vettel had won the race then that would be another two points for him. In a way, it is a good thing that Vettel is strong and Mark is strong. I have a 21-point lead and that is not enough to finish behind the Red Bulls in every race. We've got to kick some arse in Hungary, and that is what we are going to try and do.

Q. Vettel thinks the emphasis of hot/cold weather is very much overrated, but it did look like a difficult race for you because of the temperature?

JB: He is driving a car that works in these conditions. I am sure he would say the opposite in Monaco because he grained the tyres after 10 laps and we didn't. It is not overrated. Their car is working well at the moment, and I am sure it is going to be working well in Hungary, but our car will be a lot quicker and we will be a lot closer – if not as quick or a bit quicker.