Button makes Vettel the favorite and focuses on the constructors’ title

While Sebastian Vettel has claimed victory in the last two races, being the only one to have significantly closed the gap on Fernando Alonso in the drivers’ championship since the summer break, Jenson Button believes the German is best placed to take the world crown at the end of the season, his third in a row: “They have been competitive in many races,” the Englishman told Sky Sports, referring to Red Bull. “At Suzuka, they took another step forward and had some new parts on the car. The double DRS obviously, but I don’t really know how much it helped them. You could say that Sebastian and Red Bull are in the best position to fight for the Championship. They are very, very strong.”

The 2009 world champion believes that one should not count out Scuderia Ferrari before they fully unleash their potential, even if the team from Maranello seems to have been underperforming in recent Grand Prix: « You can never count out Ferrari and Fernando. They might bring something here [in South Korea, editor’s note] that gives them an extra two tenths, or even three or four tenths, and they will be in front again. »

In any case, Jenson Button, who is 63 points behind Fernando Alonso, now seems more concerned with winning the constructors’ title, which has eluded McLaren since 1998, as the British team is only 41 points behind its Austrian rival: « What’s great is that we can catch up in a single race as long as both of us achieve a good result and they don’t manage to. The constructors’ title is absolutely open. When I get out of the car at the end of the race and look at the points, the constructors’ standings are the only thing I really pay attention to. The chances for the drivers’ title are so slim: if it happens, great, but I’m not going to get too excited about it. »

This Thursday, during a FIA press conference, Sebastian Vettel remained cautious about his own chances and about the threat still posed by the British team led by Lewis Hamilton, who is currently the best placed in the championship: « I think they are still in the race for the championship. I believe that’s their goal or it should be. I think if you look at all the races since the summer break, if you sum them up, overall, I think McLaren has the most competitive car. They are the ones who will be very competitive, no matter where we are: this is at least what the recent races have shown. I think they still have very good chances. »

Indeed, considering the last four races, McLaren has won twice after starting from pole position three times. During the same period, the British team has collected 90 points compared to 78 for Red Bull and 74 for Ferrari, thus closing the gap to 41 points from the Austrian team after being 74 points behind after the British Grand Prix last July. Notably, since that British Grand Prix, the Woking team has never left a race with fewer than 18 points, a situation that has happened to Red Bull three times.