Formula One: One on One with Button after the British Grand Prix, drivers gear up for German GP next weekend
Jenson Button did nothing less than wonders at the Silverstone Circuit last weekend. Having started from fourteenth place on the grid and ending at forth is as good as pulling rabbits out of a hat especially in a season like this one, where all the other cars are also equally competitive. He had a great start and kept improving the racing pace, as his rivals saw him eventually crossing them all and moving ahead for a nice clean finish. Button explained to his official website after the race, that though he is happy with the way he ended at fourth place in the race but he would have been happier if ended at the podium.
Button explained his surprising finish last weekend saying that he was very disappointed with his qualifying last Saturday because he understands that in this season, a Formula One race if started from fourteenth place, one is hardly able to make his entry among the point’s collectors. Even that is possible only if the driver gets very lucky. He said that he went into the race feeling that he had nothing to lose.
However, he knew that he had to be really aggressive at the start because only that could save him. Well, it worked well for him, as he was able to get a decent beginning, pushed very hard till he finally managed to get past four of the cars. Later he was helped by Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa as they faced punctures, finally the retirement of Robert Kubica, as well as Fernando Alonso, let him move another two ahead in the race. The way he raced passed all the drivers, he could have been at the podium but he had a hard time passing Michael Schumacher’s car, as he got stuck behind him for a long time during his first stint.
As the race ended, he said that he felt disappointed for not being able to end at the podium because having done that, he would have given his home fans another reason to cheer about yet he said, that he has no complaints as the day ended well for him.
When Button was asked if he was concerned of the growing pace of the cars all around him, he replied that of course he was, as since the beginning of the season the Red Bull car has kept improving. He said that he is only concerned but not really worried as McLaren had been doing well. He had been able to win a couple of races and so does his teammate, also they had tried to set the quickest race pace even if only for a few races.
Button said that actually it was in Valencia that they got to know that opposition never stands still. The Red Bull crashed into each other giving way to McLaren and also a number of other teams came up with significant upgrades in their cars.
At the conclusion of the discussion he said that at the Silverstone they realised that it is not easy to arrive at a track and simply start on with an up gradation, rather it requires a lot of effort. He said that in the next few races he expects to see some of the other teams also fine-tuning them self so they cannot afford to stand still.
Therefore, McLaren is also trying to give their best at Hockenheim next weekend as they would be using their blown diffuser on the Friday practice at the German Grand Prix.
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