Button: We should be reasonably competitive.

Jenson Button is hoping Honda's three-day test at Monza will aid them in their quest to close the gap down to the 'big three' at the Italian Grand Prix and see them challenging for a podium.

Although the Turkish Grand Prix had none of the fireworks of Button's Hungary victory, his fourth place in Istanbul is further evidence that Honda have turned a corner in competitiveness, with the team challenging McLaren for the role of 'best of the rest'.

Nonetheless, there remains a gap to Ferrari and Renault, something Button is eager to stop and having got several miles under his belt through testing, the Brit is confident of a good result.

However, he will have to overcome the legacy of a massive shunt on the final day of testing, following a rear suspension failure at the Parabolica that caused him to crash and although he emerged unscathed, it is yet likely to play on his mind.

"I'm really looking forward to the race at Monza," said Button. "The atmosphere is always great over the race weekend and the circuit has traditionally seen lots of exciting racing, so hopefully it will be another good race for the fans. I had a podium finish here in 2004 and it is a track that I always enjoy.

"We did a lot of good work with Michelin at the Monza test this week in preparation as most of the track has been resurfaced, so we needed to focus carefully on the tyre choice. We have a relatively good car around here so I think that we should be reasonably competitive in the race."