Guest Questioner: Eric Silberman.
Q: Jenson, here we are at Suzuka which is a great track with average facilities and across the other side of the world we have Silverstone which fits the same description. As a British driver what's your view on the fact that there might not be a British Grand Prix next year?
Jenson Button: From a driver's point of view, it's disappointing. Your home Grand Prix is very very special. I have loved Formula One for many years, from when I was a youngster and the only race I used to watch was the British Grand Prix because it was my home Grand Prix and it would be devastating, I think, not just for myself but for all the fans in the United Kingdom, if we didn't have a Grand Prix. For me, Silverstone is a great circuit and if it's not on the calendar I think we would be losing a great race. There are obviously lots of reasons why it might not be there but that is not for me to comment on.
Q: Now you made your decision to switch to Williams a long time ago, and now we're nearly at the end of the season. A lot of bookies are allowing you to bet on races and championships, putting Ferrari out of the equation. Now if we do that you're the World Champion and so is your team. In the time since you made that decision, have you had any second thoughts about leaving BAR-Honda for Williams?
JB: I am not going to comment on that because this is not the correct place to be commenting on that, I don't think. On the 16th October we will know where I am next year or we'll know the decision of the CRB (Contract Recognition Board) and then I can talk about it a little bit more but at the moment I don't think it's correct for myself or either team.
Q: Yeah, but I am not asking you to say where you're going, I'm just saying in your own mind, we know you want to go to Williams, that's fair, but have you looked at the performance of your team and that of Williams?
JB: I haven't compared them, but I think that in the last few races, as a team, we have done a good job. We have had some very good results but that doesn't change anything.
Q: This is obviously a sort of home race for your team with the Honda engine but I guess you get to play second fiddle to Takuma here in terms of all the attention that he gets. Is that nice for you, is it a bit of a weekend off from the media side of things and the PR and the promotions and everything?
JB: It's still a busy weekend, it is for all the drivers, but especially Taku. I have been watching him so far today and it's been very busy for him and we will be able to see how he performs under pressure. I think he will do well, but it is always very tough, your home Grand Prix, especially how much of a following he must have after a reasonably good year. So it is going to be tough for him but we will see what he is made of.
Q: Now there is a lot of talk of a lot of rain heading this way for the weekend. This is a bit of an old fashioned track, it looks quite dangerous in the dry… Maybe Jarno, after Jenson, would like to comment on it as well. What are your views of racing here on a wet track?
JB: I think on any circuit you are a little bit more nervous racing if it is wet because you can't see 20 meters… even five metres in front of the car because there is so much spray if you are in traffic. Wherever, it's pretty scary and I don't think this is any different. I do enjoy driving in the wet, just not when you're in the middle of a pack. I think we had a very good race in Monza - I know it wasn't wet wet but it was damp and the car seemed to work very well. So I think we will be quick here if it is wet but again, for the drivers in the race, it's not a nice situation if it rains.
Q: Jarno, would you like to start by giving us your views on that as well?
Jarno Trulli: As Jenson said, it is never nice to be racing in wet conditions, especially here in Japan at Suzuka. As you said, it is an old fashioned circuit, it probably needs more run-off areas but we have been quite committed during this season, trying to improve what we have but we are a little bit limited, there is not much space we can gain. Naturally it's a very high speed circuit so none of us will enjoy it as much as we can enjoy the track in dry conditions. That's all I can say.
Q: And you've only tested the car twice so far, the Toyota. Where are you in your learning of the new car?
JT: Pretty much zero! When you jump in a new team and you go to a race after three day's testing it's not going to be easy, especially here in Japan at Suzuka and especially with a wet track. But I am very confident and I am motivated to do well because the team is nice, I have had a very warm welcome and all we have to get is experience.
Q: And there is a lot of extra pressure for you in some ways because you are coming in from nothing and this is Toyota's home race as well.
JT: It doesn't matter where you are, what you are doing, there is always pressure and it's part of the job. It's going to be a home race for Toyota and we all want to show good things but obviously we know our limits and we will try our best for the weekend.
Q: Both of you have experienced the pleasures of being sacked from Renault at some stage. Jarno, looking back now, it's a few weeks on now, do you think the whole thing could have been handled better by the team?
JT: I think neither of us have been sacked, to be honest. I've just left the team.
