Confident Button buoyed by early victory
The 30-year-old started fourth on the grid at Albert Park behind Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and the Red Bulls of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.
Button had expressed concerns in the build up to the weekend that McLaren were not yet capable of challenging the pace of their rivals.
However, the Briton made an inspired choice to switch to slick tyres early on a damp circuit and climbed up to second before taking the lead for good after the luckless Vettel retired with a mechanical problem.
Button also won in Australia last year on his way to the world title with former team Brawn GP and is hoping yesterday’s victory can provide a springboard for further success with McLaren.
“It is a very special feeling and we will take a lot from this,” he said. “I feel I am just building in confidence and hopefully, when we get to the next race, we can do something similar as this feels too good.
“It is always a team effort and I need to thank the McLaren Mercedes team for all their hard work and it is good to see we are improving every step of the way.”
The thrilling race was just the tonic Formula One needed following criticism of the opening race in Bahrain two weeks ago.
There were concerns that new rules for the 2010 season had made the sport more boring than usual as the race turned into a procession.
But, aided by some showers shortly before the start that resulted in a damp track, there was plenty of action in Melbourne with moments of drama and overtaking.
Button added: “I don’t think there’s any getting away from the fact that we probably all thought that the last race was not the most exciting and what were we going to do about it now, but I’m glad that we haven’t really jumped to too many conclusions or ideas, because I think this race was a great race.”
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