This year’s Bahrain Grand Prix marked Jenson Button’s 250th Formula One race. Whilst I’m sure there’s plenty more to come from one of Formula One’s great characters I thought it would be a good time to look at Button’s story so far. Born on 19th January 1980 into a motor racing family, his father having competed in rally cross. Baby Button was named after the Classic British car mark Jenson who’s most famous car was the “interceptor”. At the age of just eight years old, he started on his way to motor racing glory and to the FIA world championship by racing in karts and achieving early success, winning all of the events in the 1992 British cadet series.
More karting success followed before at eighteen years old he progressed into Formula Ford. Yet more triumphs followed with nine race wins and the championship, also winning the Formula Ford festival ahead of Dan Wheldon. In 1998 he won the McLaren Autosport BRDC young driver of the year award. Then at just nineteen it was onto British Formula Three, finishing third with three wins and ending the season as the top rookie. His impressive drives caught the eye of the Formula One community not least Sir Frank Williams.
Jenson Button landed a drive for Williams for the 2000 season, having fought off Bruno Junquiera in a drive off for the race seat. After only one season with Williams, Button moved onto Benetton in 2001 which later became Renault in 2002. At this stage in his Formula One career and like a lot of young men thrust into the limelight with a substantial wage cheque in his pocket he had what I would describe as his playboy stage, where partying, splashing the cash and fun with the “ladies” seemed to take priority in his life. This did not go unnoticed by the media or his team boss, one Flavio Briatore who publicly spoke out about Button’s lack of commitment and work rate, although he continued to score regular points it was felt that he was not making the most of his undoubted talent. The relationship broke down and Button was on the move again, this time to Bar Honda which later became Honda, another well respected mark in Formula One.
After six years in the sport he finally achieved his first win in the Hungaroring in 2006. With very little to show for their substantial investment and a global recession Honda made the decision to leave Formula One. This left the team and Button in limbo for the 2009 season. This is where Button’s career took a turn for the better. A management buyout led by Ross Brawn and Nick Fry led the team into a fairytale season with a one-two finish in their first outing in Australia’s Melbourne Grand Prix. Under Ross Brawn’s leadership and with the former Honda team now sporting a competitive Mercedes engine and rebadged as Brawn GP, this new team stormed to both Constructors’ and Drivers’ World Championship in their first and only season with the now infamous double diffuser.
In 2010 button made the decision to move to McLaren and into what most people saw as Lewis Hamilton’s team, many thinking that he would be overwhelmed by Lewis Hamilton’s raw speed. Jenson Button knew better. His smooth style of driving matched Hamilton if not for outright speed but for success and despite the mass media telling us they would fall out nothing could have been further from the truth. I can only remember one incident on track where they collided but even that blip didn’t seem to hurt the ongoing friendship.
Today Jenson Button is still at McLaren, Lewis Hamilton has moved on and Button has had the challenge of having two younger teammates to deal with. Having already seen off Sergio Perez, he’s now partnered with the impressive Kevin Magnussen. In his personal life Jenson Button has recently lost his father John, who was ever present at his side throughout his career. He was a loss to the whole of the F1 family, we will all miss his pink shirts and after race interviews. Button had recently announced his engagement to his long-term girlfriend Jessica, a part of team Button who he will need more than ever in the absence of “papa smurf” (his Dad). Jenson Button also continues with his love of triathlon racing, now holding his own event in Luton Hoo.
As for the future? Well Honda are back with McLaren to give us that iconic McLaren-Honda name. And a championship? I’m not sure he’s got that in him with so many young guns around, and with Honda to bed in, but I am sure of more wins and podiums. Hopefully we will have a good few more years of the jovial character that is Jenson Button, and I will be able to write another chapter to this bio in 100 races time. For now we should just enjoy one of the great drivers in the world showcase his talents.
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