Watch: Jenson Button threads the needle in an F1 car

Let’s face it, McLaren-Honda have had a rotten year. Their dismal ninth place in the constructors' standings was confirmed in Abu Dhabi at the weekend, with Fernando Alonso saying at one point that he would rather give up than continue racing so far adrift of the field.

So. How do you remind your fans that you’re not completely useless? Apparently, the answer is ‘Lay some obstacles at Silverstone and then drive between them. Fast.’

That’s exactly what Jenson Button does in the clip above, speeding his 1.8 metre-wide McLaren through just 2.4 metres of gap, with an increasing number of concrete blocks for company.

“Formula One is all about precision,” says Jenson. “It’s about finding the extra thousandth in every corner. You’re using every millimetre of the circuit, and to do that you have to push the boundaries.”

He isn’t kidding. And as the video states at the end, “Do not attempt to re-enact.”

Can you watch without wincing?