Despite McLaren-Honda's ongoing woes, Jenson Button has reason to look forward to F1's return to Interlagos. Jenson Button is looking forward to F1's annual visit to the Autodromo Jose Carlos pace, hoping to more positive news for the McLaren team at a venue that means a lot to him personally.
Button's season continued in disappointing fashion as F1 returned to Mexico for the first time since 1992, the Briton coming home 14th after a weekend he described as 'painful' following repeated engine problems that scuppered his practice and qualifying sessions. With team-mate Fernando Alonso completing a token lap 'for the fans', there was little to cheer for the Woking team, but Button remains optimistic as he returns to the scene of his greatest triumph – the 2009 world championship title.
“Interlagos has got to be up there with the all-time great circuits in F1,” the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix winner insisted, “There's so much history there, so many legends have raced on that circuit, and the fans are always so enthusiastic that you can't help but love going back there each year.
“For me personally, the track is very special. It's a tough circuit on the cars as it's so bumpy, but really fun to drive with its off-camber sections and technical mix of corners.
“Although we found it tough in Mexico – especially with the altitude – our pace in the corners was positive, so I'm looking forward to seeing how our car performs in those areas in Brazil.”
The 35-year old, who has already been confirmed as a McLaren-Honda driver for next season, will contest his 283rd grand prix this weekend, but wants little more, initially at least, than the chance to get some meaningful practice laps under his belt.
“Unlike the last couple of races, I hope we can get some solid dry running done so that we can really focus on set-up and reliability, and get as much time on track as possible from Friday onwards – then we'll see what we can do from there,” he explained, “However, the weather is usually unpredictable, which has made for some chaotic races in the past. It's great for the fans and always produces some really interesting results, so hopefully we can put ourselves in a position to take advantage if anything happens.”
Jenson Button is looking forward to the challenge of a tricky track at an often unpredictable Brazilian Grand Prix.
The Formula 1 bandwagon heads to the famed Interlagos track on the outskirts of Sao Paulo for the penultimate race of the year this weekend.
The Frome Flyer could not score points at the Mexican Grand Prix – finishing 14th overall – but saw positives that could be taken in to Brazil.
"For me personally, the track is very special," he said of the Interlagos circuit.
"It's a tough circuit on the cars as it's so bumpy, but really fun to drive with its off-camber sections and technical mix of corners.
"Although we found it tough in Mexico – especially with the altitude – our pace in the corners was positive.
"I'm looking forward to seeing how our car performs in those areas in Brazil."
It is not unusual for wet weather to hit Sao Paulo at some point during the race weekend.
If rain strikes on Sunday's contest, Button hopes it could level the field for a McLaren team that has struggled to keep pace in 2015.
"The weather is usually unpredictable, which has made for some chaotic races in the past," he said.
"It's great for the fans and always produces some really interesting results, so hopefully we can put ourselves in a position to take advantage if anything happens.
"Unlike the last couple of races, I hope we can get some solid dry running done initially.
"Then we can really focus on set-up and reliability, and get as much time on track as possible from Friday onwards – then we'll see what we can do from there."
Although Button has already raced in 15 Brazilian Grands Prix, he never gets bored of visiting Interlagos.
"It has got to be up there with the all-time great circuits in Formula 1," he said.
"There's so much history there, so many legends have raced on that circuit, and the fans are always so enthusiastic that you can't help but love going back there each year."
Jenson Button says McLaren must keep its expectations realistic at this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix.
McLaren has struggled in recent races, with the high-speed circuits at Spa and Monza emphasising the weaknesses in the Honda power unit. While the team has been targeting Singapore as a circuit which should play in to its hands, Button warns against setting targets which McLaren is unable to achieve.
“There’s always a lot of anticipation in the build-up to this race, and for us it’s no different," Button said. "We’ve had a couple of really challenging races, but we’ve said for a while that some of the circuits we go to towards the end of the season should be a bit better-suited to the stronger elements of our package.
