Jenson Button is confident he has plenty more speed to find as he made his return to a Formula 1 cockpit in Monaco on Thursday.
The Briton, stepping in for Fernando Alonso at McLaren, made a steady start to practice in Monte Carlo and by the end of Practice 2, matched the man who replaced him at the Woking outfit this season, Stoffel Vandoorne.
Speaking about his first experience of the 2017 McLaren, the 2009 champion admitted the increase in cornering ability had been the biggest surprise.
“In FP1, I found my feet pretty quickly, FP2 was a bit trickier because there was so much more grip and it’s just very different to what I’ve experienced for the last seven years,” Button said.
“I’m braking for corners and I just feel like I’m going to be in the barriers. It’s strange initially, but I’m definitely getting to grips with it.
“High-speed is so much fun, the first part of the Swimming Pool is flat – I can’t remember the last time it was flat, it probably hasn’t ever been for me,” he added.
“That’s great, Turn 3 (Massanet) is a lot of fun as well, but there are braking areas where there’s a lot of work still to do, to get the confidence to brake hard.”
The 37-year-old, who hasn’t raced competitively since leaving F1 at the end of last season, also admitted some rustiness initially.
“It’s the old beginners’ thing. You brake early, you lift early, you turn in and accelerate early and you understeer off,” he said.
“There’s a lot to come and hopefully I can sort myself out on Saturday morning after I’ve been through the data.”
Asked how it felt to be back in the car, Button revealed: “I drove through Turn 5 and immediately I had a little giggle to myself that I was driving a Formula 1 car again, after seven months and it was around Monaco.
“Lovely experience, really. But whatever happens this weekend, for most of it, it will be forgotten on Monday.
“The important thing is to enjoy what I do this weekend and that’s it. Have fun and make some more memories for myself.”
