Button hopes rivals struggle with exhaust problems

Jenson Button on Thursday predicted problems this weekend for those teams planning to debut a Red Bull-style exhaust layout.

Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault are planning to run updated cars, with exhausts pointed towards the cars' double diffusers, during the European Grand Prix event.

Button's McLaren team will not test a similar layout until the British Grand Prix in two weeks, and the Briton told reporters in Valencia that there is a chance his rivals have got their numbers wrong.

"The floors are going to be getting very hot, so they're going to get through a lot of floors, I'm sure," he said, referring to the fact the layout blasts the car's bodywork with hot exhaust fumes.

Button's desire to see his rivals stumble with the 'blown rear diffuser' concept is because McLaren engineers predict the innovation is worth up to half a second per lap.

On the similar Montreal circuit two weeks ago, the McLarens finished first and second.

"Coming here I thought that momentum could be carried, but looking at all the cars around us in the pitlane - which I had a little nose at earlier on - there is a lot of new bits on cars," said Button.

His teammate Lewis Hamilton agrees that Ferrari in particular will be "very quick" this weekend.