War of the Button for F1 title

JENSON BUTTON may have recently toasted his dynamic start to the Formula One season, but he knows the fight has only just begun if he is to be crowned world champion.

Three wins from the opening four grands prix have catapulted Button into a 12-point lead over Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello and made him hot favourite for the title.

The 29-year-old will be in the sights of his rivals as every team heads into Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix with a number of new upgrades on their cars in a bid to reel in the Brawns.

After last week’s pats-on-the-back for a team that barely made it onto the grid this year, Button knows the hard work starts now.

“I visited the factory last week to join the team for a small celebration of our successes to date and catch up on the progress with our latest developments,” said Button.

“We know we have a real fight on our hands from here to maintain our lead in the championships, but I am confident we are well prepared for the challenges ahead.”

Team principal Ross Brawn also appreciates the time for reflection is past, and whilst his team has far from been standing still, the threat from those behind is mounting.

“The team had to make a tremendous effort simply to have two cars on the grid for the first race in Melbourne,” assessed Brawn.

“The success we have achieved has been a well-deserved reward for all our staff for their hard work which has been supported by the commitment of our engine partner, Mercedes-Benz.

“The short break which we have enjoyed since returning from Bahrain has enabled the team to regroup at our factory in Brackley and spend a little time reflecting upon our first races.

“Jenson, Rubens and the team delivered a first-class job to win in Bahrain, which is the level of performance we must sustain if we are to seriously challenge this year.

“The field has compressed considerably since the season-opening race in Australia, and the performance margins at the front are now very tight indeed.

“Whilst we’ve been away racing over the past few weeks, the factory has been working extremely hard on our upgrade package for the car.

“We now look forward to seeing the results of our development work on track in Barcelona this weekend.”

It was in Barcelona in March, just a couple of weeks prior to the start of the season, Brawn GP first served notice of what was to come with their debut outing at the final test session.

On a familiar track, and in a car Button feels at home in, he has the opportunity to ram home his advantage on Sunday.

“Although the team only completed four days of testing at the Circuit de Catalunya in March this year, I know the track inside out,” added Button.

“It feels very familiar to be heading back there for the start of the European season this weekend.

“You need to have a car with good downforce for a really quick lap there, and we are fortunate our car behaves so predictably.

“That enables you to feel completely confident when committing to high speed corners.”