Button had ‘good fun’ in final F1 qualifying

Jenson Button says he had “good fun” in qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, after the McLaren-Honda racer had endured a troublesome Friday at Yas Marina Circuit.

Engine woes limited Button’s track time in the first two practice sessions, but the 2009 world champion recovered to 12th on the grid for what he expects to be his final race.

Although Button was disappointed not to accompany team-mate Fernando Alonso into Q3, the Briton finds solace in being able to pick his tyre strategy for Sunday evening.

“It was good fun out there, I enjoyed it,” the 36-year-old told TV crews afterwards.

“The weekend had been tricky with problems in FP1 and FP2, having to change the power unit and missing a bit of track time.

“As it cools down you need more front end and we just did not have any front end left. I picked up understeer, which cost a bit of time but to be fair that’s not too bad a place to be.

“For the race, we’ll get to run new tyres. It’s been funny this year with the tyre regulations and having the three compounds. It’s not bad compared to the previous race.”

When asked whether he was ticking off the moments before his 305th race start, Button added: “No, it’d be wrong to do that. It’s been my life for 17 years. You’re not just ticking them off, you’re experiencing them.”

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