Jenson Button will start the Austrian Grand Prix from third on the grid after taking advantage of the mixed weather conditions at the Red Bull Ring during Saturday’s qualifying session.
The Briton set the fifth fastest time in the wet/dry session, but grid penalties for both Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel for gearbox changes means the McLaren-Honda driver moves up to the second row of the grid, the best result for the team since the partnership with Honda resumed at the beginning of 2015.
Button was overjoyed with the result in Austria, especially as he felt the rainfall in the second segment of qualifying caused him to lock up his tyres and run across the gravel trap.
“We start P3 tomorrow, which is mega!” said Button. “It was an enjoyable session – I thought it was all over in Q2 after I locked up into Turn Three. It was spitting with rain at Turns One and Two, so I didn’t think it would affect me into Turn Three, but I ran wide and just stayed on.
“It’s going to be a tough day tomorrow: nobody really understands how the tyres are going to deliver, but starting from third means we’ll be in a good position.
“I always love those conditions and I was just trying to save it for the last lap. Luckily there was no yellow flags – I took a lot of risks but it all worked out today.
“For now, I’m just going to enjoy this moment…”