“There’s no denying it’ll be hard work, and we aren’t expecting miracles overnight. But, Singapore is a fantastic circuit, it’s one of the longest races of the season in terms of time, and we quite often we see a Safety Car there.
"So, anything can happen; we’re hoping to learn a lot about how our car works in this configuration, and take as many positives from the weekend as we can.”
While the Honda power unit has been limiting McLaren's competitiveness, a senior team member told F1i in Italy it only believes the team has the "fourth or fifth" best chassis on the grid.
McLaren currently sits ninth in the constructors' championship and its last points came in Hungary, where Fernando Alonso finished fifth and Button came home ninth.
Jenson Button says McLaren will not arrive in Singapore "expecting miracles overnight" despite the more favourable characteristics of the Marina Bay circuit.
McLaren endured two difficult races in Belgium and Italy, with cracks starting to appear in the relationship with engine supplier Honda at the latter. Button and McLaren have been pointing towards Singapore for a long time as the best chance for the team to return to the points because the street circuit places less emphasis on power than previous races.
Button recently told ESPN Singapore should be McLaren's "standout race" from 2015, but he is keeping expectations in check.
"There's no denying it'll be hard work, and we aren't expecting miracles overnight," Button said. "But, Singapore is a fantastic circuit, it's one of the longest races of the season in terms of time, and we quite often we see a Safety Car there. So, anything can happen; we're hoping to learn a lot about how our car works in this configuration, and take as many positives from the weekend as we can."
Racing director Eric Boullier says McLaren is looking to move on from the disappointment of recent races and hopes Singapore triggers the start of a more favourable run for the team.
"There is no denying that Spa and Monza were incredibly tough races for McLaren-Honda," Boullier said. "We expected it, and it was no surprise when the results came, but it doesn't make it any easier to bear. Saying that, we are entering a phase of the season where the circuits rely less on pure power and more on balance, characteristics that tend to suit our package better.
"Together, McLaren and Honda are constantly striving to improve our package and we have faith in our collective abilities to analyse our weaker areas and continue pushing forward. We won't make any promises or predictions, but we love this circuit and hope to put on the best show possible under the incredible floodlights of Singapore. It is truly a spectacular location to host a grand prix and fully deserves its status as one of the flagship races on the Formula One calendar."
Kevin Magnussen has revealed he has received some "interesting" offers from Formula 1 teams for the 2016 campaign.
The Danish star enjoyed an impressive rookie season for McLaren in 2014, finishing second in the Australian Grand Prix on the way to amassing 55 points to end up 11th in the drivers' championship. However, the 22-year-old was dropped to reserve driver this year for the Woking-based outfit after the decision was made to partner Jenson Button with new arrival Fernando Alonso, who joined from Ferrari. The 2013 Formula Renault 3.5 Series champion did race at Melbourne at the start of the 2015 season, after the Spanish newcomer was ruled out on medical advice after a serious crash, but that is his only competitive outing. It has been a frustrating year for the Dane but Magnussen has confirmed there are a couple offers on the table from rival teams, as McLaren-Honda still ponder their line-up for 2016. "Yes we can say other [F1] teams have reached out, it's no secret," he told F1i. "So I do think I still have a future. You can always talk to people. It is quite sensitive...not many, but some interesting ones. There aren't many Formula One teams available actually - some interesting ones. "I wouldn't say [being approached] surprised me. I obviously hope that I can continue my career with McLaren but that might not be possible and if it isn't possible then I need to continue racing. " Read more about Formula 1.
Kimi Raikkonen never realised his full potential in formula one, according to the Finn's former boss Martin Whitmarsh.
Whitmarsh, now involved in America's Cup yacht racing, was Raikkonen's boss at McLaren between 2002 and 2006, and he then tried to re-sign the Finn for 2010 when Ferrari ousted him.
"Although Kimi hates Ron (Dennis) with a passion, I always got on ok with him," he told the British magazine Motor Sport.
