Jenson Button says he is excited for the inter-team driver battle at McLaren in 2014 after new team-mate Kevin Magnussen's impressive debut in Australia.
The Danish rookie set the fourth fastest time in tricky qualifying conditions and went on to score a podium finish in the first F1 race of his career.
Want to know more about how the 2014 rookies fared in Australia? Check out my blog piece on it here.
Magnussen took the chequered flag in third place but was eventually promoted to the runner-up spot after Daniel Ricciardo's dramatic exclusion from his home event. The post-race decision also moved Button into the top three after a strong drive from 10th on the grid.
The Brit isn't daunted by competing against McLaren's new recruit and is relishing the challenge. "The team wouldn’t have employed someone they didn’t think was going to be good," he said in an interview with the Press Association.
"You are always going to have a competitive team-mate, but I’ve never been scared of a team-mate. It’s exciting to have someone that competitive. And in the first grand prix of the year, to finish second and third, to have two guys pulling their weight and getting the best out of the car, is fantastic for the team."
McLaren now leads the constructors' standings with 33 points, a stark contrast to the Woking-based outfit's struggles in 2013. However, Button doesn't believe the team will hold on to the lead for long.
"I can’t remember the last time a team other than Red Bull were leading the constructors’ championship," said the 34-year-old. "Although we know it’s not through outright speed, it is through a lot of good team work, and it might only be one race, but it has put a smile on our faces."
Mercedes looks to be the team to beat after Nico Rosberg dominated last weekend's Australian Grand Prix, winning by 24 seconds. He could have been challenged or even beaten by his team-mate Lewis Hamilton had the 2008 world-champion not retired on lap three.
Button confirmed that McLaren will bring updates to the second race of the season in Malaysia but doubts he will be able to challenge the Mercedes duo.
"We have upgrades for the next race, but I still don’t think it will be enough to challenge them just yet," he said. "If it can put us into the gap between them and everyone else then that will be a good step forward. We just have to keep pushing the team for upgrades, but they have already got their heads down and there is some good stuff coming in the pipeline. I don’t know when a win will happen, but it’s what we are working towards."
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| Images © McLaren Mercedes |
Want to know more about how the 2014 rookies fared in Australia? Check out my blog piece on it here.
Magnussen took the chequered flag in third place but was eventually promoted to the runner-up spot after Daniel Ricciardo's dramatic exclusion from his home event. The post-race decision also moved Button into the top three after a strong drive from 10th on the grid.
The Brit isn't daunted by competing against McLaren's new recruit and is relishing the challenge. "The team wouldn’t have employed someone they didn’t think was going to be good," he said in an interview with the Press Association.
"You are always going to have a competitive team-mate, but I’ve never been scared of a team-mate. It’s exciting to have someone that competitive. And in the first grand prix of the year, to finish second and third, to have two guys pulling their weight and getting the best out of the car, is fantastic for the team."
McLaren now leads the constructors' standings with 33 points, a stark contrast to the Woking-based outfit's struggles in 2013. However, Button doesn't believe the team will hold on to the lead for long.
"I can’t remember the last time a team other than Red Bull were leading the constructors’ championship," said the 34-year-old. "Although we know it’s not through outright speed, it is through a lot of good team work, and it might only be one race, but it has put a smile on our faces."
Mercedes looks to be the team to beat after Nico Rosberg dominated last weekend's Australian Grand Prix, winning by 24 seconds. He could have been challenged or even beaten by his team-mate Lewis Hamilton had the 2008 world-champion not retired on lap three.
Button confirmed that McLaren will bring updates to the second race of the season in Malaysia but doubts he will be able to challenge the Mercedes duo.
"We have upgrades for the next race, but I still don’t think it will be enough to challenge them just yet," he said. "If it can put us into the gap between them and everyone else then that will be a good step forward. We just have to keep pushing the team for upgrades, but they have already got their heads down and there is some good stuff coming in the pipeline. I don’t know when a win will happen, but it’s what we are working towards."
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