Softer tyres will help Button with his main weakness which is one lap speed. Furthermore higher degradation on the tyres will ensure that Jenson’s ability to look after them becomes more of an advantage than it was last season.In 2010 there is no doubt that Hamilton had more raw speed than Jenson, and there were a few occasions when the margin was substantial.
However Button still remained in title contention for 18 of the 19 races thanks to making the most of his strengths. He could have made a five way fight in Abu Dhabi if he hadn’t been hit by Sebastian Vettel in Spa and his mechanics hadn’t made that error on the Monte-Carlo grid.
These strengths included those great strategy calls in mixed conditions, which won him races in Australia and China.
Also Button didn’t make any big errors worth speaking of all season long. All of the other contenders lost big points due to mistakes.
It should also be remembered that generally his race pace was never far off Lewis’s.
Of the McLaren pair Martin Brundle told fans at the Autosport show: “I think Jenson matched Lewis better than many expected.”
“The two victories he had were tremendous victories, and anybody would like those on their CV.”
He added: “Lewis is possibly the faster of the two in absolute raw speed, but Jenson was the man who got 49 laps on a set of tyres in Abu Dhabi that most parked after 11-15 laps.”
It was mainly qualifying that let Button down badly.
Because his driving is so smooth he struggles to warm up the tyres for that all important qualifying lap on a Saturday afternoon. When you qualify further back it’s always so much harder to score big points.
Incredibly Button only qualified in the top three once all season. This meant that it would have been very hard for him to make full use of his race pace, and ability to look after the tyres.
If he could cure this issue in 2011 then he will have a much more competitive season.
Brundle adds: “If he sorts out his qualifying he will give Lewis even more of a hard time.”
Button is going to be another one of those drivers who benefits massively from the move to Pirelli tyres.
Button already feels very positive about the tyres after his first test with them.
He says: “I like the feeling of the tyre,”
He added: “It has a stable rear when you enter high-speed corners, you have a stable rear when you brake for low-speed corners, and that is something that I really do need with the car. I am happy with that step.”
Although the main benefit for Jenson could be that tyres could help dramatically improve his qualifying form.
Pirelli plan to make softer tyres so it should be easier to get the heat into them in qualifying, even with Button’s smooth style of driving.
If Button can start more races right at the sharp end alongside Lewis, then he stands a much better chance of competing for the title.
In the past Button was a very good qualifier when he used Michelin tyres. In 2004 he beat Michael Schumacher’s much faster Ferrari to pole position at Imola. Two years later he set a scorching lap to beat Fernando Alonso’s pace setting Renault in Australia.
In actual fact during these years qualifying was considered Jenson’s core strength, as opposed to his race pace, which has been his strength in recent times. Just goes to show how much a different tyre manufacturer can change driver’s fortunes.
Not only that, but the high degradation rates will also be music to Button’s ear. In 2010 the Bridgestone tyres were extremely durable.
Therefore Button’s ability to look after the tyres didn’t really become as big an advantage as many anticipated. Nevetheless there were still occasions when Button made his strength count. For instance he did the majority of the Australian GP on a set of soft tyres (after an early change from inters) with relative ease whereas others opted to pit.
On other occasions in Silverstone, Abu Dhabi and Hockenheim he stayed out longer and leapfrogged rivals.
In 2011 the advantage Button enjoys from his ability to look after the tyres is going to be taken up to a whole new level. It’s already been proved in testing that the tyres do go off very quickly. Therefore looking after them is going to be a major decisive factor.
Drivers who manage to keep their tyres in shape the longest are going to be the ones that succeed in 2011 races.
It is likely we will see races with multiple pit stops. We should also see teams trying to adopt different strategies. This means that with his care off the tyres Button could attempt to make less stops than his rivals, or be able to stay out longer than his rivals at the very least.
Whilst Hamilton isn’t as bad at looking after the tyres as many like to make out, he is simply no match for Button in this department.
It’s not just the tyres that could result in a strong season for Button. We know that Button has a much narrower operating window when it comes to the car.
Whilst Lewis will drive the wheels off whatever car he is given, Button needs a perfect car to perform at his absolute peak. We saw in the Honda years how he struggled to extract speed out of a terrible car.
The MP4-25 was certainly better than the dog of a car McLaren produced in 2009, but it still wasn’t one of their best. Particularly in the second half of the season they fell behind Red Bull and Ferrari. Button wasn’t always at ease with the car.
If the innovations on the new MP4-26 work then it has the potential to be an extremely fast car. If it does turn out to be the perfect car then Button can take the fight to any driver on the grid.
As we saw when Brawn GP were formidable in the first third of 2009 Button was absolutely unstoppable. He took full advantage winning six out of the first seven races of the season. He produced form that was comparable to any of the all-time greats in the sport’s history.
The fact that Button doesn’t make many errors will also count in his favour more, if there are four or five teams in this championship fight. In that scenario consistency and being able to score big points in each race will ultimately decide the title.
Hamilton is going to remain very tough to beat as will the likes of Fernando Alonso and Vettel. However Button will be in strong contention if he gels with his car, and can qualify more frequently at the front.
If he can do this he will be in a great position to make the most of his iconic strengths, which he will be rewarded more for in 2011, he is potentially a title favourite.
Source: YallaF1
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