Jenson Button feels this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix should be a more competitive race for the McLaren-Honda team after two rather low-key performances at Spa-Francorchamps and Monza, but warns that the team cannot be expecting miracles to happen overnight.
The British driver feels the atmosphere is unique, and that there is something about the venue as soon as he gets off the plane in Singapore, feeling the race is now one of the ‘special’ events on the calendar.
“Singapore is always such a special race,” said Button. “It’s quickly become one of the most famous races on the calendar and it’s easy to see why.
“The whole set-up is really special and racing under lights creates an amazing atmosphere that’s totally different from any other grand prix. There’s a real buzz about the place from the moment you step off the plane.”
Button comes to Singapore on the back of challenging races in Belgium and Italy, but feels he can have a much more competitive weekend at Marina Bay on a circuit that should suit the characteristics of the McLaren-Honda MP4/30 better.
“There’s always a lot of anticipation in the build-up to this race, and for us it’s no different,” said Button. “We’ve had a couple of really challenging races, but we’ve said for a while that some of the circuits we go to towards the end of the season should be a bit better-suited to the stronger elements of our package.
“There’s no denying it’ll be hard work, and we aren’t expecting miracles overnight. But, Singapore is a fantastic circuit, it’s one of the longest races of the season in terms of time, and we quite often we see a Safety Car there.
“So, anything can happen; we’re hoping to learn a lot about how our car works in this configuration, and take as many positives from the weekend as we can.”
