Formula One news

Button silences thoughts of title win

Jenson Button is remaining calm over the possibility of clinching his first Formula One crown in 2009. The Englishman, now in his tenth season, has won five of the six races staged so far this year but insists that any talk of the title should remain behind closed doors at present.

Jenson Button's 2009 season began with victory in Australia

Having taken victory for the Brawn team in all Grands Prix bar China so far, Button takes with him a sixteen-point lead to the Turkish Grand Prix on 7 June. "I don't know how you could say that after six races," commented Button in response to reporters' suggestions of winning the world crown this season. "You are sort of putting a bit of negative energy in there and saying it is mine to lose - I wouldn't put it like that.

"I am 16 points in the lead, and have more of an advantage than others to win the championship, but it is all to play for; I am doing the best I can and, at the moment, that is good enough. Facts obviously don't excite me too much - especially after the last couple of years that I've had - but winning does."

Button (right) made his F1 debut with Williams in 2000

Having entered F1 with Williams in 2000, Button's most sucessful season to date is 2004 in which the Frome-born man clinched third overall in the championship, behind the Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and (now Brawn team-mate) Rubens Barrichello. After claiming 85 points from 18 races five years ago, the Englishman has currently scored 51 from six in 2009.

"If you stop asking me the same questions over and over again, about winning the World Championship, I might be able to concentrate on the next race," he repeated to the press in Monaco. "I'm taking it as it comes, nothing's changed; I don't know what would change if I did think about the World Championship, to be fair, but I'm enjoying myself - as you can imagine - and just looking forward to the next race weekend in Turkey."

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