• Australian Grand Prix

Button 'very well prepared' for Melbourne

Jenson Button signs autographs for the fans in Melbourne © Sutton Images

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• Race:
• Australian Grand Prix

• Championship:
• FIA Formula One World Championship

• Drivers:
• Jenson Button

• Teams:
• McLaren

Jenson Button says he is well prepared for the Australian Grand Prix weekend and focused on improving his qualifying effort from Bahrain.

Button, who claimed his first win of the season at Albert Park on the way to the world championship last year, lined up eighth on the grid in Bahrain and made up just one place during the race.

A ban on race refuelling and only one tyre change for the race resulted in very little overtaking, making Saturday's qualifying even more crucial.

"Everyone is talking about the race in Bahrain not being the most exciting but I think everyone needs to look at the positive, that qualifying was a lot more fun to watch and a lot more fun to take part in," said Button. "We learned that qualifying is very important and we did not get it right and that is an area we have obviously been talking about over the last few days."

Team-mate Lewis Hamilton proved that the McLaren is capable of mixing it with the best after his third place finish in Bahrain, a fact that gives Button cause for optimism in Australia.

"The car was good in practice but then not in qualifying and while our race pace was much better, I was stuck behind Michael for the whole race so it was a little bit frustrating," he said. "We headed back to the factory straight after for a debrief which went really well. We know we were weak in a few areas that we can put right and a few other areas that maybe we can't quite yet. But we come here I think very well prepared."

Following their dominant one-two finish in Bahrain, the Ferraris are likely to be the cars to beat while Sebastian Vettel was only denied victory in his Red Bull due to a spark-plug problem that saw him drop to fourth.

"Nothing has changed since the last race," added Button. "The Red Bull is a very good car as is the Ferrari. We were not on their pace in qualifying or even in the race [in Bahrain] so we have to make a step forward and we don't really have any big upgrades here.

"I'd like to win. I think when you are in a quick car you want to win every race you go to but whether that is possible we have to wait and see."

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