Button looks to solve handling problem

Jenson Button has called on BAR-Honda to solve the handling problems which left him facing an “outrageous” performance deficit in the Japanese Grand Prix.

Button slipped from second on the grid to fifth by the chequered flag at Suzuka, complaining of a difficult car which cost him time in corners.

The 25-year-old has rarely enjoyed the pedigree of car which propelled him to third in the world championship last season, leaving him with only two podium finishes to celebrate.

Button is desperate for this year’s problems to be rectified in time for next season, especially after a graphic demonstration of the superiority of McLaren and Renault yesterday.

Button, who was overtaken by eventual winner Kimi Raikkonen as well as Renault’s Giancarlo Fisichella and Fernando Alonso, said: “A podium means nothing to us. It’s more important for us to solve these problems and then the results will come.

“It’s an issue we have had for a long while now and it’s something we need to look at for next year because that makes a big difference. As we get more and more understeer you have to get off the throttle.

“The McLaren was just staggering and the Renault when it went past me it was just outrageous – it was quicker on the straight and quicker in the high-speed corners.

“It was just ‘wow’ – they are in a different league at the moment. I didn’t quite expect that at this stage of the season.”

However, Button is trying to remain positive and hopes next season will see improvements to help the Honda-owned team take the fight to McLaren and Renault.

He added: “It is a big gap but I think we can close it. It’s not like we don’t have a lot of downforce on the car because we do and we have a really good engine. The basic car is very good, it is very light. Everything should work but there’s one issue which we need to solve and I think it will make a massive difference when we find what the issue is.”

Button’s team boss Nick Fry concedes little will change in the short time between the Suzuka and Shanghai races.

After watching Raikkonen pull off a stunning last-lap pass on Fisichella to win a thrilling race, he said: “We are at least half a second behind and that’s what we need to close up. We have got the winter to try and sort ourselves out.

“It would be foolhardy to suggest that suddenly it’s going to get hugely different [in China]. Unfortunately the podium of this race reflects the true performance of the cars. I would not expect a quantum leap forward.”

Button even lost out to Williams’ Mark Webber, who gave them encouragement after a torrid season by taking fourth spot.

Red Bull’s David Coulthard was back in the points in sixth while Schumacher brothers Michael and Ralf were seventh and eighth respectively.