“The first time Nico got it together in qualifying was in China, so they are
going to definitely be competitive, and it’s great to see that they are.
“I spent a lot of years with that team – most of my career was with that team
– so I am very happy for them they’ve achieved a grand prix victory this
year.
“There’s a great bunch of people there, and people that went back to the team
as well that I used to work with, like Geoff Willis, so that does obviously
pose a threat to us in the championship.
“As I say, I’m happy for them, but that’s done now and we’re fighting.”
Button is refusing to write off Red Bull either, even though they have looked
far from reigning champions in the three races so far, certainly in
qualifying.
Neither Sebastian Vettel nor Mark Webber have come close to the front row,
with team boss Christian Horner insisting qualifying is the one area they
have to crack.
In the race, however, Red Bull have been strong, with Button fully expecting
them to eventually come good.
“Mercedes will be tough competitors, but they won’t be the only ones,” added
Button, currently two points behind team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the
championship standings.
“They have shown their pace in quali, also in the race and the strength of
their team.
“They didn’t really do much in qualifying in China, and probably they didn’t
have their best day in the race.
“But they still finished fourth and fifth, so are picking up big points when
their car isn’t as competitive as they would like.
“So I would say those two teams at the moment are the biggest threat because
they consistently show their pace.
“Whether they get the result or not is a different story.”