Button doesn’t allow himself to dream of the title

With only four races left in the 2009 season, Jenson Button remains the strong favorite to clinch the driver’s title. He even has the chance to be crowned in two weeks at the Japanese Grand Prix. However, the Briton says he is not thinking about titles and does not allow himself to dream about it.

« No. Because it’s a dream. It’s not reality. It could happen, but I have to take each race as it comes, » said Button to reporters in Singapore. However, the Briton admitted that he is in the best position to sweep the stakes this season.

« Yes. For sure, » he said. « Sebastian and his Red Bull are 26 points behind, which is a lot. But nothing is decided yet, as Lewis Hamilton proved when he had a 17-point lead with two races left in the season and still didn’t clinch the title in 2007. There are so many things that can happen. But we have to stay positive and take each race seriously. I’m really excited about the challenge of the four remaining races. »

« The next three are all tracks that I like and then there’s Abu Dhabi which is a new challenge and I’m looking forward to it because I love driving on new circuits. »

After a stellar season start that saw the Briton win six of the first seven races, Button experienced a slump in mid-season. He now still holds a 14-point lead over his teammate Rubens Barrichello, while the gap had peaked at 26 points before Valencia. The Brazilian has since been reducing this gap at each Grand Prix.

« Yes. The car performed well for these few races. Valencia, with Rubens’ victory, wasn’t a great race for me for a few reasons, but the car worked well there. In Belgium, at Spa-Francorchamps, the car was also sufficiently competitive, but even if I hadn’t had to retire, we would have finished fifth or sixth, which isn’t particularly special. Then in Monza, the car was working well, which means the car is performing well on all types of circuits regardless of aerodynamic downforce. We are bringing a new development here, which should give us a little more. »

« Our speed should be good. I don’t think it will give us a step forward compared to the other teams, as most of them have upgrades as well – McLaren, Force India, BMW, and Renault – but I’m hopeful that it will keep us in the game and quite close to the front. »