Jenson Button hails 'bravest' overtaking move at Monza
Page last updated at 16:02 GMT, Sunday, 11 September 2011 17:02 UK
Jenson Button has said the overtaking move on Michael Schumacher that helped him to second at the Italian Grand Prix was one of his finest ever.
The McLaren driver surged past midway through a race when seven-time world champion Schumacher fought to hold off Button's team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
"It was one of the bravest as it was down the outside to Ascari," he said.
"Diving into a fast corner... it takes your breath away. It was an important move. I braked as late as I could."
Starting from third on the grid, Button largely played a waiting game in the opening stages of the race after its dramatic first lap.
I closed my eyes when overtaking Schumacher - Button
But he seized the advantage when Hamilton ran wide as he chased down Schumacher's Mercedes and after moving beyond the German, he stayed ahead of him at the first pit stop before - having switched to the harder medium tyres at the second stop - being able to take Fernando Alonso's Ferrari with relative ease on lap 36.
"We should be happy with the result after the start we had," he said.
"I ended up seventh and had to fight my way through which was great fun. I had a good battle with Lewis and Michael, but you can't beat Vettel starting like that. We need to iron out some small mistakes to have a chance.
"I felt that Michael was moving more than once down the straight. He didn't when I passed him but I was alongside him. I didn't know where he was as I passed him as I closed my eyes. I did that at Spa and it worked so I am doing that from now."
After runaway championship leader Sebastian Vettel's dominant victory at Monza, Button confirmed to BBC Sport that he wants to sign a long-term contract with McLaren.
He added: "But we need to discuss things. It takes longer than you would like sometimes, but I want to be here, which is the main thing."
Button's team principal Martin Whitmarsh, who on Saturday guaranteed that Button would be with McLaren next year, and most likely beyond, paid tribute to his driver.
"He must have had 35 or 40 overtakes in the last few races," he said.
"We have got two great drivers who are doing a fantastic job. Jenson is stuck with us next year whether he likes it or not. Jenson is driving better than ever, he has six races left and he can win one. This race was deeply frustrating for us. We knew we could go quicker but were stuck behind Michael Schumacher, who was being super aggressive."
Credit: BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)
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