Button relishing ‘tricky’ F1 opener in Melbourne

Jenson Button says Melbourne's Albert Park Circuit makes for a “tricky place” to start to the Formula One season, but the McLaren-Honda driver is “excited” to race at a venue where he has already won three times.

The Briton, who also has two pole positions to his name in Australia, is entering his 17^th year in the top flight, his seventh with the Woking team. After enjoying a much smoother winter, Button is eager for the new campaign to begin in earnest.

“I’m so excited to go racing again!” the 2009 world champion said. “Albert Park is always a great season-opener.

“[It] is a tricky place to start the season at – it’s an unforgiving, technical, bumpy street circuit, so it really gets you going after a few months off from racing, but that’s why we love driving there.

“In Australia it’s always a new slate each day in terms of set-up, as the track starts off very green on the Friday and wears in more and more as the weekend goes on. We are planning to bring some updates to this race, so we’ll be working on configuring those into our set-up right from FP1.”

With McLaren-Honda coming off a disastrous 2015 campaign, there is additional pressure to deliver for the reunited partners. However, just like team-mate Fernando Alonso and racing director Eric Boullier, Button has not set any objectives for the opening race of the season.

“The Australian Grand Prix is always a fascinating unknown because you’re never sure where you are in relation to your competitors. Although we’ve finished pre-season testing, we’ve not had much time on track before the season starts, so this is the first chance for us to compare ourselves on similar set-ups.

“We’ve been concentrating heavily on our own development and processes, so I’m looking forward to seeing where we are on a level playing field.

“We’re working hard behind the scenes to develop the car and bring new updates at every possible opportunity. Melbourne will certainly be a challenge, but our package definitely feels like a step forward from last year.

“There are so many more variables this year – new qualifying format, new tyre regulations, and Australia usually produces unpredictable races, so anything could happen!”

Button won the Australian Grand Prix in 2009 with Brawn GP before adding another two successes in 2010 and 2012 with McLaren. The 36-year-old was driving for Honda when he claimed his first pole position Down Under in 2006 and repeated the feat in 2009 on Brawn’s dream F1 debut.

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