Big in Japan: Button revels in "emotional" victory

Oct 9, 2011, 12:22 GMT

Suzuka, Japan - Jenson Button said his victory at the Japanese Grand Prix was an emotional one for him in a country the British McLaren driver regards as his second home.

Button revelled in his third victory of the season and his first in Japan in a race which saw third-placed Sebastian Vettel clinch his second successive Formula One title.

'This was a hard race - the last five or six laps were extremely tough, I had to really look after the tyres and try to save a bit of fuel to get the car home, but it was an amazing victory,' he said.

Button, whose girl-friend is the Japanese model Jessica Michibata, had many of the home fans at the Suzuka circuit rooting for him in a race which begun with a near-crash with Vettel on the first corner.

'Sebastian came across at me on the start - he kept coming and didn't stop, so I got on the grass and had to back out of the throttle, otherwise there would've been an almighty shunt into Turn One,' the 2009 world champion said.

'He said he didn't see me until he saw me backing out, so that lost me a place. But fighting back was so, so satisfying: the performance has been in the car all weekend.

'It's such an emotional victory for me. There's so much history at this circuit, and the crowd here has been amazing. This is second only to a home victory for me.'

Button had said before the race he hoped the race would put on a good show for the Japanese following the devastating earthquake and tsunami earlier this year.

'I want to thank every single person here in Japan who's supported us - hopefully we've planted a happy memory in their minds, because a lot of Japan has been through difficult times this year. We did our best and we put on a fantastic show,' He said.

Button's altercation with Vettel at the start of the race left no acrimony, with the McLaren driver full of praise for his rival.

'Seb has done a great job all season and he deserved the title. He was given the equipment and just got on and did what was required of him,' he said.

'But, for us, there's still more that we can achieve this year: I'd love to go out and fight to win the next few races, and I think we have the car and the team to go and do that.'

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