Jenson Button admits his car lacked speed in the Chinese Grand Prix 2011 – Formula 1 news
McLaren driver Jenson Button has admitted that his car lacked pace, which cost him a chance to score a podium in the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix 2011.
The Brit ended the race in fourth whereas his teammate Lewis Hamilton managed a victory after a thrilling finish.
The 2008 Formula 1 champion stated, “Massive congratulations to Lewis, he drove a great race. It was one of those races where there was a lot of overtaking and action involved, so it was good fun to be part of, but I wasn't quick enough. I really struggled
to look after the rear tyres for some reason.”
Button further added, “Fourth place was as good as I could get out of the car. It's enjoyable, but also you're a sitting duck when people have got newer tyres - you can't do anything. For example when Webber passed me, he was so much faster. You really can't
do anything.”
The Brit was also impressed with the performance of Red Bull’s Mark Webber, who started the race 18th on the grid and ended up on the podium with a third place finish. The Australian had some technical issues with his Kinetic Energy Recovery System
during the qualifiers, due to which he failed to reach Q2.
Button could have ended in a much better position than his actual fourth place finish. He got off to a superb start to the race, overtaking race leader Sebastian Vettel in the very first lap. He also managed to build onto his lead and was in a very comfortable
position until his first pit stop.
However, Button made an error in the pit lane, as he parked his car in front of the Red Bull garage. Although he realised his mistake and moved his car to the right place, this cost him some crucial time and Vettel gained one position over him.
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh claimed that his team would have ended one-two in the race if Button had not stopped at the wrong place in the pit lane. However, he praised the effort of the entire team for tackling the situation professionally in
the end.
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