Button looks ahead to first McLaren test

Jenson Button made best of an early season car advantage last year to withstand the pressure and clinch the world championship with Brawn GP. This year he joins Lewis Hamilton at McLaren and hopes to prove that his championship success was not a flash in the pan.

"I have never been so hungry as I am this year," Button the BBC. "It’s a real challenge coming to a new team and working alongside Lewis."

"Some of the new hunger is because of the new environment," he admitted. "That’s given me a real buzz and I cant wait to get back to the factory to move us forward so that we can be competitive as soon as we step out on the circuit in February for the first test."

The MP4-25 challenger will be launched at the team’s Woking base on 29 January and with the testing ban in place until February, Button believes the team will make the best of the circumstances.

“Having no testing until the first week of February is something of a mixed blessing,” he continued. “It gives me the time to really get to know the guys and to properly integrate myself into the team. Equally, it’s another month without any running in the car – and getting miles under my belt will be crucial ahead of the first race.”

“So, it’s only natural that there will be a lot of factory-based work for the next few weeks. I’ll be starting to work with my engineers, who are a fantastic bunch of guys. But, honestly, I really cannot wait to get out to Valencia and get my first run in the MP4-25 – I think that’s when it will finally sink in that I’m a McLaren driver.”