25/01/2007
NEWS STORY
With foreign workers fully prepared to take the jobs seemingly not wanted by their British counterparts, there must have been quite a few upcoming racers eyeing Jenson Button's seat at Honda, having been 'vacant' for over three months.
Having injured his ribs while karting, part of his Honda training programme, Button played no part in the end of season tests, finally returning to the F1 cockpit on Wednesday.
Speaking at the unveiling of the RA107, resplendent in an interim black livery, the Englishman explained the reason for his long lay-off.
"Every time I did anything my ribs started hurting and it wasn't worth not being okay for this test so I took it easy," he told reporters. "Then, after Christmas, I felt that my ribs were better so I started training.
"I went to Lanzarote for eight days in the New Year," he continued, "did a lot of training there and I've been in Monaco for the last week training. It has all been going well but obviously my neck's not 100 percent up to it at the moment."
With some fearing that the 2006 Hungary GP winner might experience a certain amount of rustiness, returning to action after such a long break, Button was quick to put their minds at rest.
"Maybe it's a good thing to have a rest now and again. I've been driving in Formula One for seven years now pretty much non-stop. Yesterday I felt very much at home getting back into the car."
Having missed the December tests, yesterday was the Englishman's first time on the new Bridgestone tyres: "You do have to be very smooth with these tyres," he admitted. "For some drivers that might be difficult because it's not their way of driving and I think they'll never be able to change. I'm lucky because I think my driving does suit the tyres."
Thankfully refraining from stating that this is his year, Button, now a proven winner, is realistic about the coming season: "For me, the most important thing going into this season is the atmosphere within the team and the confidence," he said. "It's something that's really been building since mid-last season. If we can build on what we had towards the end of last year I'll be a very happy man.
"I think it's going to be a fantastic season," he said. "I think that we'll see four or five teams up at the front challenging, and maybe ten. It's going to be an exceptionally exciting year."
Unfortunately, Button, who got his first taste of the RA107 this morning, completed just a few corners of the Barcelona track before the car ground to a halt, bringing out the red flags and the recovery vehicle.
The Englishman subsequently completed a number of short runs as the team attempted to trace the problem.
To check out our pictures from the Honda RA107 launch, together with on-track shots of the car in its interim livery, click here