OCTOBER 6, 2011

Button aims for Japanese victory

Jenson Button, armed with a new multi-year McLaren contract, is hopeful of carrying the fight to Red Bull Racing, both in this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix and in the long term.

"It's been a good couple of weeks," Button said. "I've been enjoying my racing and it's nice to have signed on the dotted line."

The 2009 world champion dismissed talk of him defecting to any team as "pure speculation."

"It's a great opportunity for me," he added, "we are so close to fighting with Red Bull and I think it's good to have the continuity going forward, which I hope will help us take the fight to them."

Button has finished every Suzuka GP he has contested but without winning, and admitted that it's a race he'd love to finish on the top step of the podium.

"Suzuka is like Monaco and Spa - it's on the list of places we'd all like to win at," he said. "Qualifying here is challenge here but the race is too. It's a flowing medium/ high speed circuit, our car car went well at Spa, and hopefully it will be same here."

Button says he loves the challenge of the high speed Suzuka but denied that it was dangerous.

"It's unforgiving in terms of stopping the car but not in terms of having a big accident," he explained.

"It's exciting knowing that if we make a mistake you get punished for it and that's why new drivers can find it difficult. You have grass and not asphalt and so you can easily end up in the gravel trap."