Britain’s Jenson Button has promised to keep his focus and avoid errors as the race to the Formula One drivers title hots up after the Japanese Grand Prix.
The Brawn GP driver finished Sunday’s race in eighth to see his championship lead cut to 14 points from teammate Rubens Barrichello and 16 points from Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel with two races remaining.
Button said his main aim at the next Grand Prix in Brazil on Oct. 18 would be to avoid making mistakes that might open the door wider for his rivals.
“I only lost one point to Rubens which is my main priority. Obviously we lost a few points to Sebastian, but we were expecting them to be strong,” Button said. “We go to two circuits now which should suit our car, so I’m excited about the end of the season and already looking forward to the next race in Brazil.”
He admitted the title was his to lose.
“Well, it is all about mistakes,” he told reporters. “It is about finishing races and picking up points. We obviously want the best result possible, which is to win races and we will get as close as we can, but it is about not making mistakes, that is the most important thing. I go to Brazil positive and looking forward to the challenge, because it is going to be a challenge.”
Whatever happens in the drivers title, it looks certain that Brawn will clinch the constructors championship with just half a point needed.
“They have been through a lot,” Button said of the Brawn team, which are in their rookie year after taking over the ailing Honda outfit.
Ross Brawn paid tribute to his drivers and said he was confident.
“I am pleased with the performance of the team and drivers over the weekend to extract the maximum from the car and add to our championship points tally, leaving us with half a point required to take the constructors title,” he said. “The next two races at Interlagos and Abu Dhabi should suit the characteristics of our car much better, so we can look forward to a very exciting conclusion to the season.”
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