"We were in negotiations (in 2009) with his management, but they were being a bit commercially ambitious, and then Jenson (Button) became available and it all fell into place, so that was that," added Whitmarsh.
Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion and now 35 years old, was the centrepiece of the 2016 'silly season' recently until Ferrari re-signed him for 2016.
According to the magazine, Maurizio Arrivabene has revealed that Raikkonen's new deal is for only "One year -- no option."
Whitmarsh thinks Raikkonen never realised his full potential in F1.
"Kimi is deeply frustrating," he said, "in that he's as smart as he is, and has all that pace -- and it just pisses you off that he compromises it.
"He hasn't realised his potential -- and he isn't going to now, which is a great shame. Very insightful, very dry sense of humour. I really like the bloke."
Italy's authoritative La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Raikkonen's new one-year deal leaves the door open for Ferrari to sign Max Verstappen for 2016.
While Red Bull is pushing for a Mercedes engine deal next year, a split with Renault could actually mean a return to Ferrari power for Verstappen's current team Toro Rosso, Gazzetta added.
It would be an ideal precursor to a full Verstappen-Ferrari alliance for 2017.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Or so the saying goes.
Though the final months of 2014 were by far the most demeaning of JensonButton's entire Formula One career, a 15-year tale featuring as many setbacks as successes, it seems that period taught him the most valuable and instructive of lessons.
As he persuaded McLaren to choose him, and not rookie team-mate Kevin Magnussen, to partner two-time world champion Fernando Alonso for 2015, Button was reduced to making a series of public pleas—to the point where he was almost begging to stay on.
Likening his situation to that of a son excluded from his family's Christmas party, per the Telegraph's Daniel Johnson, it was a low to which a world champion should never be forced to sink.
Remarkably, for a sport with no real relationship with its fanbase,increased public support for Button played an influential role in his eventual retention.
Despite McLaren CEO Ron Dennis telling Sky Sports' Pete Gill that Button signed a "two-year contract" to remain in F1 last December,BBC Sport's Andrew Benson claims the British driver in fact agreed to a "one-plus-one" deal, giving the team the power to replace him at the end of the current season.
With Magnussen, who settled for a reserve-driver role for 2015, lurking in the shadows and StoffelVandoorne, the team's latest apprentice, marching his way to the GP2 title, McLaren have at least three options for 2016, and Button is likely to be asked the same old questions until the end of season.
But this time, Jenson is unwilling to play the game—or at least in the way he did a year ago.
When asked about his future soon after July's British Grand Prix, the second Silverstone race in succession to be billed as his last on home soil, Button refrained from revealing details about his contractual situation or proposing reasons why McLaren should keep him, telling Autosport's Lawrence Barretto:
I don't think either Fernando or myself are thinking about the future just now.
We're thinking about now and how to improve things. ...
It is wrong to think so far ahead. You have to think in the moment and to change things, we need to keep our head down and not look too far forward.
We know next year will be a better year and the year after will hopefully be better but who knows how good. No one knows.
It is important we just keep pushing and focus on now.
In other words, a team performing as abysmally as McLaren—who at that point had scored just five points in nine races—cannot afford to be distracted by their driver lineup when the fundamental issues with their Honda power unit must be addressed.
Having changed their lineup every season since 2012—Sauber are the only other team to employ at least one new driver in each of the last four years—McLaren have allowed themselves to be distracted all too often, creating a culture of short-termism and impatience.
It is, after all, no coincidence that McLaren haven't won a grand prixsince Button's three-year partnership with Lewis Hamilton came to an end almost three years ago. Given their long-term plan with Honda, now must surely be the time to return a sense of continuity, stability and serenity to F1's sleeping giant.
McLaren would benefit from the stability of retaining both their drivers for once.
Button's comments also offered an insight into his mindset at this stage of his life—and perhaps how his experience in 2014 has eased any dread regarding the end of his career, allowing him to recognise the value of, in his words, thinking in the moment.
It appears to have had an effect on his driving too, for Button has performed like a man handed a second chance this season, building upon the form that ultimately saved his skin at the end of last year.
