Jenson Button wants to be driver who cracks the least
Reigning world champion Jenson Button will be reflecting on what could have been after events at the Italian Grand Prix.
Having jumped pole-sitter Fernando Alonso at the start of the race, he kept the Ferrari driver behind him right up until lap 37, where he pitted first, but lost the lead to Alonso after he pitted a lap later. Button still finished second and could easily have won the race, despite not having the fastest car.
He finds himself 22 points behind world championship leader Mark Webber of Red Bull and is still one of five drivers still in contention for the title. “I had mixed emotions on Sunday. Obviously, I wanted to win the race, and, having led most of it, that was probably an achievable ambition, but I also managed to score some very useful points over the guys ahead of me in the championship,” said Button.
Alonso clipped the back of Button’s car at turn one in Monza, but this didn’t disrupt the flow of the Briton. “What was also interesting was the damage to the rear of my car,” he said.
“Fernando [Alonso] had hit me on the first lap, and it caused some damage to the floor, but I didn’t realise quite how much damage it had caused until I saw the car after the race. I was quite surprised that we were able to have such good race pace given the damage to the floor.”
This time last year Button was running away with the title, but this time around, he is now doing the chasing as he seeks to become the first British driver to retain their world crown. The 30-year-old believes consistency will decide who will become world champion out of himself, his McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton, Alonso and the two Red Bulls of Webber and Sebastian Vettel, with just 24 points separating first from fifth in the current standings.
“I think consistency is important in some ways. Obviously, you need a car that will get you to the finish of every grand prix, and you don’t want to start making knee-jerk or radical decisions on set-up or strategy because you think it might give you an advantage.
“We’re racers, so we’ll always be racing, but the pressure’s now on all of us, because none of us can afford another non-finish or a mistake. And the guy who cracks least will be world champion,” Button said.
He’s known to for having a smooth driving style and being the calmest driver on the grid.
Now, Mr Consistency will have to be at his very best in the last five races to stand a chance.
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