Button Disappointed Despite First Points

Briton Jenson Button was disappointed after finishing in seventh position at today's Malaysian Grand Prix, despite scoring his first points with the BAR team.

Button admitted he had struggled during most of the race with the grip of his Honda-powered car, losing a possible fifth place to Renault's Jarno Trulli and Ferrari's Michael Schumacher in the final part of the race.

"It was a very tiring race and the car was so difficult to drive," said Button. "We were a lot slower than the Renault today and when the car is that hard to handle it's very difficult to stay in front. I had very low grip, not just on the rear but also on the front, and the oversteer got progressively worse towards the end; it just destroyed the tyres.

"I held off Jarno (Trulli) for as long as I could, then on the last corner I braked where I normally would and the rear just locked up. I went straight on and Michael (Schumacher) was able to get through. It's very disappointing because I was fighting hard to hold on to fifth. We got some points though and that's the main thing so I'm optimistic for Brazil."

Canadian Jacques Villeneuve was unable to complete a single lap after his car suffered an electrical problem before the start of the parade lap.

"A big disappointment as we concentrated all weekend on the race set-up and fuel strategy," said the Canadian. "We didn't look too good in qualifying but we were confident for the race. We couldn't show it though because of an electrical problem from the start. Bad luck, but that's life."