Fry - Button more motivated

Brazilian found it difficult to "maximise his motivation" last season

Last updated: 24th January 2008

jenson button rubens barrichello honda f1 team 2007

Motivation: Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello

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Honda's Nick Fry has said that Jenson Button is hungrier for success than his team-mate Rubens Barrichello.

After the team's dismal 2007 campaign, in which Barrichello failed to score points for the first time in his career, there had been talk of Honda wanting to replace the Brazilian.

In the end, however, the Brackley-based squad opted to retain the 35-year-old and this season's Championship will be his 15th in Formula One.

And, according to team CEO Fry, it was the combination of the longevity of Barrichello's career and the team's less-than-vintage RA107 car that was arguably responsible for his occasionally lacking motivation last season.

"Jenson is totally committed and flat-out from the first corner, all the time," Fry told The Guardian.

"As for Rubens, I believe he still has all his skill and potential but by the same token I fully accept that after 15 years in Formula One, when we have presented him with a car that is less than fully competitive, it may sometimes be hard for him to maximise his motivation."