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Button hasn't given up on title chase
Despite being taken out of the Belgian Grand Prix while lying second, reigning Formula One world champion Jenson Button remains confident that he can defend his title.
Button was behind his team mate Lewis Hamilton in a McLaren 1-2 at Spa-Francorchamps when he was hit by an out-of-control Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) putting an end to his race and maybe also his challenge for the title.
Button retired on the spot, while the impetuous Vettel was able to continue but finished out of the points.
"Obviously, my non-finish in Spa wasn't ideal for my championship aspirations, so I head to Monza next weekend determined to put myself back in the hunt for the title," said Button ahead of next weekend's Italian Grand Prix. "Our pace over the whole weekend in Belgium was extremely encouraging. We're developing the car at a very rapid rate, and we're learning more about it all the time, so I'm optimistic that we'll be able to maintain that form in Italy next weekend.
"We still have some work to do to make sure the package we bring to Italy is perfectly suited to the track, but I'm confident that our engineers have made some good steps forward with their understanding of our car, so we should be in good shape."
Hamilton, who won the Belgian Grand Prix and extended his lead in the world championship, said that he was keen to complete his tally of wins at Formula One's most historic tracks.
"I've made no secret of my wish to win this race. Monza is an incredible circuit – full of history and stories from the past. It has a special feeling in the air that you don't find anywhere else in the world," he said. "It's a circuit that inspires you to race at your limit, and I'll be pushing hard all weekend. Finally, I'm looking forward to meeting the Italian fans this weekend. I pretty much grew up racing karts in Italy, so I've always appreciated and understood the passion and support of the fans for Formula 1, and motorsport in general."
