Jenson Button believes McLaren-Honda had “good pace” at the Mexican Grand Prix but could not show it after he and team-mate Fernando Alonso spent their first stints stuck in traffic.
Starting from 13th on the grid, the 2009 world champion had a rather uneventful race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, only using his one-stop strategy to leapfrog the two-stopping Alonso and cross the line in 12th.
“The problem for us, and for everybody, I think, was that you couldn’t overtake,” Button said. “We lost so much time in the first 20 or 30 laps, I was stuck behind Fernando and then behind Carlos [Sainz] and also Magnussen, plus Palmer, close to the end. Eventually I managed to pass them all, which was all we could have done.
“The actual pace was good, I had fun out there with some pretty little fights, I did some overtaking. You wouldn’t think it would be difficult to overtake with such a long straight, but out of the last corner you can’t stay close.
“Once I passed them all I could show my pace, but had already lost so much time compared to the people who had stopped in lap one. It was a pity, but I definitively got the best out of what I had. I enjoyed it but I would have liked it to have these battles further up the grid.”
With the Safety Car out on the opening lap following a first-corner melee involving Manor’s Pascal Wehrlein, Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson and Haas’ Esteban Gutierrez, several drivers elected to pit straight away.
Button says McLaren-Honda contemplated following a similar strategy.
“We could have stopped on Lap 1, but we were in 12th or 13th position, which were not great but not too bad either, so we couldn’t take a gamble. The guys at the gap took a gamble, as they had nothing to lose, but it was too much of a gamble for us.”
2016 Mexican Grand Prix - Driver ratings
REPORT: Hamilton keeps title hopes alive with Mexico win
Breakfast with Stefan Johansson 15 minutes with ... Nico Rosberg
Silbermann says ... Masked in Mexico
As Formula 1 prepares to wave goodbye to its current rule set in Abu Dhabi,…
On the eve of Formula 1’s season finale in Abu Dhabi, drivers set aside championship…
Formula 1's 2025 season hurtles toward its dramatic close this weekend in Yas Marina, with…
In a title showdown charged with tension, numbers, and a hint of intra-team intrigue, Max…
Charles Leclerc isn’t sugarcoating Ferrari’s struggles this season – but he also isn’t second-guessing the…
Red Bull Racing’s newest recruit, Isack Hadjar, is stepping into Formula 1’s hottest seat with…