Jenson Button striving for victory at Italian Grand Prix
2009 Formula One champion Jenson Button has expressed his urgency to take a podium finish at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend. The 30 year-old McLaren driver is feeling the end of season crunch and with six races left to go, the Briton is anxious to accumulate points.
“I need to have a good race here and challenge for the victory to claw some points back,” states Button, according to BBC Sport. Though topping Monza’s first practice session with a time of 1:23.693, Button is well aware of his rivals’ potential and of his own need to make-up for lost points at Spa-Francorchamps. The driver was forced out of the race when Red-Bull racer Sebastian Vettel’s car collided with his, while team-mate Lewis Hamilton went on to claim victory, putting him at the top of the Driver’s Championship.
The incident caused justifiable frustration in Button, who stated in a Q & A with formula1.com: “What’s most frustrating is that I’ve lost out on a good handful of championship points at a time when neither Sebastian (Vettel) or Fernando (Alonso) were able to score. I know there are 150 points still up for grabs, but it doesn’t help to now be 35 points behind Lewis (Hamilton). At this point in the season, you’ve got to take every point you can - and the incident in Spa certainly didn’t help.”
But Button continues to adopt his resilient attitude, and is hopeful that he can achieve a podium finish in the recently modified McLaren vehicle. “It's a good position to be in as we have a competitive car here and we have two different choices for qualifying and the race,” Button observes. “The long-run pace is good and the lower-fuel pace is good – so it's not too bad! I'm not totally happy with the way the car feels on the soft tyre so there is some time there.”
McLaren used a conventional rear wing during the first practice and the new F-duct aerodynamic device while Hamilton did not put it to use during the second practice. Given the Grand Prix’s low-downforce circuit, it will be interesting to see which teams adopt the duct and which ones opt for a more conservative design to match Monza’s unique characteristics. It could be the defining factor between the contenders of what makes the ultimate winner this weekend.
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