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Jenson Button believes mechanic mistake cost him a podium finish

Last updated on .From the section Formula 1comments355

Highlights: Vettel ignores team orders to win in Malaysia

Jenson Button says he could have "challenged the Mercedes" for a podium finish had it not been for a mistake by his pit crew.

The McLaren driver was in third place when he entered the pits for his third and final scheduled stop.

A problem fitting a front tyre meant he was delayed and re-entered the action in 14th before eventually retiring.

"At worst it could have been fifth place but I think we could have challenged the Mercedes," Button said.

"When I pitted it would have been my last pit stop, I didn't have to stop again, whereas everyone else did.

"We did everything right, we pitted on the correct laps but it is what it is.

"We had a problem with the pit stop and once we had pushed the car back and changed the wheel you are never going to get a result.

"We had a chance of getting a point in the end but the front left kept locking up and was producing such a bad vibration. We were worried about the front suspension so they called me in."

Button finished ninth in the first race of the season in Australia, picking up two points, but is pleased with the improvement of his car's performance since.

"Apart from the hiccup with the pit stop I think it was a great job this weekend from where we were in Melbourne," he added.

"We're still not quick enough but our race pace is good and I think in terms of strategy and what we did and the start I got everything was working really well."

Last season a catalogue of errors by the mechanics prevented both Button and Lewis Hamilton mounting a serious title challenge.

Hamilton started the Malaysian Grand Prix on pole, but delays during two of his stops dropped him down the field and he finished third.

In Bahrain, wheel nut problems at two separate stops saw the 2008 world champion finish eighth after starting second.

Then, in Spain, Hamilton ran out of fuel in qualifying after an operational error and was demoted from pole to the back of the grid.

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355 comments

  • Comment posted by U14838193, at 13:34 24 Mar 2013

    McLaren have some serious problems at the moment, Whitmarsh needs to go and Ron Dennis needs to come back. Ever since Dennis left the team has been going downhill.

    This is not an isolated incident. Failures due to McLaren cost Lewis and Jenson heavily last season. Lewis grew frustrated, i see Button is also

  • Comment posted by U15603255, at 17:21 24 Mar 2013

    If mclaren had changed Lewis's tyres when he visited their pit and the wheel fell off now that would be funny

  • Comment posted by U14607078, at 16:56 25 Mar 2013

    Whoa!!!!!!!! Just a little bit of hate going on here ATM. Honestly, both LH and JB are quality. As a Brit I am chuffed that we have four boys on the grid and potentially three of which that can now score some serious points in the future.

    How anyone can get so upset by either LH or JB's actions on and off the track needs to step back have a chat with themselves and possibly find a woman.

  • Comment posted by Domwbafc, at 16:26 24 Mar 2013

    I think he would have stood a good chance of a podium without the mistake as he is one of the best drivers on the grid in the wet, which the early stages were. Poor luck for button, better luck next time out hopefully.

  • Comment posted by U15454964, at 20:40 24 Mar 2013

    @109 how can you say Mclaren have produced an uncompetitive car 2 season is a row? Didn't both Lewis and Jenson win races last year and the year before? Define uncompetitive and perhaps you'll see what a ridiculous comment that is!

  • Comment posted by AndyJ, at 13:44 24 Mar 2013

    Ron Dennis should be at all Formula One Races. He was great in his role.

  • Comment posted by cousinpaul, at 21:20 25 Mar 2013

    add
    He earnt a drive at Mclaren, we have heard speculation that Ferrari were interested a few times over the years even before the WDC year. maybe some truth in it.

    2 top teams, Williams & Mclaren have wanted the services of Jenson. Teams that know more about f1 then most.

    for the record I am a big JB fan but recognise that he is not in the same group as LH, FA & SV. best of the rest imo.

  • Comment posted by Stevie23, at 05:57 25 Mar 2013

    Great driving from JB, shame about his pit crew. If he'd finished 5th that wouldve been some achievement given the inferior car he's driving, a podium wouldve been exceptional, and it wouldve been good to see if he couldve done it.

