Button: 2014 rules will hurt new drivers

Jenson Button believes any driver moving teams for the start of Formula 1′s new rules package in 2014 will be at a significant disadvantage.

F1 will switch to 1.6-litre turbocharged engines after next season.

Although McLaren has not made the length of Button’s current deal public, the 2009 world champion is expected to stay at the team through 2014 at least after signing a “multi-year” deal in 2011.

“If everything goes to plan I will be still working with the same group of engineers and we’ll have worked together for four years,” he said.

“So entering into a new category, which it basically is, in 2014 with the same engineers – we understand the each other in our way of working and I think it really does help when everything changes.

“I’m really excited about 2014 and I think it will make a difference if you really understand it’s not just about when you put your helmet on, it’s about what happens before you put your helmet on.”

Click here for Dieter Rencken’s latest analysis of F1′s 2014 rules situation

Button thinks trying to acclimatise to a new team while also coping with a major technical package change in 2014 would be extremely tough.

“If a team has a new driver in 2014, I think that’s very tricky for the driver and for the team to really understand the right direction,” Button said.

“Whereas if you have been working with the team for a long period of time you understand what you need from the car and what works.

“KERS is going to be massive in terms of power, and it’s not going to be on a button, it’s going to be filling in the holes of torque.

“So in terms of engineering there’s a lot of work that needs to be done and in terms of the drivers and engineers there needs to be a good understanding.”

Button also played down concerns that the new engines would diminish F1′s spectacle.

“We talk about how the engine is going to be small, it’s going to be boring, it’s going to sound rubbish… The racing in the eighties was quite fun and they didn’t have V10, V12 engines, so it will still be great racing,” he said.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/button-2014-rules-will-hurt-new-drivers

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