BUDAPEST, Aug 3 (Reuters) A heavy downpour on Sunday afternoon would go a long way to raising Jenson Button's spirits.
The Briton returns to the Hungarian Grand Prix circuit with nothing to celebrate one year on from his sole triumph in Formula One.
He and his Honda team have scored just one point from 10 races this season, wrestling with a car that has gone backwards in development terms since that 2006 breakthrough that promised so much.
From being his country's number one driver, Button is not even second-ranked now.
McLaren's 22-year-old rookie Lewis Hamilton is leading the championship while Red Bull's David Coulthard, the oldest man on the starting grid, has scored eight points.
This time last year, Button was the king of the ring as he sprayed the winner's champagne after a 113 race wait. It all feels very flat now, even if he is driving as well as ever.
''You don't feel anything, walking back in the paddock, until you are asked a question,'' he told reporters, with the Hungaroring sweltering in a heatwave.
''It's good to be back, and I just wish we had a car that could do the same sort of thing as we did last year,'' he added.
''It's not the first race where it's been frustrating so there's nothing new, really.'' If nothing has come close to Hungary 2006, where Button fought back from 14th at the start and in the wet, the French Grand Prix in July did provide some satisfaction.
''For me, Magny-Cours was like Hungary,'' he said of that race. ''We got everything out of it, we did the best strategy and that's as quick as the car was.
''It's frustrating, you get home and say eighth position and yet it was probably one of the best races of your life.'' The team's main focus now has to be on next year, recruiting the right people and designing a car that will set them back on the fast track.
Two weeks ago, at the Nuerburgring, Honda confirmed Button and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello would again be the line-up for 2008 and the Briton made clear then that he still had faith in his employers.
''It's a top team and we can work through this,'' he said.
''It's not like we don't have the resources. we are employing some fantastic people, there's no reason to be negative for next year.
''This year has been a tough season and it's tough for everyone that's working with the team but you've got to be positive for the future,'' added Button. ''Otherwise we might as well just pack up and go home.'' ''I'm 99 per cent sure that we will be challenging for the championship in the future. It's whether it's next year or the year after or the year after that.'' REUTERS TB RN1937
The Briton returns to the Hungarian Grand Prix circuit with nothing to celebrate one year on from his sole triumph in Formula One.
He and his Honda team have scored just one point from 10 races this season, wrestling with a car that has gone backwards in development terms since that 2006 breakthrough that promised so much.
From being his country's number one driver, Button is not even second-ranked now.
McLaren's 22-year-old rookie Lewis Hamilton is leading the championship while Red Bull's David Coulthard, the oldest man on the starting grid, has scored eight points.
This time last year, Button was the king of the ring as he sprayed the winner's champagne after a 113 race wait. It all feels very flat now, even if he is driving as well as ever.
''You don't feel anything, walking back in the paddock, until you are asked a question,'' he told reporters, with the Hungaroring sweltering in a heatwave.
''It's good to be back, and I just wish we had a car that could do the same sort of thing as we did last year,'' he added.
''It's not the first race where it's been frustrating so there's nothing new, really.'' If nothing has come close to Hungary 2006, where Button fought back from 14th at the start and in the wet, the French Grand Prix in July did provide some satisfaction.
''For me, Magny-Cours was like Hungary,'' he said of that race. ''We got everything out of it, we did the best strategy and that's as quick as the car was.
''It's frustrating, you get home and say eighth position and yet it was probably one of the best races of your life.'' The team's main focus now has to be on next year, recruiting the right people and designing a car that will set them back on the fast track.
Two weeks ago, at the Nuerburgring, Honda confirmed Button and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello would again be the line-up for 2008 and the Briton made clear then that he still had faith in his employers.
''It's a top team and we can work through this,'' he said.
''It's not like we don't have the resources. we are employing some fantastic people, there's no reason to be negative for next year.
''This year has been a tough season and it's tough for everyone that's working with the team but you've got to be positive for the future,'' added Button. ''Otherwise we might as well just pack up and go home.'' ''I'm 99 per cent sure that we will be challenging for the championship in the future. It's whether it's next year or the year after or the year after that.'' REUTERS TB RN1937
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