Points leader Jenson Button debates tactics to maintain Formula 1 championship lead

Brawn’s Button debates tactics to maintain F1 lead

SINGAPORE — Jenson Button is debating how to approach the remaining races of the Formula One season as he attempts to hang on to his lead in the drivers’ championship.

Entering this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, Button acknowledged Thursday the importance of driving aggressively but also said finishing second to Brawn GP teammate Rubens Barichello the rest of the way still would earn him the title.

Button holds a 14-point lead over Barrichello, with only two points difference between winning and finishing second.

“It’s a great position to be in, but it’s also a tricky one,” Button said. “As a driver, your instinct is to win, but I also have to think that all I have to do is finish (immediately) behind my teammate each race.

“You have to go all out, be aggressive, but its always in the back of the mind to finish, be consistent.”

Button has not won a race since the Turkish Grand Prix in early June while Barrichello has won two of the past three.

Button can think back to 2007 for a cautionary tale, when British compatriot Lewis Hamilton blew an even more dominant championship lead late in the season.

“Lewis had a 17 point lead with two races to go and lost it by a point, so there is a long way to go,” Button said.

The power advantage enjoyed by the Mercedes engine teams — Brawn, McLaren and Force India — over the past two races was likely to be negated on the twisty, stop-start Marina Bay circuit.

However, the warm temperatures should assist the low-downforce Brawns, which struggle to get heat into the rubber in cooler conditions, losing grip.

“We’ve learned a few things over the last few races,” Button said. “When the temperature is good, our consistency is good and our lap times are good.”

Button offered some insight into Brawn’s race strategy when he likened the Singapore race to Monaco, due to the difficulty in passing.

In Monaco, Brawn chose to use the super-soft tire compound and be more heavily fueled than rivals. Even when the Brawn tires started to degrade and lap times fell, the quicker cars behind them simply could not pass.