Jenson Button's torrid Korean Grand Prix track record has made him even more determined to reverse the trend next weekend.
The Brit has so far failed to finish a race at the Korea International Circuit on the podium. Whilst that doesn't look likely to change in 2013, he is still hoping for a good result and change in fortunes.
Button was well off the pace at his first visit to Korea in 2010, finishing outside of the points. He finished a rather mediocre fourth in 2011 and retired on the first lap of the 2012 round after being hit by an out of control Kamui Kobayashi.
Despite not having the car to challenge for a podium finish, Button is hoping that he can at least get a good points scoring finish under his belt at the next round of the 2013 season.
Speaking in a team statement he said: "If there’s one circuit on the F1 calendar that hasn’t been particularly kind to me, then it’s the track in Korea. I had a pretty tough race there in 2010, an average race there in ’11, and I didn’t even have a race there last year – someone smashed into me at Turn Three on the first lap, and my race was over.
"Of course, it would be easy for that to make your head drop, but, in fact, the opposite is true: I travel to Korea next week even more determined than normal to reverse the trend, get the absolute maximum from the car and get a good result. I think we had a solid weekend in Singapore, the engineers, the strategists and the mechanics got the best from the car, and we couldn’t have realistically expected more. That’s the aim again next weekend."
He added: "This is the first of three pairs of back-to-back races that conclude the season. I think it’s very important for us to further consolidate our position in the championship, so getting points in both Korea and Japan will be important. We go into this weekend with maximum commitment."
Button currently occupies ninth spot in the driver's standings, three positions ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez. The Mexican is eager for another points score in Korea on what is a very technical and unique circuit.
Explaining the characteristics of the circuit he said: "The Korea International Circuit is an interesting venue – it’s got two very distinct elements, the first half, which is basically a couple of heavy braking zones and three extremely long straights; and the final section, which is a long, undulating section with a mix of high- and medium-speed corners.
"It’s a somewhat technical course, one that rewards precision more than it does commitment, so the main challenge comes from dialing the car into the track, which is satisfying when you get it right because there’s a lot of time to be had from running a well-balanced car."
He added: "The aim is also to have a car that works well in the principal overtaking areas – into Turns One and Three – which means making a little bit of a compromise to the set-up. That’s particularly important because it’s very difficult to overtake once you get into the twisty section, as there’s really only a single racing line."
The former Sauber driver also admitted that it is a track that feels very rewarding if you get a good result: "The Korean Grand Prix is a very tough race – it might not have that reputation, but, make no mistake, to do well here is always extremely rewarding."
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Button was well off the pace at his first visit to Korea in 2010, finishing outside of the points. He finished a rather mediocre fourth in 2011 and retired on the first lap of the 2012 round after being hit by an out of control Kamui Kobayashi.
Despite not having the car to challenge for a podium finish, Button is hoping that he can at least get a good points scoring finish under his belt at the next round of the 2013 season.
Speaking in a team statement he said: "If there’s one circuit on the F1 calendar that hasn’t been particularly kind to me, then it’s the track in Korea. I had a pretty tough race there in 2010, an average race there in ’11, and I didn’t even have a race there last year – someone smashed into me at Turn Three on the first lap, and my race was over.
"Of course, it would be easy for that to make your head drop, but, in fact, the opposite is true: I travel to Korea next week even more determined than normal to reverse the trend, get the absolute maximum from the car and get a good result. I think we had a solid weekend in Singapore, the engineers, the strategists and the mechanics got the best from the car, and we couldn’t have realistically expected more. That’s the aim again next weekend."
He added: "This is the first of three pairs of back-to-back races that conclude the season. I think it’s very important for us to further consolidate our position in the championship, so getting points in both Korea and Japan will be important. We go into this weekend with maximum commitment."
Button currently occupies ninth spot in the driver's standings, three positions ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez. The Mexican is eager for another points score in Korea on what is a very technical and unique circuit.
Explaining the characteristics of the circuit he said: "The Korea International Circuit is an interesting venue – it’s got two very distinct elements, the first half, which is basically a couple of heavy braking zones and three extremely long straights; and the final section, which is a long, undulating section with a mix of high- and medium-speed corners.
"It’s a somewhat technical course, one that rewards precision more than it does commitment, so the main challenge comes from dialing the car into the track, which is satisfying when you get it right because there’s a lot of time to be had from running a well-balanced car."
He added: "The aim is also to have a car that works well in the principal overtaking areas – into Turns One and Three – which means making a little bit of a compromise to the set-up. That’s particularly important because it’s very difficult to overtake once you get into the twisty section, as there’s really only a single racing line."
The former Sauber driver also admitted that it is a track that feels very rewarding if you get a good result: "The Korean Grand Prix is a very tough race – it might not have that reputation, but, make no mistake, to do well here is always extremely rewarding."
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