Alongside Alonso, who has dismembered team-mates the quality ofGiancarloFisichella, Felipe Massa and KimiRaikkonen in years gone by, Button has fared superbly, with F1 journalist Peter Windsor claiming he's "never seen him drive better."
Indeed, even Button himself seems to believe that is the case, telling ESPN F1's Nate Saunders that his lap for 17th place on the grid at last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix was "as good as my pole position lap here in 2012."
McLaren's decision to re-sign Button, of course, was not solely due to his skill behind the wheel, but also his cerebral qualities, his popularity and his ability to mingle with sponsors and Honda—whose own F1 operation he represented between 2006 and '08.
The team's current lack of competitiveness, however, means they will not truly revel in the on- and off-track advantages of their all-champion pairing until McLaren are reasonably strong—perhaps 2016 at the earliest. It's a partnership Dennis described as "the best driver lineup of any current" F1 team, per GPUpdate.net.
It was at this stage in 2014, following a typically feisty but flawed display by Magnussen in Belgium, that speculation over Button's future intensified and the prospect of retirement became a serious possibility for the first time in his career.
But Jenson, at that point at least, wouldn't allow himself to contemplate the end.
"If I have to retire at the end of the season then so be it," he told BBC Sport's Andrew Benson at Spa-Francorchamps. "But I feel I have so much more to give and I can't imagine life without motorsport and especially Formula 1."
Little has changed over the last 12 months, and Button doesn't need, nor deserve, to go through all that again.
The repercussions and recriminations following the collapse of the Kids Company charity continue to fill the papers.
The Guardian accuses the charity's trustees of ignoring warnings that it needed to bank some cash as a "financial cushion" to protect it from collapse.
The paper says its analysis shows that despite receiving millions from the government and rich donors, Kids Company "lived hand to mouth, never built up any reserves, and spent almost all its income each year".
Kids Company founder Camila Batmanghelidjh says she has been "supressed" to distract attention away from government "sex scandals"
It adds that the trustees in charge were warned by senior directors that the charity was in danger of "serious cashflow issues" if nothing was done.
Kids Company was declared insolvent on Wednesday after a government grant was halted and private donations dried up in the wake of bad publicity.
The paper's editorial says the fall of the high-profile charity highlights a widespread problem with trustees who may spend too little time on their responsibilities, may not understand balance sheets - or the role of non-profit making organisations.
It recommends better training for those sitting on the boards of charities, and a greater diversity in the people selected as trustees.
The Independent also leads on a Kids Company story.
It says financier and prominent Tory donor James Lupton may have lobbied ministers on behalf of the charity and influenced them to continue supporting Kids Company after civil servants raised concerns.
Mr Lupton - also a major donor to the charity - has not responded to the Independent's story, but Labour has called for a probe into how much influence political donors may have had on the decision to keep awarding grants to Kids Company.
The Financial Times says the fact that two civil servants were embedded within Kids Company for a year "trying to put the organisation's funding on a more sustainable footing" raised questions about the charity's close links with government.
Some staff at Kids Company had only one hour's notice that the charity was folding
The FT says the Cabinet Office will not reveal if the civil servants seconded to work with the organisation raised any financial concerns.
The Times hints that the charity's trustees knew that it would shut last week, because the police investigation into whether Kids Company mishandled sex abuse claims would "put off" prospective donors.
The paper says that it was this concern that led them to turn down a £3m donation from a group of philanthropists.
"However, many staff were given only an hour's notice that it was to close on Wednesday night," the paper adds.
Its editorial says: "The Kids Company scandal has undermined public trust in the efficiency and probity of the third sector."
Daily Mail columnist Jan Moir agrees, saying the "sorry mess" of Kids company's demise "taints the entire well of charities".
She calls on the charity's founder Camila Batmanghelidjh to stop "presenting herself as the victim of the piece" and help "clear up the mess and rumours as quickly as possible".
