Button back on track after three-month break

[davewilson]

Jenson Button is looking forward to mounting a serious championship challenge with Honda this season after ending the longest layoff of his Formula One career.

The 27-year-old was unable to train in November or December after suffering hairline fractures to his ribs while karting. Until Wednesday, when he tried out Honda’s new RA107 challenger for the first time, he had not driven a Formula One car for three months. While others put in the laps, he could only watch.

“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 on Thursday. “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, did a lot of training there and I’ve been in Monaco for the last week training,” he added.

“It has all been going well but obviously my neck’s not 100 percent up to it at the moment.”

Even so, he did 74 laps on Wednesday and was back for more on Thursday after Honda presented the new car in a low-key briefing at a cold and deserted Circuit de Catalunya.

No excuses

Button felt the rest, frustrating as it was, may ultimately benefit him in what promises to be a long and hard-fought campaign. “Maybe it’s a good thing to have a rest now and again,” he said at the circuit where he was presented to the world as a Formula One driver for the first time in 2000.

“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.”

The rest meant he also had time to distance himself from the Michelin tyres on which he took his first, breakthrough grand prix win in Hungary last year at the 113th attempt.

Michelin have since departed, with all teams using Bridgestone this season, and the new tyres have a very different feel to them.

“You do have to be very smooth with these tyres,” said Button. “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 really.

“I’m lucky because I think my driving does suit the tyres.” Honda, championship runners-up in 2004 in their previous existence as BAR, finished 2006 strongly but paid the price for earlier unreliability and inconsistencies.

Button said there could be no excuses now, with Honda the only top team with an unchanged lineup and staff.

“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 added. “I think that we’ll see four or five teams up at the front challenging, and maybe 10 drivers. It’s going to be an exceptionally exciting year.”

The Stig

[cosworth151]

At least he didn't get hurt falling off the roof of a golf cart like NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson did!

[davewilson]

Hi,cosworth151
No Jenson was karting and fractured some ribs,i bet he wishes he had been playing golf instead.
By the way what was Jimmie Johnson doing on the roof of a golf cart in the first place?

We would love to see some of the photographs you have taken at these events.
Sounds like you are a very keen photographer?
Please post them into the Wizard,I for one would love to view them..

The Stig

[cosworth151]

Well, Stig, the word is that J.J. and friends had consumed a few adult beverages.

I'm out in the field in Maryland right now, but here are a couple I've got in my laptop. I had to edit them down to fit the 128k limit. they come out of the camera between 2 and 4 meg.

These are both from Indy last summer. Schumi in turn 6 and Coultard in turn 8.  Hope you like them.

[cosworth151]

OK, so I hit the wrong button. It wouldn't be so bad, but I do IT systems for a living!

Here are the pix.

[davewilson]

Hi,cosworth151:
These are very High Grade photographs indeed:
You are a very talented photographer,and you have managed to freeze the cars,in focus at high speed.
Can you tell us what equipment you use,to capture shots like these.......And give a few tips to us less talented ,so we can get shots which are not blurred and fuzzy....We might be able to run a section on Photographing F1 Cars with youre input: Great Shots!!!
Well done!
The Stig

[romephius]

Now these are some great shots Cosworth, bring them all on mate.

Kudos to you

Rom

[cosworth151]

Thank you both for the kind comments. Those were both shot with a Canon EOS 20D Digital SLR and a Tamron 28-200 zoom lens. ISO 400, F/5.6, 1/1600 sec. I also use a Canon EOS Elan II E 35 mm. They make a nice pair because all of the controls a pretty much the same and all ot the lenses, flashes, ect. interchange between them.

I'm spending most of my time in the field right now, but I'd be happy to help out anyway I can. I've been nuts for photography since I was a kid in the '60s with an old box Brownie. I started using a 35mm in High school about 1970. That's also when I first learned to use a dark room.

Freezing the action has become second nature to me. the three things I photograph most all move at high speed: race cars, aircraft and my 7 year old grand-daughter!

I'm not sure when I'll make it back home to Ohio, but when I do I'll post some more pix.

[davewilson]

Hi,cosworth:
Keep on taking these shots!
I am sure we can make great use of images of this nature on the site:
When the Wizard wakes up i am sure he will agree...

Click ..Click

The Stig

[Wizzo]

I never sleep 

They are great shots and you obviously know what you're doing cosworth. They are much better than my feeble efforts at last years GP at Silverstone but I put that down to my camera. Its one of those all in one, you can take me anywhere in your pocket just point and shoot and I will do everything for you cameras.

Great if your pointing it at the kids on the beach, not quite so good at handling an F1 car traveling at 190mph past you.

[romephius]

I have one of those too Wizard, Konica Minolta XT, I took ok video of an F-111 doing a flyby on our kart track a couple of years ago.  I even have a few high speed pics from a flying holiday 2 years ago.  They only work well if you pre-focus on a spot and shoot when what you want comes into frame.  Otherwise, yeah, cosworths equipment is what you want.

[Wizzo]

I must admit I was tempted after the GP to 'invest' in a decent camera and I even softened the wife to the idea - not an easy task I can tell you!

The trouble is when I go on holiday (and its all round to yours this year romephius) I don't want to lug a shed load of camera gear around when I've just got my speedos on 

I have to be realistic and say how many times do I tack action pics? and the answer is not many benny, Oh my God! I'm talking myself out of a gadget!!!! 

This must be reverse psychology by the missus or maybe even Witchcraft!

Hang on, now wheres that stick of mine?

THOU SHALL NOT PASS!

[romephius]

  where the stick is!  But try my holy water on the wife and yourself "the power of christ compels you"

As for holidaying at my place, I can loan you a tent.......that'll do right??

It's the true Aussie experience you want