F1: Button Bounces Back With Hard-Earned Second Place

Formula 1

F1: Button Bounces Back With Hard-Earned Second Place

Jenson Button returned to the podium with a second-place finish Sunday in Hockenheim...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted July 22, 2012 Hockenheim (DEU)

Jenson Button (Right) passes Nico Hulkenberg (Left) en route to a second-place finish in Sunday's German GP. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Jenson Button bounced back from his recent run of disappointment to take second place in Germany, helped by a penalty for Sebastian Vettel.

Prior to this race he had scored only seven points in the last six starts.

Button had lost second position with two laps to go when the Red Bull driver muscled past, but the FIA deemed that Vettel had gone off circuit, and bounced him down to fifth place.

Before that, Button had a chance to challenge Fernando Alonso for the lead, but he lost momentum in the closing laps.

“I couldn’t quite challenge Fernando in the last stint,” said Button. “When you’re in the middle of three people, you really have to push, because you have to watch out for the guy behind and you’re obviously trying to get past the guy in front.

"So I was probably pushing more than these two in the early part of the first stint but I had to, to try and get past Fernando and then when you're in the lead you can cruise it on the places where you can’t get overtaking, and obviously you have good tires for the exit before DRS. So, it was a tricky situation but we thought it was best to go aggressive, which we did, but it was just one or two laps, really.”

In the end, Button didn’t quite have enough to get the job done.

“It was really close,” said the 2009 champion. “But Fernando knows exactly, as we all do, how to use KERS to keep someone behind you, not just in the DRS zone but in other areas around the lap. I just ran out of steam at the end of the straight. It was a little too big, the gap, to get past. I’m a little bit disappointed with that, but all in all a fun race, and I really enjoyed racing out there today.

“It’s nice to be back on the podium and to get some good points. In the last couple of races, as I’ve said, I’ve been very happy with the car – the balance of the car, anyway – and my feeling with it, the confidence. The results haven’t been there because the pace hasn’t been there with the car. This race gives me a lot of confidence, and I’m very happy with being up here.”

Adam Cooper notched up his 27th season as a racing journalist in 2011. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.