Button demands more from BAR-Honda

Jenson Button is continuing to demand more from his BAR-Honda team as they look to bounce back from a disastrous start to the season.

Button, without a point so far, launched an angry tirade two weeks ago after an engine problem ended his Malaysian Grand Prix and today again urged the team to improve.

The Englishman was an encouraging ninth in practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix but immediately called on BAR to pull out all the stops before tomorrow’s qualifying session to give him the best possible chance of a podium finish.

He said: “It was a reasonably good day but there’s still a lot of work to do tonight. We are not sitting here thinking we are going to be on the podium if we just leave the car as it is, pack it away and get it out in the morning.

“There is still a lot of work to be done but I think we can improve the car so it’s a competitive car tomorrow.”

Button was happy with his two practice sessions but believes his chances in tomorrow’s first qualifying have been hampered by his Malaysian embarrassment.

Both BARs retired after two laps at Sepang and as a result Button and team-mate Takuma Sato will be among the very first drivers on track in first qualifying.

That means both BARs will have to contend with a dusty track while helping clean the surface for their rivals.

Scot David Coulthard enjoyed a quiet day of preparation, setting the 16th fastest time after a series of clean runs.

The Red Bull driver, who has scored points in both races so far this season, was pleased with his efforts but is hoping for more speed when the competitive sessions start.

“I had a trouble-free day with no problems on the car while working to find the set-up and making the tyre choice, which seems pretty clear cut,” he said.

“As usual lap times on Friday do not mean very much but I think we still have some work to do to up our pace.”