Button hopes for return of Monaco pace in Hungary

Jenson Button is hoping that the pace he enjoyed at the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this year will surface again ahead of his 200th grand prix start at the tight and twisty Hungaroring this weekend

Vettel wins thrilling Monaco Grand Prix (AP)

AP - Defending Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel won the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday for his fifth victory in six races this season, beating Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button in a thriller in which several drivers failed to finish.

McLaren can challenge Red Bull dominance: Button (AFP)

AFP - Formula One 2009 world champion Jenson Button believes his McLaren car has the potential pace to match and catch the red-hot Red Bulls at this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.

Schumacher puts foot down with his critics

Michael Schumacher was yesterday forced to defend his reputation as he faced up to the least attractive aspect of his Formula One comeback.

Trulli and Kovalainen to drive for Lotus

Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen have been unveiled as the driving team for Lotus F1's maiden season on the Formula One grid.

Interlagos will be a pain in the neck for some drivers, says Jenson Button

Formula One championship leader believes not all drivers are fit enough to tackle the São Paulo circuitJenson Button today claimed that not all Formula One drivers are fit enough to tackle the São Paulo circuit, one of the most physically demanding on the calendar and host to the second-last race of a gruelling season. Interlagos, an undulating and bumpy track and one of just four on the calendar run in an anticlockwise direction, places high demands on a driver's neck muscles."I don't care what drivers say," said Button before taking part in today's practice sessions. "They think they're fit enough, but I don't think we are all fit enough to drive 100% every lap of this race. It's pretty tough physically at Interlagos even though there aren't many high-speed corners."Button's views on fitness were brought into perspective last week when he attended the Iron Man Triathlon in Hawaii. Button, who has taken part in the London triathlon, was impressed by the strength and resilience of elite competitors."Seeing the fitness, and also the pain they put themselves through, was inspirational," said Button. "It was the world championship; all the best people in the world. It was actually quite emotional, seeing what they go through to reach their goals. It's quite different to motor sport. When you get into the training side of the things which you need to do as a racing driver, you push yourself a little bit harder and know you're fit. But, physically, you really feel it round here. It's going to be quite a test for some drivers."Button was proved correct during morning practice when Vitantonio Liuzzi, short on Formula One race experience after being drafted into the Force India team four races ago, could be seen lolling his head to the right in left-hand corners after just 25 laps. Button, meanwhile, was dealing with brake problems and working on the handling of his Brawn while setting the seventh fastest time in the first 90-minute session. His championship rivals, Rubens Barrichello and Sebastian Vettel, were second and third fastest behind the Red Bull of Mark Webber.Morning practice was interrupted by occasional light showers which made the track even more treacherous than usual. Barrichello spun without harm, Sébastien Buemi damaged his Toro Rosso after spinning backwards into a barrier and Renault's Romain Grosjean brought practice to a temporary halt when he ran wide and destroyed a polystyrene marker board. Further rain affected the latter stages of the afternoon session, in which Fernando Alonso set the fastest time ahead of Buemi in his repaired car, with Rubens Barrichello third and Button fifth.If Button finishes on the podium after 71 laps on Sunday, the Brawn driver will become world champion by scoring more points than his team-mate Barrichello and Vettel of Red Bull. Button rejects the claim that he ought to take the title in champion style by winning the race at any price."Winning it like a champion is winning the championship," said Button. "Driving like a champion in this race would be to finish within a certain amount of points of my two title rivals. My intention is to win the race, as it always is. But winning the championship is about getting more points than anyone else over 17 races. Driving like a race winner is winning the race. I've won more races than anyone; no one can win more races this year. But the championship is what it's all about."Button won six of the first seven races but has not reached the top of the podium since the Turkish grand prix on 7 June. "I've not really lost any points since the Monaco grand prix [on 24 May]," he said . "You can say that people have done a better job than me from Monaco to now but when you look at the points, no one has really caught me in the championship and my lead has always been pretty much the same. Speak to any of the champions in the past; it's never a walk in the park unless you've got a much more superior car, like Michael Schumacher's Ferrari in 2004. But if you look back at the start of the season, the Red Bulls were just as competitive as us in Bahrain, Barcelona and a few other races, but we did a better job each time."Jenson ButtonFormula OneMotor sportMaurice Hamiltonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds