Button's guide round Monaco

Monaco resident Jenson explains what makes Monaco so special and what you need to have a good race around the street circuit.

"Monaco is the most famous race of all, where all the glitz and glamour of Formula One is on display, and there is no question that it is a very special place over the race weekend. It's a very different race from any other on the calendar with so much history and it means even more to me as I live in Monaco, so it is one of my home races. Yet ironically the qualities which make it so appealing also make it a frustrating weekend for the teams and drivers. It's unbelievably busy and getting around can be just impossible! When I'm not in the paddock, I'll be getting out of the Principality and up into the hills behind the action to relax and give myself some space.

"The circuit itself is very tight and twisty and you can really feel the speed of the car when the barriers are so close to you. The whole lap is one non-stop challenge and you just have to get your head down and keep focused. You have to keep the car out of the barriers but not worry too much about getting a few scrapes during the race. The absolute key to a really quick lap is being uninhibited and not letting the barriers intimidate you. This is a circuit that rewards precision like no other.

"Qualifying is crucial for getting the best grid position possible and then you have to make a good start in the race and do your overtaking there otherwise passing is almost impossible. You also need the right pit-stop strategy which can make all the difference to the outcome of your race. Good mechanical grip from the car is a fundamental requirement, coupled with as much downforce as possible."

"And finally it's a fantastic race for the fans and one of the only opportunities for them to get so close to the action and the noise of F1."

Qualifying

1 F. Alonso 1:15.726

2 L. Hamilton 1:15.905

3 F. Massa 1:15.967

4 G. Fisichella 1:16.285

5 N. Rosberg 1:16.439

6 M. Webber 1:16.784

7 N. Heidfeld 1:16.832

8 R. Kubica 1:16.955

9 R. Barrichello 1:17.498

10 J. Button 1:17.939

11 A. Wurz 1:16.662

12 V. Liuzzi 1:16.703

13 D. Coulthard no time

14 J. Trulli 1:16.988

15 H. Kovalainen 1:17.125

16 K. Räikkönen no time

17 A. Davidson 1:18.250

18 S. Speed 1:18.390

19 A. Sutil 1:18.418

20 R. Schumacher 1:18.539

21 T. Sato 1:18.554

22 C. Albers no time

Race

1 F. Alonso 1:40:29.329

2 L. Hamilton + 4.095

3 F. Massa + 1:09.114

4 G. Fisichella + 1 laps

5 R. Kubica + 1 laps

6 N. Heidfeld + 1 laps

7 A. Wurz + 1 laps

8 K. Räikkönen + 1 laps

9 S. Speed + 1 laps

10 R. Barrichello + 1 laps

11 J. Button + 1 laps

12 N. Rosberg + 1 laps

13 H. Kovalainen + 1 laps

14 D. Coulthard + 2 laps

15 J. Trulli + 2 laps

16 R. Schumacher + 2 laps

17 T. Sato + 2 laps

18 A. Davidson + 2 laps

Did not finish

19 C. Albers + 7 laps

20 A. Sutil + 25 laps

21 M. Webber + 59 laps

22 V. Liuzzi + 77 laps

Honda duo disappointed

The Honda Racing F1 Team's Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button finished today's Monaco Grand Prix in 10th and 11th positions.

Rubens made the most of the first corner mêlée at Ste Devote to gain two places, easing his way into seventh place from ninth for the opening stint of the race. On a heavier fuel load, Button lost out at turn one and dropped a place to 11th. After the first round of pitstops, the two Honda Racing F1 Team drivers ran nose-to-tail, and the gap between them was rarely more than a second for the next 40 laps. Rubens crossed the line 1.1 secs ahead of Jenson.

Rubens Barrichello said: "I'm disappointed with 10th because I thought we had a shot at the points today but the opportunities did not materialise. After my first pitstop I was held up by Wurz and that was that really. I was a little bit faster than him and if I could have got past then there was a chance to close the gap and get closer to the points, but there was no possibility to overtake. Overall I think we have had a slightly better weekend and we just have to keep pushing now and continue to move in the right direction. I hope for better things in Canada."

Jenson Button commented: "A difficult race today. I was stuck in traffic in all three stints and never got a clear run, so I couldn't make the most of the strategy. After yesterday's qualifying it is disappointing but we have to take some encouragement from the signs of improvement we saw here earlier in the weekend, keep our heads down and focus on what we are doing to move us forward."

Button joins bicycle time trial at Goodwood

Jenson Button will take up a new challenge at this month's Goodwood Festival of Speed (22-24 June). As well as performing some dramatic demonstration runs in this year's Honda RA107 F1 car, Jenson will also be competing on two-wheels in a special bicycle Time Trial.

The latest brainchild of Festival organiser Lord March, this novel Time Trial will mix stars from the worlds of motor sport and cycling. The eight contestants will be split into four teams of two, with one person from each discipline on each team. Jenson will be paired with fellow Brit and Tour de France stage winner David Millar. The four teams will set off up the Goodwood hillclimb course at two-minute intervals, and the clock will stop only when the second rider from each team crosses the finish line.

"It's going to be hard-core," admits Jenson. "I'll be trying to keep up with one of the best pro cyclists in the world for just over a mile uphill. I'll have to give it large all the way!"

While there will be a competitive edge to the competition, the event's main aim is to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust and the Richard Burns Foundation. "This is a great chance for fans to watch the drivers and riders doing something different," says Jenson. "Most drivers do a bit of cycling as part of their training programme, so it will be interesting to see how we stack up against the pro riders. I think it's a great addition to the Festival of Speed and, most importantly, it will hopefully raise lots of money for two great charities."

Others expected to compete against the Jenson and David combo in this unique Time Trial at Goodwood on Saturday 23 June include Mark Webber, Troy Bayliss and either David Coulthard or Alex Wurz from the motor world and pro cyclists Chris Hoy, Jason Queally and Ron Hayles.

Button looking forward to Montreal challenge

Jenson Button is looking forward to travel to Canada. The Honda driver always enjoys the special atmosphere that the city of Montreal has during the Formula 1 weekend. Button will have to work hard as the 27-year-old Briton has yet to finish within the top ten this season.

Speaking about the upcoming Grand Prix Button said: "The Canadian Grand Prix is one of my favourite races on the F1 calendar. Montreal is a fantastic city and the atmosphere over the race weekend is amazing. The Canadians are huge Formula One fans and Montreal puts on a terrific street parade."

Button furthermore explained about how to complete a good lap at the Gilles Villeneuve track: "The key to a quick lap around the circuit is being able to ride the kerbs and you need to have a car, which can do this comfortably. You have to be precise because if you hit the kerbs in the wrong place, then you'll probably end up in the wall. The biggest challenge is getting the last chicane before the pits just right. You can have a perfect lap all the way round but if you hit those kerbs badly, it will throw you off. Getting off the grid cleanly is also important as the first couple of corners are very tight with all 22 cars trying to squeeze through, although you can overtake here if the opportunity presents itself. The hairpin at turn ten is probably the best opportunity for overtaking and where you can see some pretty exciting racing."

1st Free Practice

1 F. Alonso 1:17.759

2 L. Hamilton 1:17.976

3 K. Räikkönen 1:18.136

4 F. Massa 1:18.167

5 M. Webber 1:18.301

6 G. Fisichella 1:18.620

7 N. Heidfeld 1:18.634

8 R. Schumacher 1:18.652

9 D. Coulthard 1:18.717

10 A. Davidson 1:18.896

11 T. Sato 1:18.898

12 J. Trulli 1:18.925

13 J. Button 1:18.932

14 H. Kovalainen 1:18.997

15 A. Wurz 1:19.189

16 S. Speed 1:19.234

17 K. Nakajima 1:19.273

18 R. Barrichello 1:19.937

19 V. Liuzzi 1:20.331

20 C. Albers 1:21.25

21 A. Sutil 1:21.630

22 R. Kubica no time

2nd Free Practice

1 F. Alonso 1:16.550

2 F. Massa 1:17.095

3 L. Hamilton 1:17.307

4 K. Räikkönen 1:17.515

5 N. Heidfeld 1:17.827 42

6 N. Rosberg 1:17.992

7 R. Barrichello 1:18.108

8 G. Fisichella 1:18.130

9 M. Webber 1:18.181

10 T. Sato 1:18.309

11 D. Coulthard 1:18.316

12 R. Kubica 1:18.399

13 J. Button 1:18.474

14 V. Liuzzi 1:18.493

15 A. Davidson 1:18.545

16 S. Speed 1:18.602

17 A. Wurz 1:18.871

18 J. Trulli 1:18.895

19 R. Schumacher 1:19.331

20 C. Albers 1:19.453

21 A. Sutil 1:19.662

22 H. Kovalainen 1:20.519

Honda will continue to improve - Button

Honda will continue to improve its disasterous Earth Car throughout the rest of the season and close in on the leading pack according to Jenson Button. Since the team's embarassing start of the season, Honda has made small steps forward at each race since the European season began.

"The good thing is that there are lots of improvements coming throughout the year and they're making a difference," Button said. "We're not putting things on the car at the moment that aren't working which was happening at the start of the season, but Magny-Cours is the race that I'm personally looking forward to. I think here, where you need a very good car under braking, you need to have confidence in the car. Before Monaco I wouldn't have enjoyed this race but now that we have a car that's a lot more driveable and better under braking, I think that we should be able to have a reasonable result here."

"We really made a step forward with the car at Paul Ricard," he added. "The pace might still not be there but the consistency definitely is and the confidence given to the drivers so it's a good step forward and hopefully we can just build on that over the next few races."

Positive start for Honda

Free practice for Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix got underway at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal today with the Honda Racing F1 Team's Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button ending the day in 7th and 13th positions respectively.

Both Honda drivers spent much of the day working to find a good long-run balance on the low downforce circuit and although good progress was made, there is still work to be done with the RA107 in advance of tomorrow's qualifying session.

"The team did a great job working to improve the car over the day so I am happy with that," said Barrichello about Friday's free practice sessions. "The balance of the car is not yet where I want it to be, however looking at the degradation of the tyres and seeing how we performed this afternoon, we can be positive and work towards a better day tomorrow."

Button said about today's work: "We completed all of the work that we planned for today, with both Rubens and I covering a lot of laps which gives us valuable data to work with overnight. It has been a reasonable start to the weekend and although we have some work to do to improve our long-run pace, overall it was a good day."