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Jenson Button's rivals are sending their mechanics to train with Olympians in a bid to stop him winning the world championship again.

Red Bull Racing's 18-man pit crew drive 60 miles to the Bisham Abbey facilities in Buckinghamshire, also used by England's football and rugby teams, to get in top shape for the coming season which starts a week today in Bahrain.

The plan is paying off, with the Milton Keynes outfit stripping their time for changing all four tyres to a lightning 1.8 seconds.

With the banning of refuelling, and at least eight drivers in with a chance of winning the title, pit stops will be crucial this season.

And the new rules have even triggered a race between teams forking out £500,000 over the season to ensure the pit-stop equipment is the lightest and best available.

"The guys have trained like hell over the winter," said Red Bull boss Christian Horner. "Bisham Abbey has proved great.

"We have even changed the crew around quite a lot to get the right guys in the right place because some are better than others at using the gun or changing tyres.

"They have all lost weight and got fitter in the process. The guys have been training in the gym at 12 and 4pm every day since November.

"We have done sub-two second stops. They are absolutely lightning.

"We've always been fast but now there's been a lot more of a scientific approach to the whole issue."