Full text commentary of all practice sessions, qualifying and the race on BBC Sport Online.
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Now it’s on to a brand new race and track, the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe at the Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan.
While championship leader Nico Rosberg also predicted a “massive accident” on the entry to the pit lane as drivers attempt to negotiate the fastest route, as well as criticising the lack of run-off, Lewis Hamilton did not appear fazed.
Button added that some corners “don’t have any run-off at all”.
Organisers have billed Baku as the fastest street circuit in the world with the pit straight one of the longest on the calendar.
“The way we have gone with safety, pushed it, and some of the issues we have had in the past, you would think they would still do that, but it doesn’t look like it from some corners”.
“There might be nothing to worry about, but there are certain corners that you can’t change which is worrying”. “We are happy but not entirely because the gap with Mercedes is very big, but it will be a long race with plenty of opportunities, I guess”.
“A few things fall to my own [responsibility] and it just put us on the back foot as well and we couldn’t really attack and make any real ground on the cars in front once we got close to them”.
“It is like we have gone backwards in certain areas, I don’t know why”, said Button, a director of the Grand Prix Driver’s Association (GPDA) and 2009 world champion as well as the sport’s most experienced racer.
“Do any of you know what human rights are?” said Ecclestone.
Things were starting to look up for Button in the three races before Montreal, with finishes of 10th at Sochi and back-to-back ninth-place outings at Catalunya and Monte Carlo. I have been welcomed very well so I’m sure all in all it will be a great success.
“There is a little bit of a concern, for sure, with those run offs. That’s not great. The corner before going down the hill (T15) where you have a wall straight on, turn three, and then the pit entry as well. that is not fantastic”. Coming off the high-speed main straight, drivers have to navigate a kink in the slip road and do not have to apply the pit-lane speed limiter until further up the track.
“We listen, obviously, and if people have got a genuine complaint there is not a lot we can do, because in all fairness I think you would get into trouble in most countries if you were very, very anti some government or political people, or in fact anybody, so it is not quite as easy as that”.
“There are some corners probably we will talk about”, he added. “We would like to see them publicly urge President Aliyev to end this crackdown and free all prisoners of conscience”.
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“In terms of safety, the FIA ran many simulations in terms of how to make the run-off safe enough”.
