Jenson Button argued that it is not time for him to support team-mate Lewis Hamilton’s title bid.
Speaking in Thursday’s FIA press conference, the 2009 World Champion said his situation did not yet warrant him abandoning a 2012 championship bid.
With nine races remaining, and a potential 225 points on offer, Button’s 76 points places him seventh in the standings, 88 points behind championship leader Fernando Alonso. Button’s McLaren team-mate is better placed, Hamilton having 41 points more than Button for a total of 117.
“You’d say I’m going to give up fighting for the Championship just because I’m 40 points behind my team-mate?” asked Button rhetorically. “Lewis is 40 points behind Fernando and I think he thinks he’s got a very good chance of winning this Championship, so no, we go racing as always and try to do the best job we can.”
McLaren were the form team going into the August break with Button finishing second in Germany, followed by a win for Hamilton in Hungary. “We definitely come here positive we can get a good result, so no, that [team orders] is definitely not the situation. We want to get as many points for ourselves but also for the team.”