In an interview with media after the race today, McLaren driver Jenson Button says he really enjoyed his race-long battle with Sergio Perez at the Italian GP, even though he ultimately finished behind him.
The McLaren and Force India drivers spent much of the race wheel-to-wheel as they fought over the lower points with the pair eventually classified seventh and eighth. The duo were team-mates during 2013 and Button was impressed by how much Perez’s driving has improved since he left the McLaren team.
In his interview with the media, Button stated the following on his battle with Perez during the Italian Grand Prix:-
‘I don’t think I could have had that battle with Chceo last year, but as rivals in different teams it seemed to work pretty well. It is a shame that I couldn’t get past him, I tried so many times but he was so good on the brakes I was locking up fronts and rears trying to match him which really put me in a bad position for the next corner. But I enjoyed, it was a lot of fun and hopefully great TV and great wheel-to-wheel action with a lot of drivers so great to see some nice clean racing.
‘It is something that last year as team-mates it might have ended up a bit different, but I have a lot of respect for the guy, he drove really well and I really enjoyed the fight with him. We all want to win, in any category you want to win and only one guy can do that and if you can’t then this is awesome, this is what racing is all about, I really enjoyed.’
It is clear that Button believes that Perez has matured as a driver since leaving McLaren for Force India. Even though Button couldn’t get past him, it was really great to watch both drivers battling wheel to wheel for position. This is what Formula One is all about and it is nice to see Button praising how well Perez battled against him today and how much he enjoyed the fight between the two of them.
Button had started the race in sixth spot, one place behind team-mate Kevin Magnussen and further on in his interview, Button admits it was disappointing neither driver could improve on, or even hold onto, those spots in the race. Button added the following:-
‘We’re not just looking for points, when you start fifth and sixth you expect a bit more. I think if we had had a clear run we would have been alright, but we just found it really difficult in traffic and people were able to pick us off a lot easier than we could pick off the cars in front. I mean the Red Bull under braking was just tremendous, whereas we were bouncing all over the place and locking fronts and rears which made it very difficult.
‘But there is a lot to take away from this weekend and a lot we can take forward. Singapore is next we should have a reasonable package there which should be good.’
It is clear that Button expected more from McLaren this weekend and is disappointed. But at the end of the day, they did the best with what they could with the car this weekend and it is clear that the McLaren team have an awful lot of work still to do in order to close the gap to their rivals. They now need to keep pushing and bring as many upgrades to the remaining races as quickly as possible.
But what Button should remember is that his four points for eighth sees him move above Nico Hulkenberg and into seventh in the Drivers’ Championship, whilst McLaren’s advantage over Force India in the constructors’ standings has been cut to a solitary point.
But it is clear that Button and McLaren need to ensure that they achieve the best possible result on the track in order to stay ahead of Force India in the Constructors and also for Button to show that he still deserves to be in Formula One next season and I do feel that he should be at McLaren next season in their first season with Honda engines.
Question is; has Button’s performance today sealed his fate for next season and staying with McLaren? I really hope that it doesn’t as Button without a shadow of a doubt deserves to stay at McLaren, but we shall see what happens in the next few weeks when McLaren announce who their drivers will be. And I genuinely hope Button remains at the team for next season, I really do.
