Jenson Button

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Jenson Button

Wednesday 14th February 2007

After the highs of 2006, which saw Jenson Button claim his first grand prix win, the Brit's results hit an all-time low in 2007 as a result of Honda's aerodynamically poor F1 car.

It's hard to remember when a driver's debut caused quite so much controversy, but when Frank Williams announced that a 20-year-old was to line up alongside Ralf Schumacher for the 2000 season, the media went in to overdrive.

The Frome youngster (as he was then known) managed to silence his critics with a series of impressive track performances however.

A nightmare qualifying hour in Australia saw him start his first race from 21st on the grid, but things got noticably better as the season progressed.

Button claimed his first world championship point in Brazil as a result of David Coulthard's disqualification, and the youngster went on to finish eighth in the 2000 drivers' championship with 12 points.

One of the highlights of the year was in Belgium, where a third-placed Button lined up on the grid ahead of hero Michael Schumacher.

But this was one occasion when his inexperience let him down; an over-ambitious passing manoeuvre dropped him back early in the race, spinning an unimpressed Jarno Trulli into retirement at the same time.

Despite a strong debut season, Jenson was dropped in favour of ChampCar star Juan Pablo Montoya, and the Englishman found himself on loan to Benetton (soon to become Renault) for the next two seasons.

2001 was a disaster for the team as they struggled with an overly-flexing chassis and a radical new engine, believed to have a V-angle of 111 degrees.

Jenson and team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella's pace was slow, but Fisi muscled more out of the car than his more inexperienced team-mate.

There was subsequent criticism that Jenson was too keen on the trappings of being an F1 driver and his focus on the job had diminished.

Things came to a head when the Monaco harbour master provided Jenson's yacht a better position than his team boss Flavio Briatore during the grand prix weekend. Suffice to say, Flav wasn't amused.

Jenson's subsequent split with managers Steve and David Robertson, who had landed him his Williams contract, led to a more stable period during 2002 when he frequently outraced and outscored new team-mate Jarno Trulli, even if he wasn't able to outqualify him.

Button was on course to claim his first-ever podium position in the Malaysian GP, but a suspension failure an agonising two laps before the end of the race meant he had to limp home in fourth place.

Just before the French GP the Renault team announced they would be replacing Jenson in 2003 with a driver - like Trulli - also managed by Flavio Briatore, Fernando Alonso.

At the end of 2002 Jenson switched to BAR. It was a move that was to be the making of the young Englishman.

Paired with Jacques Villeneuve, Jenson more than matched his illustrious team-mate, even if that elusive first podium remained just out of reach.

But if 2003 was an impressive retort to his critics, 2004 muted any claim that, to quote Villeneuve, Button was merely a 'boyband member.'

Driving with the smooth style that was a highlight of the campaign, Jenson broke his podium duck in the second race of the season. Another duly followed at Bahrain, and Jenson then went one better by finishing second at Imola having started the race on pole.

He finished second again at Monaco, and in all made 10 separate trips to the podium during the season.

Yet if Jenson was never out of the limelight in 2005 it wasn't entirely due to his eye-catching performances on the track.

At the start of August Jenson stunned the world of F1 by announcing that he had signed a contract to drive for Williams.

A shocked BAR team immediately claimed that they were the only team to hold a valid contract with Jenson. The increasingly-tedious saga dragged on for months and while Jenson's performances never waned, the issue proved to be an unwelcome and unedifying distraction.

It wasn't until the week before the season finale at Brazil that F1's Contract Recognition Board ruled in BAR's favour and confirmed that Jenson had to remain at Brackley.

Not that the fallout ended there, however, with Jenson ditching manager and advisor John Byfield over the winter.

Jenson's desire to join Williams seemed justified when his 2005 campaign began with a string of nine pointless finishes, three of which were courtesy of a FIA ban imposed on BAR after the San Marino Grand Prix.

But the team bounced back with JB scoring points in every one of the final 10 races.

The grit and determination shown by BAR also convinced Jense that Honda and not Williams held the key to him winning a drivers' championship title.

Yet another contractual fiasco ensued, although instead of leaving this one to the courts, JB bought his way out of his Williams deal and signed a long-term contract with Honda Racing.

2006 saw him race alongside a new team-mate in Rubens Barrichello, and it wasn't long before Jense had the upper hand and was clearly entrenched as Honda's No.1 driver.

That was further highlighted when the Brit, and not experienced race-winner Barrichello, clinched Honda's first-ever victory at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix.

And although some would argue that Button's win was handed to him by the misfortunes suffered by the likes of Alonso and Schumacher, a win is a win no matter how it comes about. Even his 'Button-bashing' detractors acknowledged that Jenson produced a fabulous drive in extremely difficult circumstances.

The ten points earned through his long-awaited maiden victory helped the Brit to sixth place in the Drivers' standings.

Despite starting the 2007 season with high hopes, which included predictions of more wins to come, the season-opening Australian GP quickly put things into perspective for Jense and Honda.

He qualified down in 14th place as a result of handling problems and the race was no better as he endured considerable understeer throughout, was given a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane and finished 15th.

The next two races in Malaysia and Bahrain were just as unsuccessful, Button finishing 12th behind team-mate Rubens Barrichello in Malaysia, and not even completing a lap in Bahrain after colliding with Red Bull Racing driver David Coulthard at the first corner.

And despite clearly trying his best, the points just didn't come to as Honda's car proved to be aerodynamically poor, difficult to drive and too slow.

However, at the French GP there was signs of improve as Jense brought his car home in eighth place, earning his and Honda's first point of the season.

Another dry spell, lasting for four races, followed before he was back in the points in Italy. But once again it was just an eighth placed finish.

Describing Honda's 2007 car as "a complete dog", Jense once again battled his way around the race-tracks before finally hitting pay dirt at the Chinese GP where he finished in fifth place - his and Honda's best result in a hugely disappointing season.

The season ended with Button threatening to leave Honda if they don't improve in 2008, which was followed by the team's announcement that tech guru Ross Brawn would be taking over at the helm.

But whether Brawn can do enough in one season to ensure that Button sticks around long-term remains to be seen.

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