Jenson Button thinks GP2, F1's second-tier support series, will run the premier category close for pace in 2014. As the sport's all-new energy-recovery and V6 turbo-powered era kicked off at Jerez last week, drivers were impressed with the torque but concerned that the big reduction in downforce had slowed the cars too much in the corners.
The initial laptime gap compared to the same Jerez test last winter was a disastrous 10 seconds, but McLaren rookie Kevin Magnussen ultimately got the gap down to under 6 seconds. Nonetheless, GP2 - with unchanged technical specifications - will come close in 2014. "They will be a lot closer on certain circuits," 2009 world champion Button agreed. "We'll be quicker, but not that much quicker."
However, the McLaren driver thinks that with F1 set to embark on a steep and speedy development curve with the clean-sheet regulations, the Jerez cars will be substantially faster by the time the season begins in Australia. "And three races in there will be another chunk in terms of laptime," said Button. "By the end of the year we might not be that far off (2013 pace), maybe a couple of seconds, which will be pretty good when we get a real handle on where we are."
Some of the extra laptime, Button explained, is due to Pirelli's new, harder and more durable tyres. "We think they are half a second slower," he said. "The cars are also heavier, about one to 1.2 seconds through weight, so that's 1.6, 1.8 seconds already from those two changes." (GMM)
GP2 a lot closer to Formula 1 in 2014 - Button
- Published on 06 Feb 2014 10:39
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- By: Rob Veenstra
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Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
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Driver profile
- Team McLaren
- Points 37
- Podiums 0
- Grand Prix 41
- Country United Kingdom
- Date of b. Jan 19 1980 (46)
- Place of b. Frome, Somerset, United Kingdom
- Weight 72 kg
- Length 1.82 m
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- Team name McLaren
- Base Woking, United Kingdom
- Jenson Button 1
- Lewis Hamilton 1
- Fernando Alonso 1
- Niki Lauda 1
- Stoffel Vandoorne 2
- Lewis Hamilton 2
- Lewis Hamilton 2
- Gerhard Berger 2
- Daniel Ricciardo 3
- Jenson Button 3
- Lewis Hamilton 3
- Kimi Räikkönen 3
- Mika Häkkinen 3
- Lando Norris 4
- Lewis Hamilton 4
- Jenson Button 4
- Kimi Räikkönen 4
- Jenson Button 5
- Sergio Perez 6
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- Niki Lauda 8
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- Fernando Alonso 14
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- Stoffel Vandoorne 47
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- Oscar Piastri 81
- 304,209 comments on McLaren
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