by Russell Atkins
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On the eve of the Monaco Grand Prix, the undisputed jewel in Formula 1's glittering crown, British racing legend Sir
Stirling Moss has given his verdict on the sport's current Brit pack and it makes bleak reading if your name happens to be
Jenson Button.
The 27-year-old has suffered a torrid start to the new campaign his worst in eight seasons in the top flight and this despite his
Honda squad entering the year widely-regarded as a dark horse for at least race victories, and potentially even the championship. Not only has that failed to materialise with a best qualifying position of 14th in Australia and Spain and highest finish of 12th but Button has also had to endure
Lewis Hamilton's sensational arrival in
Formula 1, with the
McLaren star having immediately and almost seamlessly stolen the Somerset ace's mantle as top Brit. There may, Moss warns, be no way back.
I'm afraid quite honestly Jenson's time has passed, the 16-time grand prix winner told
Crash.net during the recent
GPlive nostalgic celebration at
Donington Park. Lewis has now come in and is very dedicated about it all. Jenson made a couple of difficult moves under what was probably not the best guidance. I don't know how that all happened, but there's no question the car Jenson has at the moment is not capable of winning.
Moss had rather more positive things to say, however, about fellow Brits
David Coulthard and
Anthony Davidson, with the former enjoying something of an Indian summer in his career at a resurgent
Red Bull Racing, and the latter having finally made his long-awaited and richly-deserved full-time grand prix debut with
Super Aguri.
