Formula One news

Button hails 'fantastic' new track

World Champion Jenson Button has admitted that he was not initially impressed with the layout of the new Yas Marina circuit before being pleasantly surprised by the Abu Dhabi track on Friday. The Brawn driver wound up third fastest in second practice as team-mate Rubens Barrichello ended the day eighth.

With Brawn having wrapped up both championship titles in Brazil a fortnight ago, the only remaining objective is to help Barrichello take back second spot in the Drivers' standings from Sebastian Vettel.

Button arrives at the track with girlfriend Jessica

"The Yas Marina circuit is certainly an interesting one," Button commented. "When you look at the layout, it doesn't seem that exciting but when you actually drive it, it's fantastic; the track has a bit of everything, with high and low-speed corners, positive and negative camber and the walls are pretty close to you most of the way round. We had a good first day of practice here with just a few balance issues to work on overnight."

"First of all, I'm really pleased with the new track here in Abu Dhabi," Barrichello added. "The venue looks sensational and it's quite challenging to drive, which is makes it a lot more fun for the drivers. The car felt good here over the two sessions and we were able to make several improvements over the course of the day - I'm quite happy with the balance and looking forward to tomorrow."

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