Button flies 30 hours for driving lessons on McLaren simulator

[John S]

They sure work the new boys hard at Macca, no tea and sympathy with his Girlfriend in Japan after his 8th place for JB

Shortly after the chequered flag fell in Maylasia, McLaren ordered Jenson Button to begin a 30-hour return to Europe. Flying to F1's next stop, Shanghai, would have cost the reigning world champion just five hours in the air, and only a couple more hours would have had him relaxing in his Japanese girlfriend Jessica's native Japan.

But McLaren wanted Button, 30, to instead complete the 21,000 kilometre marathon for just a single working day at the wheel of the sophisticated driver simulator at Woking.

He will then fly from the UK back to Asia for a holiday, prior to completing the journey to China for round four next weekend.

"Thirty hours travel for one day," Button smilingly contemplated before leaving Kuala Lumpur. "But it will be worth it, hopefully."

After winning in Melbourne, Button comparatively struggled in Malaysia, climbing to eighth on Sunday while his teammate Lewis Hamilton finished a highly-commended sixth from lower on the grid.

Button is struggling with the balance of the MP4-25, while McLaren want him to hone the latest developments that are due to be added to the package in Shanghai.

"The great thing is our car is improving all the time, but I'm still not 100 per cent happy with its balance," the Briton said.

"Hopefully we can sort out some of the problems in the simulator. It's a long way back but they wouldn't be sending me unless there were a few things to test."

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[markb]

Sounds promising!

[Jericoke]

Why Button and not Hamilton?

(Not that I'm trying to start anything...  )

[cosworth151]

Now that's what I call cost containment! 

[Scott]

Really, wouldn't it be about the same expense to box up the simulator and install it somewhere in Asia for both of them to use for a week or so?  Maybe it's not so simple to box it up, but it seems a bit much to fly Button around the world for a day of simulation.  One more race and they're back in Europe anyhow.  Stuff like this makes it seem like the teams aren't serious about saving money.

[John S]

I reckon it's part of Macca's new punishment routine for finishing out of the top 6!

[Jericoke]

Really, wouldn't it be about the same expense to box up the simulator and install it somewhere in Asia for both of them to use for a week or so?  Maybe it's not so simple to box it up, but it seems a bit much to fly Button around the world for a day of simulation.  One more race and they're back in Europe anyhow.  Stuff like this makes it seem like the teams aren't serious about saving money.

Aren't the simulators multi tonne devices?  While I'm sure they can be packed up and shipped, I doubt they were designed for that.  Finding a location to set one up, and then making sure it's tuned right probably isn't something that can be done on short notice.  And if the thing isn't setup exactly right, then what's the point? 

Also, considering that a few years ago - for less money than he's making now - Button would have been expected to be on the test track by now.  This is hardly an odious chore for an F1 driver, and probably a step towards getting around the testing ban that other teams might follow with their own simulators.

As for saving money, I don't believe McLaren has ever been at the forefront of 'cost control'  (heck, just their annual fines could've run USF1 for 3 years...)

[Scott]

Apparently Hamilton has also made the trip.

http://en.espnf1.com/mclaren/motorsport/story/13977.html

[Jericoke]

Apparently Hamilton has also made the trip.

http://en.espnf1.com/mclaren/motorsport/story/13977.html

I wonder if some of the bigger teams might try to establish 'regional' simulators as a way to attract top drivers.  Why drive for McLaren, who are going to make you give up two vacation days just to go ALL the way back to England, when you can drive for Ferrari who have a simulator just a short flight away in Japan?