Mind Games Do Not Exist, Says Button

Jenson Button says he is mentally tough enough to hold his own against anyone in Formula One, including prospective teammate Jacques Villeneuve.

The Briton leaves Renault at the end of the season to join British American Racing (BAR), where he is likely to link up with Canada's 1997 World Champion.

Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, who replaced the English driver at Williams for 2001, warned at the German Grand Prix this week that Button was 'fragile' and Villeneuve could shatter his confidence.

He said Button could be faster at every test but Villeneuve was likely to beat him comfortably in qualifying for the first race. And that could be a problem. Button, who had a nightmare year with Benetton in 2001, dismissed the suggestion.

"I really don't care what people say, I'm looking forward to next season. It's going to be a challenge, he (Villeneuve) is a good teammate," he told reporters. "He's been World Champion so he's going to be very competitive. But mind games don't exist. If you're strong enough there's not a problem.

"I've had three years in Formula One and last year was pretty disastrous and I think having come through that, I haven't got a problem with any of the drivers on the grid. I think me and Jacques will work well together. I can't see why we won't."

Although Villeneuve says he has a contract with BAR and is staying, the team have yet to confirm him.

Strong-Minded

Williams technical director Patrick Head, who has worked with some difficult drivers over the years, said Button should be able to cope.

"I think Jenson's a strong-minded individual, he knows his strengths and his ability and I don't think Jenson will have any problems holding his end up against whoever's in the other car," he said.

"I don't think that Ralf Schumacher or Giancarlo Fisichella or Jarno Trulli is a pushover," he said, listing Button's former and current teammates. "Last year certainly Jenson had a big problem in the early part of the year because I don't think he'd actually climbed into an undriveable Formula One car before."

Head recalled how, in 1998, Villeneuve regularly outqualified teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen even though the baffled German, whose confidence drooped, was consistently quicker in practice.

"He was a very individual character then but I'm not sure he played mind games," he said of the Canadian. "I don't think it was deliberate on Jacques's part.

"Quite often, up until Saturday just before qualifying, everybody in the team would think that Heinz-Harald was going to be the driver that reached the highest position and Jacques seemed to be struggling.

"Somehow between Jock Clear (his engineer, then and now) and Jacques, they'd pump each other up and come up with the goods on Saturday afternoon. And that used to certainly concern Heinz-Harald."