It’s back to business for victorious Button

Having spent time in the Far East immediately after scoring his maiden Formula One win in Hungary, Jenson Button spent last week savouring his first success and preparing for the final five races on the 2006 Grand Prix calendar.

“It feels like it’s been a complete whirlwind since our first win two weeks ago but now that I’ve had the chance to celebrate properly and a week or so of rest and relaxation, I’m ready to get back in the car again and make the most of the remaining five races,” reports Jenson Button.

“There have been some very special moments over the past couple of weeks and I’ll remember those forever but it’s time now to crack on with the Turkish Grand Prix and the rest of the season. In Hungary, everything came together for us when it counted and it has given the whole team renewed motivation. We never doubted our potential but now we know we are winners. There are likely to be challenging times again over the coming races but our car is well-suited to the Istanbul Park Circuit and we are capable of a good result there. I really enjoyed the circuit last year and had a good race so I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

Turkey made its Formula One debut last year at an all-new purpose-built circuit just outside Istanbul. The track was designed by Herman Tilke, the man behind the new circuits in Malaysia, Bahrain and China, featuring fourteen turns - eight lefts and six rights - with the cars reaching speeds of up to 320kph along the two main straights.

An unusual feature is that the lap runs in an anti-clockwise direction and it possesses a wide variety of turns - many replicating legendary corners from historic circuits around the world. The character of the circuit is further enhanced by plenty of gradient changes - the most extreme of any current F1 track.