Post by blacktulip on Apr 25, 2009 15:25:36 GMT
From ITV F1
Jenson Button has admitted that Brawn’s speed advantage from the opening races of the season has disappeared after he only managed fourth on the grid in Bahrain.
But the Briton is more optimistic he can enjoy a stronger race relative to main rivals Toyota and Red Bull as he aims to increase his championship lead.
Button and Brawn dominated the season’s opening two races and the BGP 001 still appeared to be the class of the field in dry conditions on fuel-corrected qualifying times last weekend in China.
However, the combination was unable to challenge its rivals over one lap at Sakhir, with pole-man Jarno Trulli 0.6s faster than Button as Toyota locked out the front row.
And while confident the team’s race pace remains strong in comparison to its rivals, the Briton is preparing himself for a tough Sunday and is already fearing being jumped on the grid by the KERS-equipped cars that fill three of the four slots behind him on the grid.
Asked by the BBC if he was surprised by the speed of the front-row Toyotas, Button replied: “It is not the Toyotas so much, it is our pace, we struggled.
“Compared to the whole field we don’t have the pace compared to the first three races so it is going to be a tough race tomorrow – it is not going to be a walk in the park
Jenson Button has admitted that Brawn’s speed advantage from the opening races of the season has disappeared after he only managed fourth on the grid in Bahrain.
But the Briton is more optimistic he can enjoy a stronger race relative to main rivals Toyota and Red Bull as he aims to increase his championship lead.
Button and Brawn dominated the season’s opening two races and the BGP 001 still appeared to be the class of the field in dry conditions on fuel-corrected qualifying times last weekend in China.
However, the combination was unable to challenge its rivals over one lap at Sakhir, with pole-man Jarno Trulli 0.6s faster than Button as Toyota locked out the front row.
And while confident the team’s race pace remains strong in comparison to its rivals, the Briton is preparing himself for a tough Sunday and is already fearing being jumped on the grid by the KERS-equipped cars that fill three of the four slots behind him on the grid.
Asked by the BBC if he was surprised by the speed of the front-row Toyotas, Button replied: “It is not the Toyotas so much, it is our pace, we struggled.
“Compared to the whole field we don’t have the pace compared to the first three races so it is going to be a tough race tomorrow – it is not going to be a walk in the park
