Button pleased to score points after nearly missing start - MotorSportsTalk

Jenson Button is pleased to have scored a point at Monza today in the Italian Grand Prix after very nearly missing the start due to a fuel leak.

Around an hour before the start of the race, Button’s MP4-28 was being tended to by the entire McLaren pit crew (including Sergio Perez’s engineers) due to a problem with the fuel system, with a similar issue preventing Nico Hulkenberg from making the start of the Australian Grand Prix in March. However, the team managed to solve the problem and get Button out in plenty of time for the start.

“I just want to say a big ‘thank you’ to all the guys in the garage today,” Button said after the race. “They had to really work hard to repair my car’s fuel system before the race, in record time, and they pulled out all the stops to get it all done. It was touch-and-go for a while, but they responded really well and did an incredible job.

“In a tight spot, they’re the best guys out there – and, once again, they were faultless today.”

In terms of pace, Button was pleased with how he ran given that McLaren have struggled to fight with the front-runners so far this season.

“In clear air, our pace was pretty good – but, with such a short top gear, especially with DRS deployed, we were hitting the rev-limiter while other cars weren’t being rev-limited.

“About 15 laps from the end, I locked up into the first corner and severely flat-spotted my front-right tire – I couldn’t really see a lot after that, because of vibration, but I still managed to bring it home and score a world championship point for the team.”

This weekend also saw McLaren hold their fiftieth birthday celebrations, and the team will be pleased to have scored at such a big race. Sergio Perez could not match his teammate’s result though, finishing twelfth after losing out to Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen late on.

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Ryan Hunter-Reay was named to replace Conor Daly in Ed Carpenter Racing’s No. 20 Dallara-Chevrolet, starting in the NTT IndyCar Series event next week at Road America.

Hunter-Reay is the 2012 series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner. He finished 11th for Dreyer & Reinbold last month in the 107th Indy 500, his first start since the 2021 season finale. He drove full time for Andretti Autosport from 2010-21.

“We need to improve our competitiveness and I wanted to add a fresh perspective from a driver like Ryan who has a massive amount of experience and success as well as a reputation as a team leader. I am excited to welcome Ryan to the team,” team owner Ed Carpenter said in a team release. “We have worked together in the past as teammates and he tested for ECR at Barber Motorsports Park in October 2021, where he made an immediate impact as we were able to qualify one of our cars on the pole following that test. I am confident that his experience and technical abilities will be an asset to ECR as we move forward toward our goals as a team.”

Hunter-Reay has 18 IndyCar victories, most recently in 2018. He also is a winner in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, having been a part of winning entries in the 2020 Twelve Hours of Sebring and 2018 Petit Le Mans. Last year, he was an endurance driver for Cadillac Racing while being on standby for Chip Ganassi Racing.

He replaces Daly, whose departure was announced a day earlier in what the driver and team said was a mutual decision.

“I was surprised when I got the call from Ed,” Hunter-Reay said in a team release. “He described how frustrated he was that his team has not been able to realize its potential despite their efforts, investments, as well as technical and personnel changes over the past few years and asked for my help. Ed and I are very close friends and have been for a long time. I’ve worked with the team in the past and they are a very talented group with high expectations and a committed partner in BITNILE.COM.

“This will certainly be a challenge for me as well. It’s a tough situation jumping in a car in the middle of the season without any testing in what I believe to be the most competitive series in the world. Certainly, part of my motivation in saying ‘yes’ to Ed is the great challenge ahead. The last time I turned right driving an NTT IndyCar Series car was in October of 2021 with this team at Barber. However, I remain very confident in both my driving and technical abilities and believe by working with the talented people at ECR and Team Chevy, while representing BITNILE.COM, we will make progress. I am going to do everything I can do to help the team achieve its long-term objectives.”

Said Milton “Todd” Ault, the chairman of sponsor BitNile.com: “It is great for BitNile.com to be aligned with an Indy 500 Winner and an NTT IndyCar Series champion. I have followed Ryan’s career for years and I am confident he will challenge the entire ECR team to perform at higher levels. I wish everyone luck at Road America.”