Baffling breach
The case of a 40-year-old Sudanese migrant who made his way in total darkness through more than 30 miles of the busy Channel Tunnel fascinates the press.
The Daily Express says Abdul Rahman Haroun used one of the rail tunnels rather than the service shaft for his 11-hour attempt to reach Britain.
He triggered an alarm about 15 miles in and was arrested just yards from the tunnel mouth in Kent.
The paper explains that Haroun - who has been charged with trespassing on a railway line - avoided 100mph trains passing him by and a tight security cordon.
The Express's editorial says the way the intruder was able to access the tunnel was "baffling" and proof that the French "are not taking the problem as seriously as they should be".
French police believe a new security fence - currently under construction - will solve many problems at the Channel Tunnel site
The Daily Mail says a train sent to retrieve Haroun after he triggered the alarm could not locate him despite hundreds of security cameras at the site.
A "source close to Eurotunnel" tells the paper that the company deals with 1,000 attempted incursions a night.
"Most are apprehended before they enter the tunnel and they don't get far if they make it inside. The French don't prosecute, however."
The paper's editorial asks what would happen if a bomb-carrying terrorist breaches tunnel security.
The Daily Telegraph says the government's Cobra emergency committee has discussed the option of closing the tunnel at night.
The paper adds that ministers have decided not to take such action after Eurotunnel agreed to voluntarily limit freight using the link at night, but it would be put "back on the table" if the crisis worsened.
It adds that French police believe that Haroun has not been the first migrant to walk the length of the tunnel.
Terrifying experience
The Sun is the only national paper to get the news of the burglary at Formula One star Jenson Button's holiday villa into its first edition.
The paper says police in Saint-Tropez believe criminals pumped fumes into the property via the air-conditioning, rendering Button and his wife Jessica Michibata unconscious.
Jenson Button and Jessica Michibata live in Monaco, along the Mediterranean coast from the scene of the burglary
The paper reports that the gang went on to steal at least £300,000 from the sleeping pair and three other house guests, including Jessica's £250,000 five-carat diamond and platinum engagement ring.
A Sun source tells the paper that using gas to incapacitate the owners of expensive homes has become increasingly common in the past five years.
The source adds that it was likely that the house had been "staked out" for the entire duration of the Buttons' stay.
The source, who the paper says is close to the McLaren driver, says that the house occupants "woke up feeling groggy" before realising that the villa had been ransacked.
"It was a terrifying experience for them to know that these criminals were actually in the same room as them," the source explained.
Former World Champion Button, 35, is tipped to join the BBC's new Top Gear team.
He has an estimated personal fortune of £35m, the Sun adds.
Eye-catching headlines
Sir Spam-A-Lot: Welshman Chris Stephens tells the Sun and other papers that he was eaten spam every day for 60 years. The van driver says he is now down to "just one can a day" after going on a diet, but his processed meat exploits have seen him made a "spambassador" by the brand's makers.
Cops on red alert over ginger nuts: The Daily Star is among the publications to report the growing rise of hate crime against ginger-haired people. It reports that one force has received 70 complaints of people being insulted and bullied for their red locks. Manchester seems to be a particular hotbed of anti-ginger prejudice,the Star adds.
Dinosaur found in cupboard under stairs: Police have found an entire psittacosaurus skeleton and a stash of 213 fossilised eggs in a home in a southern Chinese village. It is believed the rare remains were stolen after being unearthed at a building site in Heyaun, Guangdong province, the "home of dinosaurs", the Times reports.
"Pony-sized panther" on Essex farm: The Daily Mirror and others report how former WPC Jennie Moon ran for her life at seeing a massive black cat in a field at her farm near Finchingfield. Locals report that chickens have gone missing in the area, and the Moon family say they are keeping their horses locked in at night.
'Vortex-like collapse'
It's not every day that a sport story elbows its way onto the news pages of the national press.
But when Australia's Ashes hopeful are skittled out for 60 in the shortest first innings in Test cricket history, it is perhaps not surprising that England's Stuart Broad looks out from many front pages, eyes wide with incredulity at his adversaries' demise and his own amazing 8-15 bowling figures.
