• McLaren

Jenson Button looking forward to first McLaren test

Jenson Button is ready to start work at McLaren © www.mclaren.com

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• Drivers:
• Jenson Button
• |
• Lewis Hamilton

• Teams:
• McLaren

McLaren is on target to run its 2010 car, at the beginning of February, at the first group test of the year.

New signing, Jenson Button, will get his first chance to drive for the team after he was officially presented as a McLaren driver on January 2. He will share the testing duties at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia with his new team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

"I really cannot wait to get out to Valencia and get my first run in the MP4-25 - I think that's when it will finally sink in that I'm a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver," Button said. "We'll be sharing the pre-season testing equally, and it will be important to keep a crossover of information between us to make sure we are both pulling in the right direction."

"Having no testing until the first week of February is something of a mixed blessing," he added. "It gives me the time to really get to know the guys at McLaren, and to properly integrate myself into the team - which I am absolutely committed to doing - but, equally, it's another month without any running in the car. Getting miles under my belt will be crucial ahead of the first race. So, it's only natural that there will be a lot of factory-based work for the next few weeks. I'll be starting to work with my engineers, who are a fantastic bunch of guys."

Hamilton admitted he is yet to begin building a working relationship with Button, after two seasons alongside Heikki Kovalainen.

"Our paths haven't really crossed since he was announced at the team back in November," Hamilton said. "We've both been to MTC [McLaren Technology Centre] for our seat fittings - but they were on different days. The first time we'll start working together is later this month, when we'll both be at Woking together, then we'll have the launch and the first test."

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