Button backs off from McLaren car criticism

Ten days after claiming he was scared to drive his McLaren car at the Spanish Grand Prix, Jenson Button was back behind the wheel on Thursday to take 11th place in opening practice for the Monaco Grand Prix.

Button emerged late, 55 minutes into the 90-minutes session, to produce a commendable lap on the unforgiving Mediterranean street circuit. His McLaren-Honda team-mate Spaniard Fernando Alonso was 11th.

Earlier the Briton had clarified his comments about driving the car at the Circuit de Catalunya where he said his car was so unpredictable it was "scary" to drive.

"I was very outspoken," said the 2009 world champion. "When emotions are running high, you always exaggerate things. It was a tough race for me. It was good to have the test three days later to really put everything right.

"The car felt much nicer to drive, much more consistent….

"We also had some new parts to test for this season, but especially for here. It was a good test. So, really, end of test, happy and you could see how far we have come since February, as a whole team, but especially Honda and the Japanese side of the team.

"There was so much more confidence within the team."

Two-time world champion and current series leader Briton Lewis Hamilton topped the times in Thursday’s opening free practice session for Sunday’s classic race.
Source: AFP