Q & A with Jenson Button

Jenson Button: Surprising! It was so frustrating, because the car was working well but I had a pretty rubbish couple of corners. In Turn Nine I ran wide and across the line, and the last corner I ran wide and ran across the grass, so considering the mistakes I made being in P12 makes me happy.

We lost about four tenths, which is so annoying! So we would have been in the top ten, which is where the car just about deserves to be.

It is a surprise really. We expected to move forward after the last test we did in Jerez and, although I didn't get it together, Rubens got it together today and he ended up P10. So it was a great job by the team, and a good base for things to come.

Q. The Honda appears to have some pace on long runs, so you must be confident for tomorrow?

JB: Yeah, you could say we were a little bit lucky with (Kimi) Raikkonen and (Mark) Webber, so that did help us for qualifying. But looking at tomorrow, I am looking forward to it. It is a bit of a new thing for us. We don't know where we stand, so we have to wait and see. But we still have time to think about our strategy. The top ten are going to be very heavy if you look at the times they did in Q3, so we have got to decide if we follow their direction or go another direction. So we will see.

Q. Some drivers are worried about the start. How worried are you?

JB: I am not worried at all. I am pretty happy actually - as long as no one stalls in front of me. With our starts we are happy, so I am looking forward to the race as well. It is the first race we have done with no traction control in such heat, so it will be interesting to see if some people are suffering or not.

Q. So more than one point then?

JB: I am not going to talk about points. That is our aim, as soon as possible. But I would not say that is feasible here really. I am sure some people are going to have reliability issues because it is the first race with the new gearboxes. But in terms of pure performance, I wouldn't say we would score points, no.

Q. How different has it been without driver aids?

JB: Qualifying is the easiest time without traction control, because you have got very good grip, very low fuel. So it doesn't make a big difference in qualifying. It is the race I am quite excited about. I know some people are worried about the start, but I am not really. I think we have got reasonable starts, and the race without traction control will be the first time we have done that with 37-38 degree temperature.

Q. The fact that you are annoyed to be 12th on the grid is actually a good sign isn't it?

JB: It is. We came here after testing in Barcelona and Jerez, and we were almost a second off everyone. So to be P12 tomorrow, I am disappointed but also happy. As a team we did a great job. Rubens is P10 and he had a good lap. I am just disappointed in my own efforts.

The time was there, I am just disappointed I pushed a bit too hard and made a couple of mistakes. That lost me four tenths. It would have put us into Q3 - but another thing was if we deserved to be there. Kimi was back, and Webber crashed.

I think when it settles down in a couple of races and we've got our new package, we will see that we are not in the top 10 cars. But I think as drivers, I think we did a good job Rubens and myself. You can tell there are quick cars out there, but both drivers aren't doing the same sort of job. And that is why we are able to be where we are.

Q. Considering where Honda were, as a first step this must be encouraging?

JB: Yeah, and also how much we were slated for in the winter for our performance! It is nice to start here. Qualifying in Malaysia and Bahrain might not be as good as this, because this is the first race and so many things happened in qualifying. But the feeling of the car is good. I am very happy with the feeling of the car and tomorrow will be another new experience for everyone. The manual starts, with no traction control, and also the race with no traction control. It is going to be interesting, especially with the heat. So we will see where we stand tomorrow.

Q. How much of a role has Ross Brawn played in this upturn in form?

JB: I don't think you can say Ross has had any input to the car. It is more the people at the factory and the team environment is much better. He is a very calming influence and a lot of the time he is stating the obvious - but things you would not think of. He is obviously doing a great job and it is great to have him on board.

I think he is quite excited and happy with what has happened so far. There are things that need to be changed, and I am sure they will be changed as soon as possible. It is great to have him on board and I think we are going to see this team on the up.

Q. Have you noticed a different working environment on a race weekend?

JB: Yeah, this weekend for Ross a lot of it is sitting back and watching what happens and deciding if things need to change. That is more of it this weekend. He has obviously been involved in every meeting we have and strategy will be a major part of it. The atmosphere in the team is very good, especially with the performance today in a car no one expected to be where it is.

Q. Both you and Rubens seem very pumped up by what has happened?

JB: Well, Rubens should be. He is 10th - in front of his teammate, as well! It is because we arrived here and didn't know how quick we were going to be. I think that is an extra element of excitement. And we have probably punched above our weight in qualifying, as I thought we were going to be 14th on the grid. So we are a little bit in front of that, and it could have been even better.

Q. Do you not feel you have at least an outside chance of scoring points?

JB: Yeah, if people are unreliable in front of us, then for sure there is a possibility. But I don't think we will be getting points on merit tomorrow. We are not quick enough, but as well I am excited about tomorrow to see where we do fit in at the end of the race.