Button: 'I can still win world championship'

Jenson Button insists he has not given up hope of retaining his world championship crown.

The McLaren driver is fifth in the standings, 25 points adrift of leader Mark Webber, with just four races to go.

But the Briton is adamant he has enough time to overhaul rivals Webber, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.

"Obviously there's no room for mistakes but any of the top five drivers could easily steal the title," he said.

"It might seem a disadvantage to be behind in the standings but make no mistake, I know I can win this title."

After his fourth place in Singapore at the weekend, Button knows he needs at least a podium finish in Japan on October 10.

And he is confident of a strong showing in the country where his girlfriend Jessica Michibata hails.

“I love the whole Suzuka experience," he added. "The whole atmosphere is invariably extremely tense and frantic because the race always plays such a decisive role in the outcome of world championships.

"I think it's a circuit that suits my style - it's all about scrubbing off as little speed as possible through the corners and maintaining a very smooth and precise rhythm: get it wrong and you're usually scrabbling to regain your momentum for several more corners. It's a punishing place."