Jenson Button impresses again

It was his fifth win for McLaren and his first in the dry. Jenson Button now has as many wins as Lewis Hamilton since he joined the Woking based team. One of the remaining criticisms of the Briton was that he could only win in changeable conditions. He has blown this one out of the water after a very controlled win in Japan.

With his girlfriend, Jessica Michibata being half Japanese combined with Jenson being a driver for Honda for 7 years; he has a lot of ties with and affinity for the country. It is his second home and it was a result that clearly meant a lot to him.

Some interesting stats on Jenson and Lewis’ performances as team mates; They are tied on 5 wins each Button has scored 424 points, compared with Hamiltons 418. Jenson has 16 podiums to Lewis’ 13. Jenson has also had bad luck with retirements that Lewis hasn’t had to contend with.

This is something that very few people predicted when it was announced that Jenson was signing for McLaren.

It is a remarkable achievement for Button and his stock in F1 has never been higher. His next goal will be to beat Hamilton over this season. He now has a sizable gap and with his consistency should be able to achieve this with ease.

Vettel takes pole again...

Sebastian Vettel took pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix, his 27th in total, 12th of 2011.

It was more difficult than the majority of pole positions have been for him this season, with McLaren arguably having the quicker car. Jenson Button finished 2nd, just 0.009 away from the German. Lewis Hamilton once again was involved in something he shouldn't have been, his final out lap too slow meaning he didn't get a chance to beat Vettel's time. Mark Webber and Michael Schumacher were also caught up in this. It's yet another mistake in a long line of them for Hamilton and his side of the garage this year.

Races have often shown that McLaren have better race pace than qualifying pace, and with a fired up Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, I think money should be on them to win the race.

Brazilian Felipe Massa had another strong showing, outqualifying his team mate Alonso but if past form is anything to go by then Alonso will finish ahead of them, with Webber once again a long way behind his world champion team mate.

Barring any mechanical failure tomorrow, Sebastian Vettel will seal the 2011 title and become a 2-time champion.

Maybe that will impact Hamilton again next season, who sees himself as the best driver in Formula 1.