please log in to view this image "They said he would never win a grand prix!! Jenson Button wins the Hungarian Grand Prix!!!!" said James Allen to the delight of everyone in this country. Started at Williams as a young fresh face, clean cut and likeable. Put in some impressive performances with 5th at his home grand prix at Silverstone and a good solid 6th at Brazil. But his best performance was 4th at Germany. In 2001 he joined Benetton with Fisichella as his teammate. The car was uncompetitive, and he only scored 2 points. Poor performances and his interesting private life lead to people dubbing him a "playboy". In 2002 Benetton became Renault and Button was alongside Jarno Trulli. The season started well with a poduim in waiting until a suspension problem in the closing laps dropped him to 4th at Malaysia. He improved greatly and most of the time beat Jarno Trulli, but although he finished 5 points ahead of him, that wasn't enough and he had to make way for Fernando Alonso. So instead he signed with BAR and would partner 1997 World Champ Jacques Villeneuve. They did not make a good pairing with several arguments and disagreements. But Button finished a solid 9th with 17 points. Villeneuve lost his seat so Button would have Sato for 2004 as his teammate and would be the "Number 1 Driver" in the team for the first time. Finally in 04 he got his first podium at Malaysia with a 3rd place. He followed it up with another one in Bahrain, an then scored his first pole position at Imola and came second behind Michael Schumacher. However through the season he became embroiled in a contract dispute. He wanted to go to Williams but BAR disputed and won. He had to stay and Honda bought into the team and would change there name to Honda in 06. He took 10 podiums and he came third in the Driver's Standings his best ever and just behind the 2 Ferrari's. In 05 the season didn't start well and they were given a 2 race ban for cheating at Imola for underweighing the car. Many thought it was not true but they were given a 2 race ban. This was the most torrid point of Jenson's career. He took pole at Canada but hit the wall of champions. He got 2 poduims, and came 9th in the title standings. In 06 BAR became Honda. Again he got pole at Australia but the race didn't pan out and was on for 5th but at the last corner the engine went and hence a memeroable moment from James Allen : [video=youtube;etgTogijddQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etgTogijddQ[/video] But then... : [video=youtube;wif3Kr0y5js]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wif3Kr0y5js[/video] In a race of mixed up things and wet dry and collisions Jenson came through to take the win. He came 6th in 06 with a respectable 56 points, but now he had got the win.. when would he get a title???.... .... Not in 07. Alan Henry writing in The Guardian 2007 F1 season guide, predicted: "Button will win a couple more races but is not a title contender." He was proved to be wrong, as the Honda RA107 proved to be aerodynamically poor. 6 points and 15th was the reality and no wins. In 08 the Honda RA108 proved to be uncompetitive as the he Honda RA107 and 6th in Spain was all.On 5 December 2008, Honda announced that they were quitting Formula One, due to the global economic crisis, leaving Button's chances of a drive in 2009 dependent on the team finding a buyer. Would this be the end of a "fruitless career" ... or would it be a fairytale story... On 5 March 2009, it was announced that the former Honda team would race in 2009 as Brawn GP, following a late buy-out by Ross Brawn, the previous team principal of Honda Racing. The big question was how quick would the car be competitive? It was he got a pole and got the win at the Season Opener in Australia. please log in to view this image Futher wins at Bahrain, Spain, Monaco , Malaysia and Turkey just secured him his first world championship, despite some mid season struggles. The reason behind the pace was a good aero package along with a Mercedes engine and the Double Diffuser. Jenson described his success at Brazil as " Pretty amazing" after a champions drive in Brazil. He decided to move to McLaren in 2010 going into Lewis's team the media said. However he got the first win at Melbourne with a racer's change to slicks and in China stayed out on a damp track on slicks while others opted for Inters. A McLaren one - two and it looked good between the two, who looked like they got on well to the surprise of the Media and Fans. please log in to view this image But in Turkey there was a little battle between the two of them just after they were handed the one - two by Red Bull losing it all. [video=youtube;8e87FQtd8Xo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e87FQtd8Xo&feature=related[/video] They were little hints of anger in the team, but that was out of the way after a one two in Canada. please log in to view this image No more wins came for Jenson, but he got a impressive 2nd at Monza with a Big Wing and I admired him for that he stayed in the title battle for all the season until Korea where he pretty much wrote off his chances off with a poor 12th place. So he came 5th with 214 points just 26 behind teammate Lewis. In 2011 he gave his feedback to the team and the car looked like a "pace setter" but it was not. In testing they were miles of the pace. But in Melbourne they got it together with Lewis taking 2nd while Jenson fighting with Massa cut the Turn 11/12 complex and got a drive through for not giving the place back. He got an awe inspiring win at Canada in the wet despite 6 stops and contact with Alonso and Hamilton. Another win came in Hungary at his 200th Grand Prix with more dry/wet weather decisions as he stayed out and Lewis pitted for inters and that was the wrong choice as the rain shower was brief. At the moment in 2011 he is 3 points ahead of Lewis. As we have already discussed whether he will beat Lewis, my question is... Will he win another World Championship?
makes me wonder though, if not for the vast rule and regulation changes to the cars in 2009, would jenson have ever been a champion or would he have slipped under the carpet as a one-win wonder?
