Jenson Button believes that McLaren can start to close the gap to Ferrari at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix. The reigning world champion finished seventh at the Bahrain season-opener two weeks ago, but new aerodynamic parts on his Vodafone McLaren Mercedes in Melbourne should help to propel him towards the front of the grid.

“I hope we’ll close the gap a bit,” says Jenson. “We’re already pretty close to the fastest cars and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes proved last year that it has the capacity to make rapid development gains. I’m sure it won’t be long until Lewis [Hamilton] and I are challenging for the top step of the podium.”

Melbourne would be a fitting venue for Jenson to kick-start his season because he has many happy memories of racing in the city. He made his F1 debut at Albert Park in 2000 and has since taken two pole positions and one victory at the 3.295-mile track.

“Melbourne is one of the races on the calendar that makes you just love being a part of F1,” says Jenson. “Albert Park is an interesting track and the locals really embrace the race, so there’s always a fantastic atmosphere. It’s also a great city in which to hang out because there are some fantastic restaurants, including an Italian owned by some friends of mine, and there are lots of open spaces.”

The warm weather won’t be lost on Jenson either. He celebrated his victory in Australia last year with a plate of fish ‘n’ chips on one of the beaches near the track, and he’ll be hoping for more al fresco dining in 2010.

“The temperature is usually perfect in Melbourne at this time of year,” he says. “It’s warm enough to be pleasant, but it’s not too hot. You can have lunch outside wearing a t-shirt and shorts and feel just right; at least that’s how I felt when I had lunch outside a restaurant overlooking Port Phillip Bay on the Monday after my win last year!

“The climate is one of the reasons why several of my friends have gone to live in Australia. My former physio has emigrated there, so we’re going to do some cycling together ahead of this year’s race. We’ll go along some of the coastal roads, which are beautiful; it’s a brilliant way to acclimatise and get over jet-lag.”

The first time that Jenson accelerates onto the Albert Park circuit in his McLaren will be during practice on Friday, but he’s already completed a couple of laps of the track in one of Team Vodafone’s Aussie V8 Supercars.

“I’ve driven a super touring car once before, back in ’98, as part of the McLaren Young Driver award,” he says. “This was a completely different experience because the Aussie V8 is a bit of a beast to drive. It feels big and crude, although it does have a sequential gearbox, which is the first rung of the technology ladder. I enjoyed the experience very much, so many thanks to everyone at Team Vodafone.”

Jenson’s thoughts are now squarely back on F1. He’ll work tirelessly between now and Sunday to maximise the performance of his car, and he’ll have to work very closely with his race engineer Jakob Andreasen to achieve that goal.

“We will have a job list as long as your arm to get through during practice,” says Jenson, “but neither Jakob nor I are afraid of hard work. I’ve learnt already that Jakob wants to win as much as I do, and he’s not alone. McLaren is made up of highly skilled and competitive people; every department has strength in depth.”

With that sort of back-up, Jenson can be sure that the results he wants will come soon.

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