Stuart Broad: Australia's nemesis
The day - Nottinghamshire's Broad's "best ever" by his own admission - left England virtually certain to regain the Ashes with one Test in hand.
Famous cricketers line-up to pile on the praise.
Sir Ian Botham in the Daily Mirror says:"I've been in some classics but that's as good as it gets".
As well as praising Broad, Sir Ian, highlights a sensible and positive performance by England batsmen Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow.
He reserves some pity for his "old mate" former Australian captain Alan Border who had just arrived in time to witness the Aussie meltdown.
"I'm going to have to get him a very large glass of wine when I see him," the former England legend jokes.
Vic Marks in the Guardian says Root "purred" and there were "echoes of Ted Dexter in his batting".
Michael Vaughan in the Daily Telegraph says England may now "have a golden generation" with Root the cream of the crop.
The Daily Mail devotes two news pages to the "Pomicide" as the day has been dubbed in Australian papers.
The paper profiles Broad, an Australian hate figure after he failed to "walk" after he was incorrectly given not out by the umpire in the 2013 Ashes tour.
Alan Border: owed a glass of wine
Branding him a "playboy patriot" the paper concludes the 29-year-old is one of "those rare characters who plays better when he is the target of personal abuse".
The Mail's Mac cartoon shows a civil servant briefing some Whitehall "mandarins" in the Immigration Department.
Holding a memo, she announces the assembly: "Another desperate group of people fearing persecution and inhumane treatment if they return to their own country - it's the Australian cricket team."
Australian cricket journalist Gideon Haigh might echo that joke.
Writing in the Times he says that his countrymen needed "soft hands" at Trent Bridge, but they played with "soft heads".
Discussing Australian captain Michael Clarke's disastrous series Haigh says: "Remember when we used to talk of Australia's 'aura'? Clarke's is collapsing, vortex-like. His wicket ceasing to be a scalp, becoming a souvenir."
Making people click
Independent: Barking and Dagenham "worst places to live in UK"
FT: "Hackers take control Tesla Model S car and turn engine off
Telegraph: Saudi Arabia may go broke before US oil industry buckles
Star: Terrifying moment lorry drives wrong-way down M6
Jenson Button and his wife Jessica Michibata suffered a horrendous burglary leaving them both shaken. but who is Mrs Button?
Jenson Button tied the knot with his stunning new wife Jessica Michibata in Hawaii in January, and here we have taken a look at the lucky Mrs Button and how she won the British driver's heart.
The pair said I Do on the exotic island of Maui in front of 30 to 40 people, with Jessica dazzling on her big day in a classy ivory gown - see all the inside details here.
Jenson and Jessica's terrifying burglary ordeal
But who exactly is the beautiful model?
Jessica – born to an Argentine father and a Japanese mother – grew up in Fukui Prefecture, Japan, before paving a successful career in the fashion business both in her home country, and across the world.
Lady in red
She was well known for being the spokesmodel for lingerie brand Peach John, and is now best known as the face of TAG Heuer watches.
Jessica first met Jenson in 2008 in a bar in Tokyo and turned him down when he first asked her out.
Eight months later, after he flew her to Monaco to see his car collection, she gave in to his pursuits and they dated.
They have been pictured together ever since, with Jessica regularly supporting her man from the crowds, and she's the first he goes to to celebrate his victories.
Life in the fast lane
The pair split in 2011 when it is thought the pressure of work drove them apart, but they decided to give their relationship another go just six months later.
Jenson and Jessica got engaged in February but their happy news came shortly after the sudden death of Jenson’s father, John, who died in January aged 70 in Monaco.
Jenson said in July 2014: “It hurts. He cared a lot for Jessica, so it would have been nice for him to see that we were engaged.”
Key facts about Jessica:
From: Fukui Prefecture, Japan
Occupation: Model
Best known for: Formerly spokesmodel for Peach John and now face of TAG Heuer watches.
