Title challenge still on for Button

2009 Formula One World Champion Jenson Button has not given up hope on a title challenge in 2013.

The McLaren driver struggled to compete during the opening race of the Formula One World Championship in Australia, eventually finishing a lowly ninth, way behind the performance of the top teams such as Lotus, Ferrari and Red Bull.

In Malaysia the team did show slight improvements, but were still off the pace of Red Bull and Mercedes and Button was eventually forced to retire anyway after a botched pit-stop had previously sent him with just three wheels attached to his car.

But despite the poor start to the season, with just two points scored for Button and a total of four scored for McLaren in the constructors championship the Brit still believes the team are capable of making a comeback.

‘The championship is still on as far as I am concerned and I am aiming for that. Definitely. Sebastian [Vettel] almost beat me to the title in 2009 and he didn’t score for the first four races.’ Button told the Daily Mirror as quoted by Sky Sports.

Button of course is referring back to his own title winning season where he won six of the first seven races of the season. Although his memory seems to have gone a little hazy on the subject as not only did Sebastian Vettel score points during the opening four races, he won the third race of the season in China!

That aside, Button believes that the McLaren’s signs of improvement between race weekends in Melbourne and Sepang have given him enough to be enthusiastic about.

‘It’s a massive turnaround for us. Most of the race in Sepang we were quicker than the Lotus. Most of the race we were quicker than Ferrari. Who would have thought that five days before?’

‘I have gone from being pretty down in Melbourne to being a lot more positive in the five days between the first two races.

‘Things are not all sorted. We still have issues and need to get the car’s ride sorted but in terms of development the car is much better. We’ve had a massive turnaround.’

Button currently sits 13th in the World Drivers Championship, 38 points behind Vettel.

While in the constructors championship, McLaren are seventh, 62 points behind Red Bull.