Button - First appearance 'special'

Emotional: Button (picture courtesy of McLaren)

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Jenson Button has said he expects his first appearance in a McLaren as World Champion during pre-season testing will be an "emotional moment".

The Englishman, who celebrates his 30th birthday on Tuesday, has joined the Woking team alongside his predecessor as the holder of the drivers' title, Lewis Hamilton.

Button joins the team from Mercedes GP, for whom he raced in their guises of BAR, Honda and Brawn GP for seven seasons.

Despite breaking up his successful partnership with team boss Ross Brawn, Button is convinced he is doing the right thing in joining McLaren, for whom he last tested as a 19-year-old after winning a young drivers' competition.

"Moving teams was a must I think. It was needed. I needed that drive and focus and that has happened now that I have joined the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team," said Button, who will test for the first time at the start of next month.

"I think when I step into the car for the first time in Valencia, I think it will be quite an emotional moment stepping into a McLaren for the second time.

"This time I will be stepping into a McLaren with a No1 on it and it will be my No1, not Mika Hakkinen's. It will be quite a special day in my life, in my career."

Partnership

Button said he believes that he and Hamilton must develop a strong partnership if either of them is to challenge for the title this year.

"I'm going to be spending quite a lot of time with Lewis over the next couple of months before the first race and I'm looking forward to working with him," he said.

"He has a lot of experience in Formula One, good and bad experiences in this sport so I think both of us with our experience can help this team move forward.

"We both understand that we have to work closely together to make anything happen this year.

"To be competitive you need the interest of both drivers and the focus of both drivers so I'm really looking forward to it."

He added: "There's no reason why I shouldn't feel at home and be competitive this season.

"I have so much experience to bring to the team. That's not just going to be good for me but it'll be also good for the team."

Even so, Button has been criticised for his decision to join McLaren as some feel he will end up playing second fiddle to Hamilton, whose career the team has supported since childhood.

The man who has taken Button's seat at Mercedes GP is, of course, Michael Schumacher and his predecessor thinks the seven-times World Champion's return will lead to a memorable season.

"Michael has achieved that much in motor racing that he wouldn't be coming back into the sport unless he thinks he can be competitive so he'll be up there," Button added.

"You have to congratulate Ross Brawn for bringing him back into the sport. No other team principal could have done that. I'm really looking forward to racing with Michael and I think 2010 will be an epic season in Formula One."