Button changes from hate to great figure in Melbourne

LONDON: Jenson Button’s victory in Melbourne was a far cry from when he made his F1 debut there in 2000.

The Brit got his season off to a flier here in Australia on Sunday as he held off Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel for his 13th career win.

But when he drove his first-ever race there, Button said his rivals thought he would be “dangerous and a hindrance”.

He had just won a seat with the prestigious Williams team and although he had earned his place on merit, some drivers questioned his right to be there.

Button said: “I remember my first race. Some of the drivers were saying I didn’t deserve to have a super-licence.

“I arrived without any form of winter testing. My car had a brand new engine, I’d do half a lap and it would blow up.

“I didn’t get anywhere near the mileage I needed for a super-licence, so I was gifted one. A few people had issues with it. They thought I would be dangerous and a hindrance.,” said Button.

“In the race itself, I got up to fourth and then I was in sixth place when the engine blew up, so it was not a bad show. I was pretty happy.”

Button will discover at this weekend’s Malaysian GP whether his new Mclaren has what it takes to win him a second drivers’ title.

And the 2009 champ knows the blistering heat at the Sepang circuit will be a whole new test compared to Melbourne’s Albert Park.

He added: “Winning in Australia was massive for us. It gives us a lot of confidence that we were going in the right direction throughout our winter testing.

“But Malaysia will give us very different conditions to Australia. It will be very hot and the circuit is very fast.

“You have to turn the car set-up upside down for that one. If it works well there, then we are looking strong.”

Button’s victory in Australia bodes extremely well for the season as he looks to better his second-place finish in last year’s drivers’ championship.

He said: “Everyone always expects more from themselves, that’s the name of the game.

“But I definitely will be one of the contenders.” – The Sun, London