Between the Lines at the British Grand Prix

F1’s official FIA Press Conferences are the traditional home of ‘for sure’, ‘the team’s done an amazing job’ and ‘we’re investigating that’, but what lies behind the platitudes? F1i reckons it has the answer…

Thursday 02 July 2015 – Drivers’ Press Conference Britain

Jenson Button

The Question: World champion drivers are obviously leaders within a team. What’s the message to Honda and the McLaren management? What strategy do you want to adopt in terms of performance, reliability and what would be a win at the moment?

What Jenson said: 

JB: Well, first of all I don’t think a press conference is the best place to do that, you know. We are one team and we work together and if we have issues we talk amongst ourselves and that’s the only way to improve a situation. The confidence is high within the team. You might say why is that, as the last two races have been very difficult, which they have, but there is a massive belief within the team that we will improve. There is a lot in the pipeline. I don’t want to look too far into the future, you know, I’m on of those people that wants to live in the moment and do the best I can right now. It’s the British Grand Prix, in front of them home crowd and I’m really looking forward to it and I will maximise what we have this weekend.

What he might have meant to say: 

JB: Well, there are several questions there James, many of them leading and all of which I will try to avoid answering. I’m joking of course. Well, not really, but let’s take each question in turn. The message I would like to send out is simple, it says ‘Help Me!’ in letters so large they are visible from space. However, in contrast to this desperate plea for a car that works for more than 10 per cent of the weekend, the strategy I would like to adopt is the one where I say things that make me look like a team player with a positive outlook, a sunny disposition and an already signed, ironclad contract for 2016 onwards. Finally, what would constitute a win at the moment? I refer you to the end of the previous sentence.