He said the new one had arrived about 20 minutes before qualifying.
Button, fastest in all three practice sessions, is the only driver who can
deny Vettel the title at Suzuka but he must win and hope the German fails to
score to keep the championship alive for another weekend.
Vettel has won from pole for the past two years at Suzuka and has finished his
last 16 races in the points, with fourth his worst result of the season so
far.
“Nine thousandths not good enough, there you go,” said Button, who
earlier in the week likened his challenge to Vettel to that of a
four-year-old taking on an adult in a 100-metre sprint.
“I felt like I got everything out of the car. Fair play to the whole
team, to be able to really fight the Red Bulls around here on a circuit they
have dominated on is a great job.”
McLaren’s 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton qualified third and Brazilian Felipe
Massa, with whom he controversially clashed in Singapore last month, will
line up alongside for Ferrari in what promises to be a lively start.
Hamilton had been quickest after each had set a lap in the final phase of
qualifying but then failed to cross the line in time to get a second run
after Red Bull’s Mark Webber and Mercedes’ Michael Schumacher squeezed him
out.
“With Lewis it was tight, we told him not to back up and let so many
cars by,” said team boss Martin Whitmarsh. “Unfortunately he got
hustled by at the last corner and in so doing missed out on posting a time
in the last lap.”
Hamilton was reluctant to go into detail but clearly felt aggrieved and
described the incident as “just the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever
experienced in qualifying.
“I felt I had a couple of tenths at least left. I felt like I was in
position to fight with these guys but it was a bit dangerous at the last
corner, I had Mark attack me and I had Michael down the other side, it was
very strange and that’s why I lost out,” he said.
Webber said he had not wanted to pass Hamilton “but the team were saying
come on, get on with it, we’re running out of time, we’re not going to be
able to start the lap.
“Lewis tried to block but I kept going, he didn’t want me to come past,
but I got through,” added the Australian who will start on the third
row with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.
Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg will start at the back of the grid after an hydraulics
failure prevented him from taking part in qualifying.