Jenson Button admits he is expecting to face real difficulty defending from cars behind him in the Russian Grand Prix.
Both Button and team-mate Fernando Alonso were passed with ease during the Japanese Grand Prix a fortnight ago, prompting Alonso's "GP2 engine" outburst, while Button described himself as a Samurai without his sword and armour.
Having qualified in 13th place, Button will be racing in the pack on the opening laps and he's wary there could be a repeat situation as the Honda ERS inadequacies are highlighted in race trim.
"Unless Fernando gets a very good start, I think it is more of a problem for me and it will be an issue," Button said. "Whatever we do on lap one can be undone very easily. It’s tough in that situation – we are both very emotional and passionate about racing and we want to do all we can, even if it’s fighting for 13th.
"You want to do all you can to keep the cars behind you so we will do all we can and use everything in the right way in terms of deployment and what have you.
"[It will be] a tough day and it’s definitely not going to be any easier than Suzuka so we will do our best and see where we end up. It’s not going to come down to strategy as it’s unlikely that people are going to be doing a great number of stops."
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AS IT HAPPENED: Russian Grand Prix qualifying
Gallery: Carlos Sainz's crash in FP3
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