Jenson Button says he is ‘raring to get back out there’ during this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix after the McLaren-Honda driver was sidelined by a series of ERS glitches on his MP4-30 at Sakhir.
This means the 2009 world champion has not competed since last month’s Chinese Grand Prix. At Shanghai, Button finished a low-key 13th on the road, but was dropped to 14th following a post-race penalty for causing a collision with Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado.
McLaren-Honda is yet to score a point in 2015, although team-mate Fernando Alonso came within 3.9s of clinching P10 in Bahrain three weeks ago, one day after securing Woking’s maiden Q2 spot in qualifying.
Speaking to the press after Malaysia, round two of this year’s championship, the Briton had declared he did not expect to fight for the top ten before Spain. Now, Button hopes the return to Europe will prove beneficial to McLaren and its Japanese engine supplier.
“Coming into Europe after four flyaways and a three-week break is always an exciting feeling,” said the 35-year-old.
“It’s like the second phase of the season is beginning and, especially after my difficult weekend in Bahrain, I’m raring to get back out there and see how our car fares around this track.
“We’ve made good strides over the past few races, and that effort has continued right through the break between Bahrain and Spain, so I’m excited to see where we are and work with my engineers to keep pushing the boundaries of our previous performances at every opportunity.”
Button has only won once at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, his sole victory coming during his 2009 title-winning campaign with Brawn GP.
Click here for a look at the revised McLaren-Honda MP4-30 livery
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