Some thought Button short-sighted at the end of 2009, when he walked away from
a title-winning seat with the Brawn team (just as it was on the cusp of
becoming Mercedes) in favour of a McLaren drive.
This was thought to be Hamilton’s lair, but Button ran his team-mate close in
2010, in a car that was designed without his input, and this year has beaten
him fair and square.
“I was obviously more involved in development this time,” he said, “and the
great thing at McLaren is that they really listen to what you say.
“Things have definitely improved during the past two years, but there are
still areas we can improve and for me that is the key to starting next
season on a high. Hopefully there will be a bit more of me in the next car.”
Once the season is over, Button plans to take a break in Hawaii, where his
routine features a half-marathon and lots of cycling, while Hamilton hopes
to indulge in a couple of his favourite comfort foods.
“I’m looking forward to two weeks of bacon and pancakes,” he said, “albeit not
at the same time.” Sunday’s grand prix will be the 322nd for Rubens
Barrichello – the most experienced driver in F1 world championship history –
but it might also be the last.
The 39-year-old local hero qualified a respectable 12th and has made it plain
that he wants to carry on in F1, but as yet he has no contract and precious
few of next season’s seats remain to be filled.
If Barrichello is squeezed out, and with no guarantee that Bruno Senna will
keep his Renault seat, Ferrari driver Felipe Massa could be the only
Brazilian in a sport that retains a passionate local following. Massa’s
future is also under scrutiny, however, and Ferrari are thought to be
courting Poland’s Robert Kubica as his possible replacement from 2013.
Leading positions after qualifying:
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 1min 11.918secs
2 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 1:12.099
3 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren 1:12.283
4 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 1:12.480
5 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari 1:12.591
6 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes GP 1:13.050
7 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 1:13.068
8 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India 1:13.298
9 Bruno Senna (Bra) Renault 1:13.761
10 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes GP No Time
11 Paul di Resta (Gbr) Force India 1:13.584
12 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Williams 1:13.801
13 Jaime Alguersuari (Spa) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:13.804
14 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:13.919
15 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault 1:14.053
16 Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) Sauber-Ferrari 1:14.129
17 Sergio Perez (Mex) Sauber-Ferrari 1:14.182
18 Pastor Maldonado (Ven) Williams 1:14.625
19 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Lotus F1 1:15.068
20 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Lotus F1 1:15.358
21 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) HRT-F1 1:16.631
22 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) HRT-F1 1:16.890
23 Jerome d’Ambrosio (Bel) Virgin Racing 1:17.019
24 Timo Glock (Ger) Virgin Racing 1:17.060