- Singapore GP - Qualifying
Button bemoans costly Q2 error
Jenson Button admits a mistake on his crucial Q2 lap cost him the chance of making the top-ten shootout after qualifying 11th for the Singapore Grand Prix.
Button finished 13th in FP3 but had improved to fourth by Q1, though he became the highest-profile casualty of the second session as Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat edged him out by 0.023s. McLaren had the pace to make it into Q3, with Kevin Magnussen qualifying ninth, but a big lock-up from Button on his final Q2 run appeared to put paid to his chances.
Button does not think he would have fared well in Q3 had he made it through but is frustrated to have missed out on the final session.
When told how slim the margin of his elimination was, Button said: "Yeah, I lost a lot more than that at the hairpin - I locked up and ran wide. It was so close that that sort of thing made a difference. I think it was a couple of tenths from the information on the dash so it was always going to be tricky from then because times are very close. I think Q3 could have been really difficult anyway because I was really struggling with front end.
"It's frustrating. If Q1 was Q3 it would have been alright, I was fourth. Q1 was really good; I got the most out of the car. In Q1 the car was good, the balance was good, but when the circuit gripped up I just struggled with not having enough front end, I did everything I could with the diff and the engine braking and what have you but it wasn't enough."
Button says he expected to make it into the top ten, meaning the option of a fresh set of tyres is something he and the team are yet to properly assess.
"I'm not sure because we didn't plan to be outside the top ten," he said when asked if he could make the extra set of tyres work to his advantage. "Hopefully yes. We would have been in the top ten. For the race, we haven't looked at the strategy yet. We'll just have to see what we can do from outside the top ten. "
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