Jenson Button
To become an established front line Grand Prix driver requires not only talent, but also more than a modicum of luck. Many a fine driver has seen his career prospects blunted by being in wrong team at the wrong time and missed the chance to climb to the very top. Jenson Button however seems to have had charmed life in the Formula 1 game of snakes and ladders, climbing inexorably toward the top rung, when it appeared on more than one occasion he may have been in danger of slithering out of the upper echelon.
Jenson’s karting career began at the age of eight, and he quickly became the boy to beat in whatever class he contested. Winning the 1990 and 1991 British Cadet Championships merely served as springboard to three British Open Kart titles, followed by an Italian ICA championship in 1995. Two years later Jenson became the youngest ever European Super A champion and then crowned his karting career with a trip to Japan to win the Ayrton Senna Memorial Cup.
Much was expected when he switched to cars the following year, and he did not disappoint, taking nine wins on his way to the British FF championship at his first attempt, and also winning the prestigious Formula Ford Festival which earned him the 1998 McLaren Autosport Young Driver Award.
The ‘Frome Flyer’ was promoted to the British F3 series where a pole position in his first race and a maiden victory in his third at Thruxton showed he had the speed to compete with more experienced competitors. Button won two more races and finished third in the series, but already a run in a McLaren MP4/13 and then a test for Prost – where he outpaced Jean Alesi – alerted Formula 1’s talent spotters that he was someone special.
Suddenly Formula 1 with a seat at Williams beckoned, but only after he had won a ‘shoot-out’ with F3000 winner Bruno Junqueira. At the tender age of twenty Jenson found himself on the grid at Melbourne in March 2000 where his dry wit, easy charm and calm demeanour stood him good stead in front of the media hordes. He drove confidently on his debut before an engine failure sidelined the car and indeed his first season was quietly impressive, taking eighth place in the final standings. Despite a five-year contract, Button was always under pressure to perform in his rookie season, especially when Juan Pablo Montoya was confirmed for 2001 leaving Jenson to be loaned out to Benetton for a two-year period with a return to Grove planned for 2003.
His first year at Benetton would be a character building one, as his early golden promise seemed to be fading with rumours that his recently acquired F1 lifestyle was deflecting him from focussing his efforts to master a recalcitrant car. With just two points scored the season yielded little, but having retained the faith of Flavio Briatore for 2002, Jenson was about to regain some career momentum as the Renault upsurge began. The first half of the year went well, with Button scoring points on a regular basis, but in mid-season it was announced the he was to be replaced by test driver Fernando Alonso for 2003 and almost inevitably came a dip in his performances.
Crucially for Button – and his career – David Richards of BAR Honda moved quickly to sign the 22 year old, offering him the security of a two-year deal with a two-year option. Despite it being a difficult first year, Richards brought order to the previously somewhat unproductive regime and Jenson quietly set about overshadowing his incumbent team mate Jacques Villeneuve. Before the end of the year, the out-of-favour Canadian had walked, leaving Button as the team’s key driver for 2004.
At last BAR came up with an excellent car and Jenson blossomed with the BAR-Honda 006 at his disposal. Although never able to beat the Ferraris, Jenson consistently carried the fight to Maranello making ten visits to the podium in the process of scoring 85 points. A victory was tantalisingly close, with Button finishing second place at Imola, Monaco, Hockenheim and Shanghai. The only shadow on the year was Button’s ill-advised attempt after the German GP to extricate himself from the team and sign for Williams-BMW in 2005. The matter was taken to the FIA Contract Recognition Board who ruled in favour of BAR, citing that Jenson’s contract with the team took precedence over any earlier agreement with Williams. Jenson reluctantly accepted the decision, but signed for the Williams team in 2006 in the belief that the partnership with BMW was his best chance of long-term success.
So for 2005, Button knuckled down at BAR, overcoming a sticky start to the year with the 007 car and it’s subsequent disqualification from the San Marino Grand Prix. With the team then suspended, Jenson was then forced to sit out the following two grands prix and his season only kicked in at the French Grand Prix. Fourth place started a splendidly consistent run of ten consecutive points scoring finishes, but it was all overshadowed by Button’s volte-face on his 2006 Williams Contract. Bound into a water tight agreement, Sir Frank Williams played hardball with the disaffected driver, and eventually forced a heavy financial settlement from him for his release. However, Jenson and his advisors had the consolation of a five-year agreement with Honda was seen as more than adequate compensation.
Despite 3 pole positions, going into the 2006 season with no wins after 118 races had left Button looking like a man who might never win a Grand Prix. Even more so after a disheartening run of unreliability and indifferent results. However the weather was to prove his greatest ally in his maiden victory at the Hungaroring as heavy cloud and intermittent rain replaced the normal blazing Budapest August sunshine. Jenson driving beautifully in the difficult conditions aided by his team’s excellent strategy pulled off his first Grand Prix win whilst others foundered.
Despite there being an element of luck about the victory, the breakthrough win certainly gave Button a new-found confidence. Having joined that elite echelon of Grand Prix winners, Button was no doubt aiming at a loftier – and far more difficult target – the World Championship itself. However in 2007 his ambitions were brought crashing to earth when the Honda RA107 proved to be an embarrassing failure. The inherent faults that the car possessed could not be ironed out and Button was left struggling to scrape together just six points throughout a character-building year.
With Lewis Hamilton having taken centre stage as Britain’s latest Championship hope, Jenson, showed great maturity and no little sardonic humour, as he accepted his position as a midfield runner once more. His hopes for an upturn in the future appear to wrest with Honda’s appointment of Ross Brawn…
