Jenson Button will celebrate his 200th race this weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the same circuit in which he secured his first ever win with BAR-Honda back in 2006.
The 2009-world champion is hoping for a better race than the previous two, both of which saw him retire. He is confident that a good result is possible having competed for the win in Monaco, a track which shares many characteristics of the Hungaroring.
“After a premature end to my race at the Nurburgring, I’ll be hoping for better luck at the Hungaroring,” said Button. “The MP4-26 was very competitive in Monaco a couple of months ago and I hope it will be a similar situation this weekend because the Hungaroring has many of the same performance criteria.”
The track does indeed suit McLaren. The Woking-based outfit has taken nine victories at this particular circuit, more than any other team.
Button is however wary of the temperatures, which are expected to be high if the rain, which has been forecast, holds off.
“The hot weather conditions make this one of the most gruelling races of the year for the drivers. Cockpit temperatures regularly exceed 50 degrees and we’re always pulling g-force in the car because there are so many corners. It’s tough, but this is definitely a circuit when all the training pays dividends.”
