Button questions tire strategy

[Scott]

I have to agree with him - there is no point in the team throwing their full support behind Lewis when Button is only 3 points behind him.  They logically should have called him in much earlier for the option tire.  Maybe we'll hear a "Not bad for a #2" from him as well.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/87378

[Williamsfan]

Button did make the best of a bad job though, the strategy didn't work out but he got 4th, a podium wouldn't have been out of the question though.

[Jericoke]

During qualifying Martin Brundle mentioned that starting on hard tires had been Button's suggestion in past races.

The whole point of being on hard tires is to run longer.

If he came in too early for the soft, he'd have been in big trouble.

[Scott]

Too early yeah, but most were questioning why he came in so late

[lkjohnson1950]

Yeah, when the Red Bulls and Alonso really started winding him in there was no sense leaving him out for 6-8 more laps. Delaying the stop just means he comes out that much farther behind, like behind Lewis for example.

Lonny

[John S]

I have to agree that Mclaren ceded track position to Lewis, but only Lewis, with Jenson's late stop. Another explanation, other than favouring Lewis, is that Martin thought Lewis had a real chance of catching and passing the Ferrari, and possibly even Webber, with the turn of speed he was showing. Whilst the Macca boys are allowed to race the team also has an eye on the constructors title and if one of the drivers is demonstrabley much quicker than the other they, like other teams, want the teamate to let them go, rather than force them to take it the hard way.  

 I'm not sure Jenson can have much complaint his lap times were never enough on the harder tyres to get on terms with the Ferrari or Red Bulls and I'm pretty sure that would not have changed if he pitted earlier for softs as the first 3 always had a big enough gap. Jens was only ever just racing Lewis and changing to softs too early would probably have kept him ahead of Lewis but they both would have fallen back when the softs got worn. IMO he was left out to the pre-agreed time, to serve a team objective and to avoid him and Lewis having to scrap on the track. Now is that the dreaded team orders? - too hard to prove I guess.

Japan is a difficult circuit to pass on for F1 cars, however Kobi showed it's not impossible and if Lewis had caught Nando I'm sure there would have been fireworks.  

  

[Monty]

I'm a Button fan but the strategy was always stupid and it appears it was completely his own doing.
There is no record of the softer tyres degrading fast enough to offer the kind of advantage he was hoping for.
The hard tyres were always going to be slower than the soft for qualifying so he was putting himself at a massive disadvantage.
He was then never consistently fast enough to gain any kind of advantage during pit stops so leaving his stop until late in the race made no difference to his finishing poistion.
When he was questioning why his stop was left so late someone should have shouted at him "do the maths!".

[cosworth151]

Christian Horner thinks McLaren sacrificed Button for Hamilton.

http://www.planetf1.com/news/3213/6438424/-McLaren-Sacrificed-Button-For-Hamilton-

[Monty]

Christian Horner thinks McLaren sacrificed Button for Hamilton.

Just more mind games IMO 

[Scott]

Maybe Button's no good at math.  I agree with Christian.

[Canada Darrell™]

Just goes to show how little the driver's input counts during the race. Really kinda sad that a driver can't make his own call during the race but with all that money on the line I guess it comes down to the team making the call. He should have just called on the the radio and said "I'M COMING IN FOR TYRES NOW" and not given them a choice instead of questioning the team after the race.
But hey, I guess if I'm paying a dude $16,250,000 a year to do something for me he bloody well better do it without asking why! 

[Ian]

But don't forget, JensOn has made some great tyre calls.

[John S]

But don't forget, JensOn has made some great tyre calls.

I agree Ian, trouble is it was not just the tyre choice this time, it was his lack of speed that dun him.   

 

[Williamsfan]

Button does seem to be having a season where he is either incredibly fast or just plodding along.  At times in Japan he was plodding but was it him, the tyres, a combo of both?  Maybe the car just wasn't where he needed it to be for him to work with?

[Ian]

I like Button, but the only trouble with him is that he needs the car to be perfect, he's not that good at compromising, thats why he would'nt make my top 4 drivers. When he's at one with the car though he is superb.