After six races without a win during which he has watched runaway leader Sebastian Vettel lead the way, Briton Jenson Button is ready to fight back - and hopes to register his first Formula One victory on North American soil next weekend, which would also be his first win of 2011.
The
31-year-old Englishman and his McLaren team-mate and compatriot Lewis Hamilton both feel they have the car and performance package to triumph in next Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix and breathe new life into the title race.
“There’s a real momentum within our team at the moment,” said Button, who finished a strong third in last weekend’s exciting yet chaotic Monaco Grand Prix.
“I think we had a race car good enough to win in both Spain and Monaco.
“With a little improvement to our qualifying, I think we can start to dictate race pace, which was something we were briefly able to show at both of the last two races.
“I’m still very pleased with my performance in Monte Carlo. It wasn’t a win, but it was nice to lead the race and to be able to pull away comfortably when I did. “Even if the result didn’t match it, that sort of thing is always nice to keep at the back of your mind.”
“I’ve never won in North America and I think we have the pace, the development and the momentum to have a good shot at changing that next weekend.”
The 2009 champion produced a classic unflustered and well-measured tactical drive last weekend and looked to have an excellent chance of winning the race until a late crash, involving Russian Vitaly Petrov’s Renault, required a red flag and race-stoppage.