Japan: Jenson Button Q&A

Jenson, we had a quote from you during the week that you are not pushing to seal the title here. What is the policy?

First of all, good afternoon everyone. I am looking forward to the weekend. This is a circuit that I have enjoyed very much in the past. It is a very fast flowing circuit and I think every driver enjoys racing here. But I don’t come into this race thinking I am going to seal the title here. There are so many possibilities this weekend. There are still three people who can still challenge for the championship. I am one of them, and the most important thing for me to do is work as hard as I can on Friday and Saturday to get the car ready for qualifying and the race and have a good race, the same as all of these guys. I shouldn’t be thinking about anything else.

Do you think you have got the qualifying problems sorted out? You had had a problem with the back end of the car.

No, in Singapore it wasn’t that at all. It was my mistake but we tried a few different things to help the balance of the car in Q2 which was probably the wrong thing to do. We didn’t do two new tyre runs in Q2 which put quite a bit of pressure on the second run and I hit the brakes into turn seven and at about 280kph the front of the car hit the ground and I locked up. With two massive flat spots I couldn’t really do a good lap time. Coming here I am in very good shape. I am looking forward to the weekend. Last weekend was a very interesting race. I still have got a few bruises to show after the bumpiness of the circuit. But it was a good weekend. We came back from a very tough Saturday and had a good Sunday, so I was happy. This weekend the weather is looking interesting. I would rather if it was dry all weekend for sure, but it is what it is and we will make the best out of it. As far as I know it should be wet tomorrow and Saturday, and Sunday more likely dry than wet.

The weather forecast according to Jenson Button.

Yes, 27 degrees, few clouds in the sky and a slight headwind.

Are you envious of Fernando Alonso at the moment?

I’m pretty happy actually where I’m sat right now. I’m good to go.

You’re known as a pretty relaxed and cool guy, but how stressful has this season been? How do you deal with all these ups and downs? And was Singapore really a race for you or not?

It has been a pretty hectic season, obviously with a fantastic start. Then there were a few races when the car wasn’t as good as we had hoped and then there were a couple of races where I didn’t really get the best out of the car. So yeah, the last two races have been good for me. I’ve been happy with my performance, I’ve been very happy with the team’s performance. It sounds silly but it is a bit of a rollercoaster when you’re fighting for a championship, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been fighting for a championship, so you do forget. But if it was easy we’d all be doing it. It’s part of the challenge, it’s a sport that is very emotional for me. I’ve always loved motor racing since I was very, very young and being in the position that I’m in, I’m certainly very privileged and very lucky to be fighting for a championship, so I will never forget that. And I also have some great people around me who keep me grounded and focussed. It’s obviously tough but it’s also very exciting and I wouldn’t change it for the world, for sure.

I understand that you’re not trying too hard to win the Japanese Grand Prix here on Sunday. For you, obviously, winning the championship is more important but remembering what happened in Brazil last year, Lewis Hamilton said finishing fifth was actually more difficult than winning some races. What’s your opinion there?

I’ve never said that I don’t want to win this race, for sure. We go to every race to win it. I think you’re getting it confused with… for me the most important thing is to win the World Championship. It’s not when or where, that’s exactly what I said. For sure, I would love to win in Suzuka, it’s a circuit that I love. I’ve got a lot of connections with Japan from the past and from the present. So for sure I’m here to win this weekend and that’s my aim. So the second part of the question is irrelevant.