Button led the opening stint in China after a great start
Jenson Button says he’s delighted with the way the season has started, given the problems that McLaren faced in testing.
However the 2009 champ was frustrated to drop to fourth having led the opening stint in China, and admits that he hasn’t fulfilled the car’s potential thus far this year.
“It’s been an incredible journey,” said Button on his website today. “Really, we didn’t have a great winter testing. It wasn’t that the car wasn’t quick, it was more that we couldn’t make it reliable enough to develop it properly.
“It was a brave decision to drop a lot of the new components so close to the start of the season. And it massively delivered for us. As soon as we got to Australia, we knew we had a quick car, and we just started to push hard from there.
“I think we got some good results in Australia. We were even stronger in Malaysia, and we were finally able to put it together in China this weekend. Sure, it’s a little disappointing to have a quick car and to lose out on a few opportunities. I took it on the chin in Melbourne, but it was disappointing that I just couldn’t get the pace out of the car in China. That’s something we’ll be looking at next week.
“But, for us, we should be really pleased with the turnaround. We’ve completed six race distances, which is incredible. Don’t forget, we’re still learning about this car, and some of the lessons we’ve learned on the road will be put to better use once we get back into Europe.
“On a personal level, I’ve also been really pleased with my qualifying pace. Before the season, I said it was one of my aims to improve that, and I’ve been pretty satisfied with how things have worked out over the first three races. Apart from Mark [Webber]’s race in China, I think we’ve seen that it’s difficult to make up ground if you’re not right at the front because you’re really at the mercy of a lot of other cars and their strategies. So getting quali right is crucial, and we seem to be heading in the right direction.”
Button says that the team has learned a lot about how to deal with the tyres.
“I think all the teams are learning about this new style of racing in 2011. I think it’ll get more straightforward as we start to see more of a convergence of strategies and ideas over the next couple of races.
“Obviously, it’s the tyres that everyone needs to get a better handle on. I think all the teams will be looking closely at the most successful strategies and also at what didn’t particularly work. I had a really strong final stint on the Primes in Malaysia, but in China I just couldn’t get the rear end to work. I’m sure we can start to understand why and that’s definitely something we’ll be looking into at next week’s technical review. Hopefully, we can head into Turkey with an even stronger package and with some of our weak spots improved and our strengths increased.”
Meanwhile Button is still busy despite the break before Turkey: “Yeah, we’re back at the MTC next Tuesday morning for one of our regular technical reviews. They happen every couple of months and they give everyone in the team a chance to really look closely at the development path we’re taking, what works and what doesn’t, and what we need to do to improve for the future.
“They’re important meetings, and it’s hopefully going to be a positive day because we go into it knowing we have a car that’s capable of winning races. That’s going to be a massive motivator for everyone back at the factory. Then I’m in the simulator on Tuesday afternoon and most of Wednesday to get us ready for Turkey.”
Adam Cooper F1 
Jensen has certainly dispelled the notion that prevailed when he signed with Mclaren, that his WDC was a lucky one-off and that he would be overshadowed completely by Lewis Hamilton. In fact the Hamilton-Button pairing has shown itself to be affable and extremely effective. Though I’ve never been a Mclaren fan per se, I’m always pleased to see Jensen do well. Lord knows he spent enough time in his own little Elba over at Honda before his career turned around.