Jenson Button has vowed to drive his heart out in today’s British Grand Prix as he faces a battle to simply score a point.
Fearing the worst ahead of qualifying given the performance of his McLaren, Button surprised himself by posting the 11th quickest time around Silverstone.
The 33-year-old missed out on a crack at the top 10 by just 0.057secs to Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen, although conceded even if he had reached Q3 it is unlikely he would have gone out on track.
“I’m higher on the grid than I expected after practice,” said Button.
“On Friday I didn’t think we’d qualify ahead of one Ferrari (Felipe Massa) and just behind the two Lotuses (Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean).
“But I was much happier in qualifying than I’d been all weekend, so we should be positive we’ve improved the car
“I think 11th was the best we could have realistically achieved. Even if we’d got into Q3, we’d probably have been 10th.”
Given the team’s woes this season, the Woking-based marque have been running with the Twitter hashtag of ‘BelieveInMcLaren’ for this weekend.
It has resulted in a multitude of responses, with Button appreciating the efforts of the fans to raise morale.
“After Q2 I walked down the pitlane to the FIA scales, waving to the crowd,” added Button.
“There were so many Union Jacks and rocket-red (McLaren) caps out there, and the fans have been unbelievably supportive all weekend.
“You always want to do a good job in front of your home crowd, so I want to say a big ‘thank you’ to them for their support.
“You never know what will happen, but we can race well from where we are. I will drive my heart out for a good result.”