Jenson Button Is Optimistic About Formula One Grand Prix: Abu Dhabi 2010
The current formula one world champion Jensen Button, insists that his 2nd place in the driver standings at this stage of the season is way better than what he would have hoped for. He is certain that towards the end of the season, he will be in a strong position to defend his world title.
Button won his first F1 world championship with Brawn GP in 2009 , the season which was very unpredictable due to the number of changes in the rules and regulations of the sport, and Button was lucky to have one of the most experienced and successful heads in the business at the helm of his team. Ross Brawn, who took over Honda team after they decided to pull out of the sport due to the financial problems, then launched the team as Brawn GP and guided an unlikely man to the world championship. Button has since moved on and joined his countryman Lewis Hamilton in McLaren and despite of some infighting, the two have been doing consistently well, as both have captured the top 2 spots on the driver standings.
World champion Jenson Button, has been second to his team mate Hamilton in the last 2 races, and lags 3 points behind the 2008 world champion. In general, there have been not many problems between the two British drivers in the team, but the incident at the end of Istanbul Grand Prix did spark some controversy. It was the infamous crash between the two red bull drivers, when Vettel tried to overtake his team mate Mark Webber, Hamilton and Button took the top 2 positions in the race. The pit crew instructed both drivers not to push the car too much, and save fuel, but as soon as Hamilton slowed down following the pit crew instructions, Button made his move and took the lead. Even though Hamilton took back the first spot, there was huge speculation after the race that a rift between the two was developing, as Hamilton was understandably upset by Button overtaking him.
Button was second to Lewis Hamilton in the last two races and lags his team-mate by three points. And with both drivers on top of standings understandably, the team is leading the constructors championship, which pleases Button , especially considering the immense advantage Red Bull have had in the early part of the season due to their outstanding pace.
Button was reported saying that if someone would have told him prior to the Turkey GP that, his team will be heading the constructors, and driver standings, he would not have believed it. As it stands, it is quite heartening as the season is just gathering pace, and the 2nd half of the season may turn out to be a whole different story, as far as Button is concerned.
Before the Istanbul race, Red Bull’s duo of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel were jointly on top of the driver standings, on 78 points, leading Button by 8 and 19 points in front of his team mate Lewis Hamilton, but such is the new points system, that single win can change the whole picture.
Hamilton have had 2 successive one-two finishes in the last 2 races, which has catapulted Hamilton to 109 points, while Button is on 106, leaving Webber and Vettel behind with, 106 and 90 points respectively.
Hamilton though admits that winning the championship this time will be a much tougher task than 2008(when he won his first and only championship). In the previous seasons, there were number of variances in the rules of the sport and modifications have made the sport much more competitive, and it is more of a level playing field than it used to be.
Hamilton said that in 2008, there were predominantly 3 main contenders for the title, but now there are at least 6 or 7 drivers fighting for the top position, and one slight hick up can result in a big dent to the title chances. However, he is not deterred by that fact and said that he enjoys being on his feet all the time, as it only improves the sport. He has confidence in himself and his car to keep the top spot till Abu Dhabi GP, and win the world title.
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