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Button unwilling to write off title chances

Jenson Button does not expect McLaren to ask him to help Lewis Hamilton's title challenge yet © Press Association

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Jenson Button is unwilling to play second fiddle to Lewis Hamilton at McLaren this season as he has yet to write off his own title chances.

Following his sixth place in the Hungarian Grand Prix, Button is now 88 points behind championship leader Fernando Alonso. Despite the gap standing at well over three race victories, Button said he doesn't expect McLaren to ask him to help Hamilton erase his own 47-point deficit and that he would be unwilling to do so until it was mathematically impossible for him to win the title himself.

"I don't think the team will actually ask me to do that," Button told Sky Sports. "I personally feel that until I can't win the championship there is a chance, you really do never know. But, I am also a team player and it is very important for the team to win the Constructors' Championship and that is one of our biggest aims this year.

"The last few races have been very good for the team, I got a second and Lewis got a win. I feel that the upgrades on the cars for those races have really, really helped us. I think it was great before this summer break having those results because coming back the team are going to feel really confident - particularly the mechanics and the guys doing the pit-stops who are doing a wonderful job. I think it will make a big, big difference when we come back and race in Spa."

Button added that he is enjoying the competitive nature of the season so far, and expects Lotus to be a threat for race victories after the summer break.

"It has been a pretty amazing season in terms of race winners and teams mixing it at the front. I think the fans really like that the smaller teams are mixing it with the bigger teams. Lotus have been strong and I don't think we have seen the best of them yet - they have a really good chance of winning races in the upcoming few races."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.