Question: Jenson, it has been very close all weekend between you and Ferrari. What made the difference this afternoon?
Jenson Button: Well, first of all I want to say a big thank you to the team. We came here not quite sure which approach to take in terms of downforce and efficiency but I think our side definitely made the right decision to run the high downforce level with, as everyone calls it, the F-duct. I want to say a big thank you to them. It was a great decision. Qualifying was pretty good for me. I was close to the front in every session. In Q3 you know you have just got to push that little bit more but it is very, very tricky as Fernando said around here. You push a little bit and sometimes you go slower. You go over the astroturf on the exit or hit a kerb too hard, so it is very, very tricky and out of Ascari I got a little bit of oversteer and ran wide off the circuit. But still I am very happy to be second. This is the first time I have been on the front row of the grid this season, so it is a step forward. I have been very happy with the car’s performance and the approach we have had this weekend, so a good start and hopefully a competitive race tomorrow.
Question: As you say, you are running a different set-up on the rear wing from Lewis Hamilton, your team-mate. Can you just explain how that feels different in the cockpit?
Jenson Button: You have got more downforce, so you can brake later. You can carry more speed through corners. You have to push very hard. It is different to running low downforce. You have got to make the time up in the corners whereas with low downforce most of the time comes in the straight and you obviously have to tip-toe through the corners. But when you have high downforce you have got to be aggressive and you have really got to push the car. I feel it worked in qualifying. We were not 100 per cent sure it was going to, but for the race I think we are looking good.
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Question: Jenson, you have been competitive all weekend. It is your best grid position of the year. What has changed? Is it a little bit the car? Is it a little bit yourself or both?
Jenson Button: I was very happy with the car in Spa. I just did not get quite the right lap in qualifying but the pace during the weekend was very good. But arriving here, running with the high downforce setting that we had, I felt very happy with the car. I did hundreds of miles in the simulator with it and driving here in reality the car felt very good. I am confident in the rear of the car and over one lap the pace is good but for me the real benefit of our car at the moment is the long run pace, so it is good to be on the front row. It is going to be an interesting race with cars running such different downforce levels but it adds something to the spectacle I suppose and it is a very special race for everyone. The fans here are very passionate and it is nice to be at the front fighting it out with the Ferraris but I need to say a big thank you to the whole team. The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team have done a great job this weekend of giving us some great packages. The car is moving forward all the time and it is great to see. It is very exciting for tomorrow. Our main aim is to win the race tomorrow but it is very difficult at the front at the moment. It is very competitive but that has to be the aim. A podium would be great but we have to go for the victory.
Question: A good result might bring you back up into the championship contention again. How important is that?
Jenson Button: It is very important. I have got the trophy at home and I want it to stay there. Tomorrow’s race is very important, but it is just like any other race of the season. It turned around very quickly in Spa for Fernando and myself and Sebastian (Vettel). We were title contenders in a lot of journalists’ eyes and then after one race we are suddenly not. I think it can all turn around very quickly. There are five or six guys fighting for this world championship and I don’t think it is slipping away from anyone at the moment. That’s great for Formula One. I think it is a very exciting year and I think we are going to put on a great show here as well.
Question: Yesterday, you talked about how things didn’t go so well towards the end of the day, so how much did you change overnight?
Jenson Button: Not a lot actually. It’s one of those days where you end up looking for things to change, and then having to take a step back and think ‘well, do we actually need to change the car that much?’ We did make small tweaks and that was the benefit, I think. Our biggest issue was running the soft tyre, wondering if we could get it to work in qualifying. But we made some tweaks to the car and it’s improved the car a lot. The guys did a great job of really streamlining our efforts this weekend and it’s great to be on the front row. It was a fun lap for me. You’ve got to push so hard in the corners, obviously when you’re running more downforce and it was a little bit ragged towards the end of the lap but it was a fun lap and nice to be up here on the front row.
Question: Jenson, you have chosen a completely different package to Lewis; what was the idea behind that? Did you ever consider trying the other one yesterday?
Jenson Button: In P1 we both ran with the higher downforce package, because it’s a package that we thought would be quicker. You’ve obviously got the worry of the straightline speed. I think we were both reasonably happy with the package in P1 but Lewis decided he wanted to try the lower downforce and that’s the package he preferred. We ended up running today with very different cars which is quite surprising to have such a difference but that’s just the way we like the car, I suppose. For me, this was the best option. I don’t know what Lewis thinks about the lower downforce now but before qualifying he was happy with it.
Question: Jenson, how surprised are you that Lewis is not here with you in the top three because this was supposed to be McLaren’s track?
Jenson Button: Yeah, I think it is, it’s a good circuit for us. I personally didn’t expect the Ferraris to be as quick as they are. They’ve obviously come with a very good package and these two have done a good job. Lewis and myself have both been quick all weekend. We’ve been running very different cars but still the lap times have been very similar and strangely enough, even though there is a difference in downforce levels and a difference in the set-up of the car, our sectors have been very similar: first, second and third. So I suppose I’m a little bit surprised that his lap time was that far behind because he’s been very competitive all weekend.
Question: Jenson, of all the teams who have the F-duct, Lewis is the only one who is not using it here. Do you think that’s a mistake?
Jenson Button: I don’t think it’s just a case of using the F-duct or not using the F-duct. It’s aerodynamic level or downforce level that differs from the others. These guys have got very good straight-line speed just like Lewis has. He didn’t find the effect of an F-duct big enough with low downforce wing to actually warrant running with it this weekend, so for us, having the weight lower, not having the F-duct system on the car was the better option and I think for the low downforce package that we have, it was correct. Obviously I’m running a different setting, as you can tell from the rear wing, and the F-duct has a lot more effect with a heavier drag wing.
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