Jenson Button chats about life in F1

Button in China
By Phil Huff (08/12/2003)
December 8 2003

Lucky Strike BAR Honda's lead driver Jenson Button chats about 2003, progress, holidays, Takuma Sato, Honda, and winning the World Championship...

The strong finish both you and Lucky Strike BAR Honda made to the 2003 season must give you considerable confidence for 2004.

Definitely; there were some real signs of improvement. We had a slow down point around Monaco and Canada but towards the end of the season we made some really positive steps forward. The only thing, perhaps, we were lacking was the reliability and that cost us quite a few points. However, both BAR and Honda did a few things in Japan which seemed to make a significant difference to our reliability, so that was encouraging at the perfect time to give everyone a big boost for next year.

Did the team progress as much as you hoped and expected in 2003?

I think so. From the word 'go' the car worked very well. In Australia we were third and fifth in the first qualifying session and things were looking pretty strong. We didn't then expect to have some of the problems we had in the middle of the season but, apart from that, it pretty much went as we had hoped. Fifth in the championship is where we predicted we'd be but, it's fair to say, we probably expected to be a little bit closer to the Renaults.

Since the end of the season you've been globetrotting to F1's two new venues in China and Bahrain and also to Barbados; tell us about your travels.

I only had one week's holiday in Barbados, the rest was all work! Shanghai and China were very interesting. I went there straight from Suzuka and was the first driver there, which was great. The obvious problem concerns the hotels that are about an hour away from the circuit. I'm told, however, they're putting in a special road for us, which should be quite cool. Driving to the circuit was a strange experience; it was like going back to my Formula Ford days and racing at somewhere like Croft. It was raining, muddy and horrible until we reached the track. Then it dried up and what they've been doing is just unbelievable. The amount of effort is incredible and not just on the surface but also under the ground as the soil is so wet. At times they've had between 7,000 and 8,000 people working on site. It's the complete opposite in Bahrain where they've got to deal with other problems such as dust and sand. However, it was equally impressive. Again the facilities look absolutely fantastic. And, again, they've got more than 4,000 people working there. Everything seems to be running pretty smoothly at both venues although, when I was there, neither circuit was actually built. They assured us, however, they'd both be ready in good time for next year's inaugural Grands Prix.

Looking ahead to next year, you are embarking on your second season with BAR and, now that Jacques Villeneuve has been replaced by Takuma Sato, you are perceived very much as the team leader. Are you relishing the challenge or feeling the extra pressure?

The only extra pressure comes from myself. Yes, it is a very different position for me but I've always wanted to head-up a team, so it's great. As soon as I realised that Jacques wasn't going to race in Suzuka, I felt the change. It was a great feeling knowing that my opinion really, really mattered and was very important. Although, as I've already said, it's been a very busy time for me since Suzuka, I've been to the factory as much as possible, giving my thoughts on the new car and so forth. So I'm enjoying the position very much and trying to give as much input as I can. I've now got a lot of experience of working with BAR and the team's got a better understanding of me. I'm enjoying the chance to go into a new season already established within a familiar set-up and that's vital as this is going to be a very important year for both BAR and myself.

Having raced alongside Sato at Suzuka and tested with him throughout 2003, what are your thoughts about your new team mate?

We get on pretty well and I'm looking forward to it. To be honest, I haven't spent as much time as you would think testing with him but we worked really well together at Suzuka, sharing as much information as possible, and that relationship has continued now we are testing together in Spain. Clearly he's a very quick driver - he proved that in Japan and I'm sure we are going to have a good partnership.

What are you expecting from Honda in 2004?

Primarily we need reliability and that's from everyone involved. Honda knows what it has to do and it knows what it's doing, which is the main factor. I'm sure the engineers will do a very good job.

There has been much talk of BAR and Button challenging for the world championship in 2005 or 2006, is that a realistic target?

I think so. If, as is the plan, we're challenging for podiums in 2004 plus a possible win then there's no reason why we can't start challenging for the title in 2005. Things have moved forward very well over the past couple of years or so and I'm very confident that we can keep going in the same direction. By 2005 we need to be in a position to possibly win the world championship, then it will be down to us to put everything together in terms of having the right reliability and not making a mess of it. If you look back at 2003, there were three strong teams and the one that came out on top was the one with the best reliability and consistency. Obviously, we've still got to wait for the 2004 car and then we'll be able to tell a bit more. But I'm sure we'll make another good step forwards and then why not start thinking about the title in 2005.

So your target for 2004 is to reach the podium?

We want to get more than one. We want to be consistently on the podium and a win would be great for everybody and also highlight our move forwards. As a team, I think we should be aiming for third in the constructors' championship and maybe even better but, obviously, we'll have to wait to see what other teams get up to.