Button was "more than marginal" on fuel

Button's impressive victory could have been ruined by a fuel error

It has been revealed that Jenson Button’s Australian GP win was not as easy as it looked – the Briton was running extremely light on fuel.

Jenson took the lead at the first corner from his teammate, and controlled the race from there. However, team principal Martin Whitmarsh revealed that a fuel miscalculation almost ruined his race. He worryingly stated that Button was in “severe” fuel saving mode by lap 8:

"We were more than marginal. Had we raced unfettered we would not have got to 
the finish line with either car, so from lap eight we were in severe fuel 
saving mode."

With this, the safety car appearance during the race surely saved Button and McLaren from an embarrassing retirement.

Whitmarsh also said that he felt a 1-2 finish was within reach, following the team’s front row lockout on Saturday. Despite this, he praised Button’s driving style during the race:

"He drove a really beautiful race: smooth, controlling, and he pressed when he 
needed to - just like a champion would."

About these ads