Button struggles to get best from supersoft tyres

Jenson Button: "Either the tyres aren't warm enough at the start of the lap or they are overheating at the end" © Getty Images

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Jenson Button admitted he struggled to balance the life of the supersoft tyres over a single lap during qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver qualified third on Saturday, behind the dominant Red Bulls but ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton. Despite being satisfied with the result, Button said it was difficult to manage the tyres so that they offered maximum grip through all three sectors of the 3.15 mile Marina Bay circuit.

"For me the lap was good - both my laps were," he said. "If I put them both together it would have been good but it's very difficult around here because you struggle to get all three sectors together because either the tyres aren't warm enough at the start of the lap or they are overheating at the end - although maybe that's just our problem."

Button is also expecting the race to be a difficult balancing act after he missed out on a lot of practice time on Friday.

"It's very tricky and obviously I didn't get much running yesterday after facing a barrier at the end of the session," he added. "So I'm pleased to be in the top three and I think it's a good position for the race tomorrow, but it's also something I have no experience of because yesterday I didn't do any high-fuel running so it's going to be a challenge."

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