Button has been strong in qualifying but less so in races this year

Honda driver Jenson Button believes he will be able to compete for a first Formula One victory at the San Marino Grand Prix this weekend.

Button has failed to back up his strong qualifying form in the three races so far this season and has been left trailing by the dominant Renault team.

"We have made good progress in testing and I am confident we will be competitive in Imola," Button said.

"Hopefully, San Marino should be a good weekend for us."

Button slipped from pole position to fifth in the last race in Australia before his engine blew up on the last lap of the race, demoting him to 10th.

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The Englishman is confident that the team have found solutions to the tyre problems they suffered in Australia while testing in Italy and Spain since the Melbourne race.

He said after last week's test in Barcelona: "We focused mainly on aero developments and tyre testing for the next few races and I feel that we've made a positive step forward with our aero package and also on the tyre warming work."

Button took pole position in Imola in 2004, and he finished on the podium in third place last year.

Honda sporting director Gil de Ferran said: "We have not stood still since Australia and have evaluated many potential improvements to both the performance and reliability of the RA106 car at our tests in Vallelunga and Barcelona.