  • Comment posted by foojamme, at 18:50 24 Mar 2013

    Yes, he could have CHALLENGED, that's the operative word. What McLaren deprived JB of was the OPPORTUNITY, which is sadly an all too regular occurence. With JB being their only driver who appears to be able to get on the pace of the other lead teams this year, with the loss of LH, perhaps his team should put their concentration on him fully as Red Bull appear to do with the upstart Vettel

  • Comment posted by U15454964, at 18:42 24 Mar 2013

    JB's quote is "we could have challenged" he didn't say I would have been on the podium. Why is it such words get turned into all this negative tosh!
    How many times do we hear in football, if only..... blah blah blah, isn't it just part of sport in general!

  • Comment posted by addF1, at 18:20 24 Mar 2013

    @63 because Lewis Hamilton is a nice guy!!!. ofcource he's going to be upset the team called his teammate off and he wasn't able to win that podium for himself for better or for worse.

  • Comment posted by als_seaham, at 16:57 26 Mar 2013

    @rn - 38 posts to get your message across that you seriously dislike JB.

    To save all this bother let me sum it up for you;

    *You think JB is utterly gubbins
    *You think he lucked in to his wdc
    *You think LH lost 150 pts last year
    *You think LH should be 2012 champion
    *You think LH is the greatest
    *You think SV is lucky

    There, we all know what youre trying to say - enough?

  • Comment posted by U14427892, at 16:13 26 Mar 2013

    @318 Massa was WDC in 2008 for a few seconds, so he has the class for it. He seems to have got his mojo back and is generally as quick or quicker than FA for the last 4 races, so I would think that it can only be Ferrari themselves that stand in his way for this year's WDC.

  • Comment posted by U15516019, at 07:31 25 Mar 2013

    So you complain of post being monitored unduly then complain when when someone doesn't get censored. Make a choice a stick with it. These are not extreme word choices, lets bring down the sensitivity factor a tad.

    btw... I was agreeing button had a chance to take a podium finish though it would have been a fight with rosberg to get there... But a chance none the less.

  • Comment posted by U14974538, at 05:46 25 Mar 2013

    As much as I am a Button fan, it is pie in the sky thinking to say that he would have challenged for a podium finish. The Maclaren is simply not fast enough plus Mercedes were holding Rosberg back who could easily have taken third place from Hamilton

  • Comment posted by U15516019, at 04:50 25 Mar 2013

    You clowns saying button would have to claw back 20 secs are silly. Fact is mcL were on a 3 stop and merc on a 4. The position would have come back to him at that point. Add the fuel maps to saving mode and they would have let nico race button for the points leaving hammy to lick his wounds with daddy.

  • Comment posted by gaz, at 18:51 26 Mar 2013

    @341 you are on dangerous territory if you are speaking derogatorily about how Scottish people talk. Insulting individual posters is one thing but an entire nation is good even for you rn.

  • Comment posted by adgwytc, at 16:24 26 Mar 2013

    @324 - You could be right. I heard that the problem on Sunday was the heat, as the nuts sit within the wheel now for speed rather than coming off and on again and both parts are made from aluminium, and if they get too hot they can act as though binded together. Force India had massive problems with this as well... felt sorry for Sutil and PDR

  • Comment posted by adgwytc, at 16:14 26 Mar 2013

    It is a bit silly though to compare what "could" have happened last season for LH and JB and any other driver for that matter. The result is what it is and no amount of manipulation of statistics one way or the other is ever going to change it. LH and JB were let down by McLaren as was JB on Sunday. The only major difference this year is that LH may not have those issues but we see that JB does

  • Comment posted by U15602332, at 13:49 26 Mar 2013

    What a hopeless discussion over the past 50 posts approx, by 3 posters in particular.

    Any fan of LH who cannot or will not accept he was well beaten in 2011 by JB is pathetic.

    Any fan of JB who cannot or will not accept he was well beaten in 2012 by LH is pathetic.

    The lost points debate is a waste of time but I will say LH was very unlucky in 2012 and would have been a worthy Champion.

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