No 'spark' from Button

By Phil Huff
February 8 2007

Spyker's Technical Director, Mike Gascoyne, claims that Jenson Button is missing that 'spark' that would move him from being a Formula One driver to being a World Champion.

"I agreed with Flavio when he replaced Button with Alonso," Gascoyne told PA Sport. "I think Alonso had the spark that made him stand out."

Despite putting in performances such as his 13th to second drive at Hockenheim, despite a faulty helmet strap, or his more memorable 14th to a maiden win in Hungary through changing weather conditions, Gascoyne still doubts Button's racing ability.

"Fernando won the championship last year when the car wasn't at times the quickest," added Gascoyne. "Does he [Jenson] have the race craft and the ability to do that? That's a question mark. Fernando you knew could do that, and Raikkonen the same.

"He got the monkey off his back last year, but Honda can't help but to talk themselves up at the start of the year," continued the Spyker man. "You've got to wait and see how competitive the car is. He's proved that if the car's there then he'll deliver. He's a race winner, but it's whether or not he's a championship winner."

Following Mike Gascoyne's departure from Renault in 2003, the team won two consecutive championships. Gascoyne was then sacked by Toyota, before joining Spyker in November last year.