'Boring' Button just as immersed in F1 as last year

Ahead of last season's Monaco Grand Prix, following a phenomenal start to the year in which he had won four out of the first five races and was chasing down the title, for the first time in his career Button was eating, sleeping and drinking Formula 1. In immersing himself in the sport in a determined bid to become champion, Button described himself as "a right boring b*****d", a remark that naturally made headlines. The 30-year-old concedes that now he has a title to his name it has eased the stresses and strains, but in truth little has changed and he is still how he characterised himself. "I'm a lot more relaxed now than I was last year, definitely so, but I still think about Formula 1 maybe too much," said Button.

"Sometimes you need a break, to get away from it and have another hobby, which I have – triathlons, but I haven't done any since August last year.

"So most of the time I'm still thinking about Formula 1, which is sometimes a good thing, sometimes it isn't. That's because you do need to get away to ensure you are far more fresh when you return. So I would say I am pretty similar to last year, just a bit more relaxed."

Becoming champion and switching to McLaren from Brawn GP has also played a key role in Button failing to escape as much as he would like. McLaren are, and have always been, sponsor-orientated, placing high demands on their drivers to ensure those who pay into the team are rewarded. It has had an effect as Button's fitness regime has tailed off, although not to a degree where it has damaged his racing.

"I'm definitely busier here," added Button. "The thing is, when you get a day off, sometimes you need to rest from everything. But I want to get out there and train to make sure it doesn't drop off."

Practice on Thursday, though, was a difficult examination for Button as he only managed the ninth best time, seven tenths of a second behind Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. But ahead of today's final qualifying, Button remained upbeat, adding: "I'm reasonably happy, although we don't know where we stand. But the Ferrari looks very quick, and I'm sure Red Bull are hiding their pace, so it's the normal people at the front and hopefully we'll be there."

Alonso knows he will have to be perfect today if he and Ferrari are to end Red Bull Racing's qualifying domination. The Spaniard had previously only topped one of 15 practice periods over five grands prix this season, but would now appear to have a genuine shot at repeating his 2006 and 2007 victories. Red Bull, though, have been in a league of their own on Saturday, claiming pole at all five races and locking out the front row in three of those.