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McLaren driver Jenson Button has said that his team could re-emerge as the title contenders in the new era starting from 2014.
The team recorded their worst season in almost three decades when they finished the season without a win, but Button remains confident that his team could bounce back strongly next season.
“We’ve learnt a lot this year. We’ve also [experimented] more than normal. If you’re in a championship-fighting car you’re scared to get away from the set-up you know. We’ve been places that we would never have thought of in the past. That has really helped us. Everyone is excited about next year. Changes are great for everyone apart from Red Bull,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
Despite their failures, the team still managed to finish fifth in the constructors’ championship with the best result coming from Button himself in Brazil, where he finished fourth. And Button, who signed a one year deal recently, added that the team will be looking to carry their positive ending of the season through to next year.
“I went over the finish line [in Brazil] with a smile on my face. It was a positive way to end the year, but McLaren are about winning. We are definitely title contenders next year. So are Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes. If you look at 2010, with two races to go I was out of the championship but Lewis was still in it. In 2011, we got beaten by one person in a Red Bull, so we were very close to the top. So it’s definitely there. It’s not going to be easy, of course,” he said.
“We’re fighting Red Bull, who has done an amazing job over the past four years. But there’s a good atmosphere in the team and there’s definitely not anybody in the team who thinks it can’t happen next year,” he added.
