Button aims to benefit from Renault errors

"There's always a Renault there," he told reporters on Thursday. "We need to be right there when they make a mistake."

Button claimed the 13th podium finish of his career in the second GP of the season in Malaysia behind the Renault 1-2 of Giancarlo Fisichella and Fernando Alonso.

That followed his fourth place in the season opener in Bahrain, where again the Renaults got the better of him despite some early close-quarters battles.

"We've got to start finishing in front of the Renaults, everybody knows they are going to be quick.

"Sepang was the first time I have finished on the podium and been disappointed. I was not happy with the way the traffic went, I'm not saying I would have caught the Renault guys but you never know."

Button, still seeking a victory after a 102-race career that started at Albert Park in 2000, prepared for the weekend with some body surfing in Sydney but expects a less leisurely test when practice starts on Friday.

"I don't know if we will be quicker than the Renaults but we've got a good car and it's going to be tough. At the moment they are doing a better job than us."

Button stressed the importance of collecting points early in the season before potential improvements in the Honda car came to full fruition.

"It's nice to be back on the podium but it's where we expect to be. If we can be consistent it will be very good especially against someone like (Fernando) Alonso who was very consistent last year.

"Points are very important and we need to be scoring in every race. If the chance was there for a win or not to score points at all then I would go for the win.

"At the start of the season it's key to win points because at the end people will have sorted their cars out and it makes all the difference. There are improvements to our car but not everywhere we'd like them to be."