2009 F1 champion Jenson Button: Climbing the hills of difficulties towards success – Formula 1
Becoming the world champion in his 10th world Formula 1 season, Jenson Button currently holds the record of Britain’s highest point scorer driver in Formula 1.
The dashing and attractive personality was on the down side of advantage and struggled more than any other British driver to make his way in a champion team where he can show his true ability to drive.
Currently a McLaren driver, Button is in his 12th Formula 1 season. Button equals a world record of winning the first six of the seven grands prix of a Formula 1 season. The Brit is one of the few drivers who took more than 100 grands prix to
register their first win. He is also the youngest Formula 1 driver for Britain.
Starting in a similar fashion as many Formula 1 drivers have done in recent years, Button began Karting at the age of eight when his father bought him one. He won the British Super Prix at the age of 9. In 1991, at the age of 11, Button clean swept the British
Cadet Kart Championship by winning all the 34 races.
His further junior wins include British Open Kart Championship, Ayrton Senna Memorial Cup and the European Super A Championship.
In 1998, at the age of 18, Button won a drive in the McLaren Formula 1 car when he won the McLaren Autosport Young Driver Award.
In 1999, after struggling for almost 11 years in lower ranked cars, Button was given a chance to drive for the Williams team in place of Alex Zanardi. Button grabbed the opportunity with both hands and outperformed Bruno Junqueira to secure a seat in Williams’
team.
He became the youngest Formula 1 driver from Britain, but unlike his current British teammate Lewis Hamilton, Button started his career in a lower ranked team after which he lost his age advantage and was not able to make any more records.
Starting his career in the Australian Grand Prix in the 2000 season, Button crashed his car in practice session to make it a memorable debut. However, he qualified for the race and was showing good progress only before his car’s engine failed only 11 laps
before the chequered flag.
He became the youngest driver ever to score a point at that time when he finished sixth in the Brazilian Grand Prix. Button outperformed his teammate, Ralf Schumacher, but still was replaced halfway through the season by Juan Pablo Montoya.
2001 was Button’s worst year when he joined the Benetton team and scored only two points in the whole season. In 2002, Benetton were renamed as Renault and Button was joined by Jarno Trulli. Button performed well in the season and ended seventh 14 points
ahead of his teammate, Trulli.
From 2003 to 2005, Button remained with the BAR team. He was not warmly welcomed by his teammate, Jacques Villeneuve who blamed him as a celebrity poster more than a driver. Button showed his pace and outpaced his teammate in the first six races of the 2003
season. The Brit finished 9th in the 2003 and 2005 seasons whereas in 2004, Button came third with 85 championship points.
For the next three years, he was signed by the Honda team. Button took his first race win in the 2006 season’s Hungarian Grand Prix. It was his 113th race. He remained with the Honda team for two more years but his performance declined.
2009 was Button’s year, when he joined the Brawn GP team. After coming from a completely disastrous performance in the last eight years, Button pulled a miracle off in the Brawn car. The Brit equalled the world record by winning the first six of the seven
races of 2009 Formula 1 season.
For 2010 onwards, Button joined the McLaren team alongside another British man, Lewis Hamilton. He finished fifth in the drivers’ championship in the 2010 season.
With all the struggling years that Button has had, he was finally recognised as a talent and now drives a highly sophisticated and fast McLaren car.
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