Interview with Jenson Button after the Japanese GP

It was another difficult weekend for Jenson Button in Japan, but the Briton still managed to maintain a comfortable lead in the drivers’ championship. His direct rivals, Rubens Barrichello and Sebastian Vettel, know they will need to win in Sao Paulo and hope that Jenson Button doesn’t finish in the points. This could keep the suspense going until the final Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. But the Brawn driver is aware that it’s his competitors who need to attack to keep their title hopes alive. The English driver heads to Brazil for the penultimate race of the season, aiming to have an error-free race at Interlagos and help Ross Brawn’s team be crowned constructors’ world champions in Brazil.

You gained a point here, you must be happy?

« It was difficult during qualifying, my lap wasn’t too bad. But the car changed from Q2 to Q3, for some reasons. I had been very good in Q2. Now we need to look at the front wings and we will look at the data and see what we can do because something is not working properly. Then I got a penalty for the yellow flag lap, the same thing for Rubens. But the difference was that Rubens moved up only one place and I had to move up three to get that point.

While it was very difficult for me, starting 10th on the grid with a car equipped with KERS next to me. Heikki overtook me in the first corner, and I found myself in 11th place right from the start. Then, I fought to pass Kubica, and once I really had a clear track, I pushed reasonably. I did a few very good laps, which brought me behind Rosberg. I pitted, and when I came out, I had gained back 15 to 20 seconds on Rubens after 15 laps. So, my pace was very good. Then, after the safety car, Rosberg popped up three cars ahead of me. It was very surprising.

You are fighting for your first world championship title during the second half of the season, do you feel like a lucky person, considering that you are still picking up points in every race?

Yes, but that’s because we are doing the best possible job in a difficult situation. I got a five-place penalty yesterday just like Rubens. I passed three cars, Rubens passed one. If you look at it that way, you would say no. We put ourselves in this difficult situation and came out of it together in the race. Hopefully, in Brazil, we won’t have to start from the back of the grid. If we could start from the front row and finish on the podium, that would be better.

You’re half a point away from the constructors’ championship now. How do you feel about it?

I think we will get it in Brazil, then everyone should be very, very proud of themselves in this team. They have been through a lot. It has been a rollercoaster throughout the season, but also last winter, so if it happens, congratulations to everyone. It will be a very emotional moment for them if it happens here. And so much joy to Ross Brawn, he has achieved a lot in his Formula 1 career, but this is very different from being a team owner. It’s crazy, after a tough winter, we didn’t even think we would be on the grid in Australia, and we came back with a victory and then continued to achieve good results throughout this season. Now winning the constructors’ title will be a very special feeling. But we will wait and see.

The stewards have decided not to take any measures against Nico Rosberg. What is your reaction to this?

It’s their decision, that’s all. I don’t know all the data, whereas the FIA and the stewards do. They have all the information, so whatever their decision is, they have the final say.

Are you disappointed?

«Well, when you think someone has done something wrong and they are not penalized, you are always disappointed. But it won’t change anything. »

At worst-case scenario, you go to the last race of the season with Rubens who has to beat you by five points. That’s a pretty comfortable position to be champion, isn’t it?

I didn’t think like that, really not, but it’s true. Whatever happens in Brazil, if I’m out and Rubens wins, I’ll still have a four-point lead. I lost a point today, which is frustrating because my pace was very good compared to Rubens. But losing a point like this isn’t so bad. So, it’s not a bad position. I’m going to Brazil being positive and I look forward to the challenge, because it’s going to be one. Sebastian is fast, and the Red Bull seems very fast. It has always been good in high-speed corners, and they have shown it is fast in low-speed corners like Singapore. That’s why they’ll be hard to beat. And Rubens is at home and has always been quick on this track; the Brazilian Grand Prix is going to be a tough weekend.

After what happened two years ago with Lewis and Kimi, do you think lightning can strike twice?

Well, it’s all a matter of mistakes. They had a very fast car and for various reasons, they didn’t finish the races and couldn’t collect points. For us, the team obviously wants the best possible result, which is to win races and secure the constructors’ title as soon as we can. For the drivers’ title, the most important thing is not to make mistakes.

Does the accident of Adrian Sutil and Heikki Kovalainen give you a bit of respite?

« Well, that’s what happened almost every lap, really. Sutil was very fast and was about to overtake Kovalainen and you can see what happened »

Did you have two cars blocking you from the start?

Yes, it was so frustrating. Wherever I am on the grid, there is always a car with KERS behind me. Heikki passed me at the start, and then it was very difficult from there because my pace wasn’t that good, and I didn’t know what my true pace was until I passed Sutil and Kova. After that, the pace was pretty good, I was able to create a gap with the cars behind me in three or four laps, and they pitted seven laps later than me. So I had to make lap times, and I managed to, just like in the last two races. I did it on the second stop as well, but obviously, the safety car is the reason I didn’t finish seventh.

Kimi Räikkönen took off with the soft tires, had you thought about that?

«No, not at all. We had no information this weekend on the best types of tires. Because of the rain, we couldn’t gather enough information. My pace compared to the cars around me was good on the first stint, so the hard option was the safest for us. Our pace was far from that of the Red Bulls, who were incredibly fast, more than half a second per lap. Compared to the people around us, our race pace was good, so we decided to stick with the hard tires. »