Button always happy to head west

Jenson Button looks on to the USGP in Austin next weekend as the Brit winds down his season and perhaps even his career in Grand Prix racing.

The McLaren has always been a big fan of the Circuit of the Americas and of the US in general, spending as much time as he can in North America, and in California in particular, the home of many of his friends and Button's girlfriend, American model Brittny Ward.

"I’m looking forward to heading back to Austin," said the 36-year-old.

"I’ve been spending more and more time in the States recently and Austin is a city with passionate fans that really love their racing.

"The atmosphere downtown is really relaxed and we usually take the opportunity to sample the famous Texan cuisine in one or two of the restaurants over the course of the weekend.

"I’ve always liked racing at this circuit and we managed to put up a good fight last year despite not having the best outright pace, so I’m hoping for more of the same and a bit of a boost after the disappointment of our result in Japan.”

Indeed, McLaren's Japanese Grand Prix is one to be quickly written off and there is perhaps no better place than Austin to do so.

"COTA is one of the few anti-clockwise circuits on the calendar, and has a bit of everything: fast corners, slow corners and heavy braking zones.

"You need a car with good balance, which tends to be one of the strengths of our car. There’s lots of fast, sweeping corners in the first sector, the long straight in the second sector, and then the infield section in the final sector which is tight and twisty with long apexes and high g-forces.

"You really need to prepare the car for everything! For a driver it’s great fun and I hope we enjoy a better result there than in Suzuka."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.