Button expects better in Malaysia

The Briton could manage no better than 14th on the grid in Melbourne, with teammate Rubens Barrichello three places further back, as his RA107 proved to be no match for the cars at the front of the field.

But despite the intense disappointment caused by Honda's struggles, Button is convinced that their results have been made worse because the braking instability the car suffers from punishes them more at Albert Park than other places. He is optimistic that the next race in Malaysia should be better.

"We have got a lack of grip and rear stability," said Button. "It's improved a little bit from Bahrain testing, but it's just that this place is massive on braking. It's massively important and I think we're losing a lot because we are braking earlier than other people.

"It's tough here but I'd be surprised if that was the case in Malaysia. We've got such a serious problem with the stability that this place hurts you. Malaysia should be better and we should be around the same pace as other cars. I think we'll be a lot closer."

Button had gone into this weekend claiming that the best result for his team would be simply getting some understanding of just where the RA107 is losing out to the opposition. He still believes that is the one thing he is looking for in today's race.

"This weekend we're going to get as much information as possible throughout the race. It will be the best test we've had compared to other people because it's where you understand how competitive you are.

 "We're a team - we work together. We're all disappointed by where we are and need to get our heads down and improve it. The end result doesn't mean a lot. Being 14th - I could be 17th or ninth, it wouldn't make much difference to me. We just need to make sure this weekend is useful to us."