With the recruitment of technical genius Ross Brawn, Honda appear to be heading in the right direction, and Button readily concedes he could not be happier.

Miracles, though, are not going to happen this year, particularly as Brawn has only been with the team two months and his impact has yet to be truly felt.

But, from 2009, Button feels he will have a car capable of winning grands prix, and potentially pushing for the title, which could see him at the front of the grid with McLaren’s Hamilton.

“I hope so,” remarked Button when questioned on the matter at the launch of the new car, the RA108, yesterday at Honda Racing F1’s headquarters in Brackley, England.

“It’s 14 months down the line and we hope to be challenging at the front, but there’s a long way to go before that.

“So I’m not thinking about 2009 just yet, I’m thinking about this year, and I admit it won’t be us that wins a world championship.

“It will be McLaren or Ferrari, but for the future in the sport, I can’t think of anywhere better to be than here at Honda.

“All thought of leaving has gone. I’m the happiest I’ve probably been with this team, and not just for this year, but the coming seasons.

“I want to be challenging for the world championship, which could be in 2009, but if it’s not, it’s not. It will be the following year.”

Hamilton certainly feels fellow Briton Hamilton will be pushing for the world title this year after he missed out on it by a point last season.

“He’s with the same team, who believe in him, so he has an awful lot of confidence within the team,” added Button.

“If McLaren are quick, then they’re going to be challenging and in with a very good chance of winning the world championship.

“He’s also a good team-mate in Heikki (Kovalainen), who is someone who will probably fit in better than (Fernando) Alonso did. So, it’s going to be interesting to see the battles there.”

Although now a veteran of the Formula One scene, Button insists he is not standing in the last chance saloon as far as his ambitions are concerned.

“In my mind I’ve never thought of it as that, instead I’ve thought ’fantastic, this is exactly what this team needs’,” added Button.

“It’s going to be a hard battle, but I think over the years we can be challenging for the championship, and that makes me very happy.

“I knew Honda would not sit around in the position they were last season. I knew something would change, and was confident it would, that it was just a matter of time.

“Speaking to them made me realise how serious they were.”