Q: Your third podium finish in a row – I guess you weren't necessarily expecting that from seventh on the grid?
Jenson Button: In this sport, you never know. So while I knew it wasn't going to be easy, I never doubted that we could have a good race. And that's what happened – I got a good start, had a great fight with Robert Kubica for almost the whole of the first lap, we each went around the outside of Mark Webber, and then I was perfectly positioned to make the most of a sudden pitstop when the Safety Car came out.

Q: What happened then? Was it another rapid call between you and the engineers?
JB: Yeah, they'd already told me over the radio that if there was a Safety Car then I'd be coming in. So, as soon as I got the actual message that the Safety Car was out, I was just coming up to the pit-entry and was able to dive into the pitlane immediately. It was another great call, and that's what made my race.

Q: You rejoined behind Kamui Kobayashi, who had yet to pit for tyres – were you keen to get past him, or happy to sit and wait?
JB: When we were sitting behind the Safety Car waiting for the restart, I did ask the engineers to tell me Kamui's top-speed figures, so I could see how difficult it was going to be to get past him. It was probably possible, but his race pace was actually pretty respectable, so, even though it meant I wasn't in a position to challenge Lewis, I was comfortable sitting behind Kobayashi. And it was actually impossible to get close enough to have a go, because of the dirty air. We knew he'd have to pit again, so we just waited for that. I was definitely playing the long-game there.

Q: And fastest lap right at the end – was that a sign of frustration or just exuberance?
JB: Definitely the latter. Like I said, it wasn't too damaging being stuck behind Kobayashi because I knew I'd still pick up a podium finish, but once I got in the clear air, it was just so much fun to put the car through its paces. I was just enjoying myself for the last few laps, to be honest. And fastest lap was just a nice bonus.

Q: We're almost halfway through the season – and it never seems to stop. You've got the Santander British Grand Prix in a fortnight and the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend. How do you feel about both events?
JB: I'm really looking forward to Goodwood. For this year, I'm going to be driving two famous McLarens – Lewis's championship-winning MP4-23 from 2008. It's funny, even though it's only a few years ago, you kind of forget just how many aero parts were on these cars. The '08 car was the last of that era –and the most successful – and it just looks fantastic, all fins and flicks. It looks mean! But the car I'm most looking forward to driving is Alain Prost's 1986 car – the MP4/2C. I've already had a seat-fitting, and it's just a different world – when I'm sat in the cockpit, there's no lateral protection, I can touch the suspension wishbones, I can even touch the floor. Those guys must have been pretty fearless to have raced those things back then. It's a really cool car.

As for Silverstone, yeah, Lewis and me are one-two in the title fight, so hopefully we can give the British fans something to cheer about, particularly as we've been knocked out of the football. Last year, I had the pleasure of heading into Silverstone as the championship leader, and I've got to say, the attention I received, and just the sheer number of people who were shouting my name, or stopping me for autographs was phenomenal.

For 2010, I have the added bonus of going into the Santander British Grand Prix as the reigning world champion – my first race on home soil as champion. It's going to be a brilliant weekend. Silverstone really is like no other circuit on the calendar – the fans are not only so passionate, but also incredibly dedicated and knowledgeable. There's always a unique atmosphere there, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Source: McLaren F1