Button struggling with car balance

Button, who on Thursday was downbeat about Honda's prospects for the season-opening race, was unable to find a good balance during both sessions, winding up in 14th postion, 1.7 seconds off the pace.

The British driver, aiming for a top ten finish this weekend, continued to be realistic about his chances, claiming Honda will have to work very hard to close the gap to their rivals.

"We had a straightforward day working through our planned programme and of course the changeable conditions gave me the chance to run the Bridgestone Potenza wet tyres," said Button.

"It is good to be back racing again, however we are struggling to find a balance and our position today is a clear indication that there is a lot of work to be done to close the gap to where we want to be."

Brazilian Rubens Barrichello echoed Button's comments after finishing right behind his teammate.

"I had quite a good day and was getting into the groove and improving the car, apart from the small 'off' this afternoon, which put me out of the rest of the session," Barrichello said.

"I just touched the grass, which was still wet from this morning, and that was it.

"I was generally happy with my times at that point as we were in the top ten, but overall we are aiming to do much better. We have a lot of work to do tonight to get to where we want to be in qualifying."