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VIDEO: Inside Track – Hungary GP

jaya — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:35:35 +0000

Jenson Button of Great Britain and McLaren Mercedes drives during practice for the Hungarian Formula One Grand Prix.

McLaren’s Jenson Button gives a behind the scenes preview of the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend.

The reigning World Championship takes time out from his hectic training schedule to give his thoughts ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. The British driver speaks about his disappointment at his performance in Germany, the recent modifications with the car, and also gives his thoughts on the tricky track in Budapest – and how he is aiming for a podium finish this weekend.

Get behind the wheel with Jenson as he gives the ’Inside Track’ ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Courtesy of DNA

Button Revved Up With Renewed Romance

jaya — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:36:26 +0000

Jenson Button and girlfriend Jessica Michibata.

Formula One champion Jenson Button was loved-up and revved-up for the Hungarian Grand Prix after rekindling his romance with lingerie model Jessica Michibata.

The two split in May but got back together this month and the McLaren driver said her return had made a world of difference.

“She arrived from Japan yesterday. She’s only here for the weekend and then she has to go back for some work,” he said at the Hungaroring circuit.

“I’ll see her again in August for our summer break which will be nice, but it’s great having her back here. It really is.

“It just makes me happier. You have bad days and you have good days, but on the bad days she puts a smile on your face – and I don’t mean in a weird way – I means she’s just such a lovely person.”

“But we’re not going to have any bad days. We’ve agreed we’re going to have a really good weekend this weekend,” he added.

Button took his first Formula One win with Honda in Hungary in 2006 and the circuit holds fond memories for him. It should also suit his McLaren well, with the team winning the last three races there.

The Briton, second in the championship and 14 points behind team mate Lewis Hamilton with eight races remaining, will also have his father John in attendance as usual but his focus remained firmly on the racetrack.

“I’m very lucky with my family, my old man and Jessica. I don’t have to worry about them over the weekend,” he said. “They do their own thing, they’re out of the way and they never bother me, which is quite nice.”

“They know when to speak and when not to. I’m happy now.”

In case you didn’t know what Jessica looks like, we thought we would let you know why Jenson is all revved up…

Jessica Michibata

Courtesy of stuff.co.nz

Hamilton Fights Back After Costly Crash

jaya — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 13:43:00 +0000

Lewis Hamilton

Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton suffered a costly crash in practice for the German Grand Prix on Friday while rivals Ferrari and Red Bull showed off their speed.

McLaren’s Hamilton had to sit out all but 12 minutes of the afternoon session, led by Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, after skidding off and smashing sideways into the tyre wall in the morning.

The impact, after the McLaren snapped right and skimmed across the grass, damaged three corners of the car.

“I’m in the wall, the car is damaged. Heavily,” he said over the team radio.

The 2008 world champion, a winner at Hockenheim in 2008, still managed to set the seventh fastest time despite completing just 10 laps after lunch to add to the eight he did in the morning.

Team mate Jenson Button, the reigning world champion who is 12 points behind the younger Briton, ended the first session third fastest but was only 15th in the second.

Overall leaders McLaren had hoped to get some testing miles on their new floor and ‘blown diffuser’ but the wet conditions made that difficult.

While they struggled, Ferrari and Red Bull filled the top four places.

Ferrari’s double world champion Fernando Alonso was fastest with a lap of one minute 16.265, 0.029 quicker than home favourite Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull.

The German’s Australian team mate Mark Webber was fourth behind Ferrari’s Brazilian Felipe Massa.

The morning session, run in heavier rain with cars skidding and spinning as if on an ice rink, saw Force India’s Adrian Sutil top the timesheets with compatriot Michael Schumacher lapping second slowest.

Sutil, always good in the rain, took advantage of a drying track towards the end of the session to post a best time of 1:25.701.

The 41-year-old Schumacher’s quickest lap in the morning on his first home appearance for Mercedes was 0.341 better than Japanese tail-ender Sakon Yamamoto, preparing for only his second race since 2007.

The seven times world champion, back at Hockenheim after a four-year absence, had talked on Thursday of his hopes of getting back on the podium and made that look more likely with the sixth best time in the afternoon.

In a reflection of the fickle conditions, Germany’s Timo Glock was 12th fastest for newcomers Virgin Racing in the morning.

Normal service was resumed later on, with Glock back in a nonetheless respectable 19th place.

Courtesy of stuff.co.nz

Thumbs Up for Button, But Can He Do It?

jaya — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:42:56 +0000

Jenson Button

McLaren has confirmed that Lewis Hamilton will not be favored in his bid for a second drivers title.

With Jenson close enough in points, the team feels that both drivers are permitted the opportunity to put their best foot forward. They expect Jenson Button to up his game as the show heads to Germany this weekend.

So it would seem that McLaren are preparing to let their guys fight it out for the championship despite rumored tensions within their own camp and the visible issues at the rival Red Bull team.

The more important question, however, is whether Jenson Button can actually take the fight to Lewis Hamilton?

Let’s get things straight—Jenson has performed miles better than we all assumed he would. Before the season opener in Bahrain, we expected a lacklustre follow-up to his title-winning season. We thought Hamilton would surely dominate.

Sadly, he has not gained a race win in dry and normal racing conditions, but the two wins to his name meant that his six triumphs at Brawn were not to be his last.

In Turkey, Jenson then proved that Hamilton should not rest on his laurels. He showed Lewis that he, even as a teammate, will not surrender his crown lightly.

Yet, I cant help but think that for anything Jenson does to attempt a challenge, Hamilton will just go one better.

Lewis just seems to have a bit more ability and pace beneath him.

Imagine yourself in a 100m sprint and your opponent builds an early lead. The rest of your race leaves you both finishing at a relatively equal speed. Consequentially, for the second half of this race you can push as hard as you like, but, for the most part, nothing will ever come of it.

All Button may see for the remainder of the season is the back of Hamilton’s rear wing. Button’s main issue is qualifying. If he does not improve his speed over one lap, then he will not enable himself with a proper challenge.

Button did indeed drive like a superstar in Great Britain. Yet he would not have had to drive so aggressively had he managed to stick McLaren in at least a top ten position for the starting grid. Damage limitation often becomes too much of a feature in Button’s career.

The full package is just not there at this moment in time. Despite drastic improvements, you feel that he still cannot be considered as Hamilton’s main rival. That accolade has to go to either of the Red Bull drivers.

They are both proven race winners this season in usual racing circumstances. They have also outperformed Hamilton on various occasions.

As long as no further echoes of their Turkish collision come into fruition, Mark Webber and Sebastien Vettel are the ones on whom Hamilton will keep a closer eye.

Optimistically thinking, Button can take the title to the wire with Hamilton. He can engage the audience and draw them to his challenge more often if he can produce us with glimpses of dominance over Lewis Hamilton.

Until then, he may remain a not so distant, but still inferior teammate.

Courtesy of The Bleacher Report

VIDEO F1: A Team Sport

jaya — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:27:27 +0000

McLaren Mercedes Team

Formula One drivers are not the only ones reponsible for getting a team on the grid and to poll positions.

Drivers are backed by a whole team. Imagine a driver trying to change his own tyres or refuelling by himself.

That would break the record for being the longest pitstop. Formula One drivers need their teams.

See what happens when Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton try and put a car together, without the help of their teammates in One Car, No Team Ad.