Jenson has always been a great driver, he just never had a competitive car until 2009, that's how I see it. Its all about the car in this sport as 80% of the drivers in F1 have what it takes to win the title.
I think the 2 seasons that you can judge JB by prior to his WDC are his 1st season and the 2004 season! His entry into F1 with a midfield Williams was very good and he was unlucky to lose his drive to Montoya, and to be dropped into the Benetton dog was rubbing salt into the wounds! You could argue that if either Alonso or hammilton had experienced the same, their careers may have ended very different to date! His 2004 season was exceptional and he was the only one who took it to Ferrari, who had an exceptional car, and the fastest driver with clear No1 status and team orders! Those 2 seasons (IMO) show that your career is dictated by the available drives which (by luck or judgement) fell into his favour in 2009 - he did what pretty much all other WDC have done in the past! Drove the fastest car (or one of the fastest as I believe the RB was faster in the latter part of the season) with the fewest amount of mistakes possible! I hope he wins another WDC and alot will depend on the machinery available, but if either he or Hammilton do (as team mates) they deserve their titel over any other driver who is shown favourtism - because they will have done it the hard and fair way!
makes you wonder though if Renault had dropped Trulli and kept Button instead like they should have done, how Jenson would have fared against Alonso.
After having a long spell of being in the wrong car at the right time, I think he was due a bit of luck. Sticking with Honda/Brawn paid off and he deservedly won the title. The rule changes helped, but every other team had to cope with those same changes. Brawn pulled a rabbit out of the hat and took everybody by surprise. I'm just glad that Jenson didn't jump ship that year. That would have been a blow! Since '09, Jenson is rejuvenated. He really seems to have developed in leaps and bounds. Part way through '09 I thought he was going to have a mental breakdown. He looked pretty stressed at times but since clinching that title he's more relaxed again and seems to be really enjoying himself. Two best moves of Jenson's career.... Sticking with Honda/Brawn and making the move to McLaren. If the car is good early on next season, I expect him to be in the thick of the championship battle.
One other thing to add. It's incredible that we're discussing the possibility of another title for Button. There was so much talk of it being his only chance and that if he did win, he'd be an undeserving champion. Jenson has really silenced his critics over that last two season.
Good effort Apex. Some excellent research and a lot of effort has gone into this rigorously thorough article. Forgive me - for it is not my wish to patronise; I simply have to say "well done". To produce this sort of thing for one driver is quite an achievement and can be the result of passion for the individual one focusses upon; but to do it for two drivers is very very impressive. A*.
I don't see him winning another title. It would be nice if he did, but as long as there is Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, and Adrian Newey, i just don't see it happening. How can he win another title when he isn't even the quickest driver in the mclaren team?
I think the better the Mclaren is the closer Button and Hamilton are speed wise, and vice verse, the worse the Mclaren is the bigger the gap it. So if Mclaren produce a proper championship winning capable car I do not see any reason why Button will not be able to challenge for it and win it.
But he does have more points than Lewis at this point? so If Mclaren were a better team than Red bull then he would be leading the WDC. Lets see if he can keep ahead of Lewis till the end. That would be an achievment. BTW good post OP, looking forward to your write up on Keke Rosberg next =P
If he remains at McLaren for a few years, he has a good chance of winning the Championship - but it's possible that Ferrari could sign him. Apparently McLaren "can't afford to keep Jenson because they pay Lewis so much." That could be why McLaren haven't secured Button's services for 2012 yet.
Yeah, I read that as well. I think McLaren should try and keep him because Ferrari would not suit him with Alonso there.
Alonso is Ferrari's focus for the championship for the next 4 years or so. And anyway he works well at McLaren and he says he feels at home.
That's not true. He does, but there's nothing to suggest he wouldn't work well and feel at home with Ferrari. If Ferrari really want Button, they will almost certainly pay him more than what McLaren would offer.
While I think Button should stay at Mclaren because he is already settled there and driving very well, I do not think he would have any problems fitting in at Ferrari and working with Alonso because Alonso and Ferrari are not as bad as the media make them out as and Button seems to be able to work with anyone. Remember some people were saying when he moved to Mclaren that it was a terrible move and he was going to get "destroyed" by Hamilton in "his" team. Well that did not really come true did it. That said I think Mclaren would be very stupid to let Button go, especially to a rival, although a Alonso/Button line up would be pretty immense and stronger (in my opinion) to the Button/Hamilton line up.
Then why did Ferrari sign him until what 2016 and not resign Massa for anywhere near 2016? Ferrari would be horrible for Jenson, I am afraid. Lewis and Jenson are getting on well, so why leave when you have got a good car and go to team where he will be asked to move over at every occasion when Fernando is behind him.
