Button: It’s nice to be back on the podium and to get some good points

22 July, 2012

Jenson Button back on the podium after a six race absence

Jul.22 (FIA) The moment Jenson Button lost second place in the German Grand Prix to Sebastian Vettel, he radioed his team knowing that the overtake was illegal and a couple of hours after the chequered flag fell at Hockenheim the race stewards agreed with him. Vettel was penalised 20 seconds and thus Button inherited second place. He spoke at the post race press conference.

What do you have to say about the move by Sebastian Vettel when you were fighting for second place?
Jenson Button: There’s nothing to say really, I think the TV cameras say it all. I’d rather talk about the race. For me it was a real fun race and I really enjoyed the race. I couldn’t quite challenge Fernando in the last stint. When you’re in the middle of three people, you really have to push, because you have to watch out for the guy behind and you’re obviously trying to get past the guy in front. So I was probably pushing more [than Alonso and Vettel] in the early part of the first stint but I had to, to try and get past Fernando and then when you’re in the lead you can cruise it on the places where you can’t get overtaking and obviously you have good tyres for the exit before DRS. So, it was a tricky situation but we thought it was best to go aggressive, which we did, but it was just one or two laps really.

And you were getting so close to Fernando as well?
JB: Yeah it was really close. But Fernando knows exactly, as we all do, how to use KERS to keep someone behind you, not just in the DRS zone but in other areas around the lap. I just ran out of steam at the end of the straight. It was a little big too big, the gap, to get past. I’m a little bit disappointed with that but all in all a fun race and I really enjoyed racing out there today. It’s nice to be back on the podium and to get some good points. In the last couple of races, as I’ve said, I’ve been very happy with the car – the balance of the car anyway – and my feeling with it, the confidence. The results haven’t been there because the pace hasn’t been there with the car. This race gives me a lot of confidence and I’m very happy with being up here. I have to say thanks to the guys for bringing good updates here. We’re there or thereabouts at the front. Still a little bit more to go maybe. Also big thanks for the pits stops. The second pit stop was phenomenally quick and that’s what put us in the fight for the win.

At the beginning of the last stint you flat-spotted the right front; was that a problem for the rest of the race?
JB: No, it gave me a little bit of a headache, but that was about it. It was unusual. I guess they just weren’t up to temperature when I hit the brakes that time. We’ve been very good with front-locking in this race. Normally it’s a big issue with the McLaren. In testing we had big issues with front locking. We did some set-up work and we’ve solved a lot of that, which is great for us. It makes a big big difference having confidence when you hit the brakes, but that was just a one-off time. It did give me vibration but it didn’t continuously lock up because of the vibration, which was positive.

Subbed by AJN.

Related posts:

1. Valencia Practice 3: Button finds his way back to the top of the timing screens
2. Button: I need to score good points this weekend to get it back on track
3. Vettel: It would have been nice to have been on the podium
4. Renault: Good to be back in the points
5. Massa: It is nice to be back racing