Button beaming: "It was my choice to ride the slicks"

Jenson Button said it was his decision to return for slick tires in the Australian Grand Prix which marked his first victory with McLaren Mercedes. The Englishman was the first to mount dry tires after the initial downpour and the decision paid off, propelling him into the lead after his rivals imitated him in the following laps.

"The decision was mine. I think it's much easier for the riders to judge the conditions. The teams can see the clouds coming but we use instinct. I didn't have a good balance with the intermediates so I thought about fitting the slicks There was a dry line but several areas were wet. When I came back I thought it was a catastrophic decision as it was wet in the pitlane but when I got up to speed it went very well. I was able to do good laps and overtaking several cars. It was the right decision, and I'm happy I took it."

"It's a very special victory, it took me a while to get used to the car but the team was fantastic and welcomed me well. It's difficult to find the words, it's a fantastic feeling. My confidence is increasing and I hope that in the next race we can repeat something like this. I never thought about putting on another set of tyres. I would have completed the race with just one set if I could. The pace wasn't great. I immediately started destroying the tyres. Then I found a rhythm so as not to ruin the rears. We couldn't have implemented a better strategy. The decision to fit slicks was mine but with a lot of feedback from the circuit. I have to thank McLaren for all their hard work It's nice to see us achieve a result for the great work done" concluded Button.