Button: 'Mercedes turned engine up during the longrun'

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is all about the title fight. Jenson Button agrees that both drivers have a very good chance of winning the world title.

Max Verstappen was clearly the fastest in the first free practice, but Lewis Hamilton showed his speed in the second free practice. Both drivers have an equal chance of becoming world champions at this point, so you can't rule either one out at this point.

"You can see Lewis has a lot of confidence," Jenson Button told Sky Sports. Despite Red Bull Racing certainly still having a chance, Christian Horner is not getting carried away: "There was a bit of covering should it not turn out in their favour by Christian," Damon Hill said. 

Pole position not the most important thing

The former Formula One driver sees that both drivers are very confident. The Mercedes looked good on track, both in terms of lap times and long runs, but Verstappen also showed good long runs. However, Button feels Mercedes have been playing with their engine settings: "Mercedes turned their engine up for one lap and it looked very strong."

Despite the long runs looking good for both drivers, there are plenty of other factors that will play a role in the race. Tyre strategy and the amount of pit stops are also going to be important, so pole position doesn't say everything: "This race won't just be about qualifying."