Jenson Button -The Legend of the Little Master
He stands proud as part of the Hall Of Fame for the Formula One. The 2009 World Champion, Jenson Button, kept growing in the sport starting from a carefree lad, puzzled with too much too soon finally into a survivor of the tough battle. His triumph of the title fell in his lap unexpectedly, somewhat due to the circumstances that raised him over the other contenders but in the days to come Jenson Button proved that the bigger credit of winning goes to his unmatched talent and determination that actually elevated him to heights where he stands today.
Jenson Button from his early childhood was thrilled by motorsport. This energetic, determined little boy often forgot to blink his eyes as he sat in front of the TV to watch the races. Starting with bikes at the age of seven he moved to Kart at eight. This kart gave him his first victory and also gave the unquenchable thirst of victory.
This easy going and always cheerful young boy, was sure even at that time that the Formula One is his destiny. It was not very long that this famous friendly boy gained popularity in the Karting world.
His father John Button had been his first coach who had helped him with his racing career throughout. Despite the fact that the Buttons had been short on money often but their kart adventures kept increasing. By the time he grew 11-year-old Jenson had already won all thirty four races in the British Cadet category and also had bagged a contract with an Italian-based professional team. Soon the hobby turned to a career and at seventeen he emerged as the youngest driver who had ever won the European Formula Super A Championship.
By the time when the old race lovers were comparing him to Ayrton Senna, the late World Champion, Jenson’s first attempt to get a license to drive a road car failed because his examiner got scared when he speeded through a narrow gap in the traffic. However, this was the same quick, smooth, and tested technique that helped him win the 1998 British Formula Ford Championship and only after a year he was briskly and confidently testing Alain Prost's F1 cars. It was the Christmas evening when he received a phone call from Frank Williams, inviting him to test a Williams F1 car. He had grown twenty years and five days old, when Jenson and John Button stood bursting into tears when Frank Williams told him that he had a job of driving at the 2000 edition of the Williams-BMW F1 team.
The season went well, as he ended the sport's youngest ever point scorer but Williams moved Jenson to Benetton-Renault for the coming two seasons. These early years were less filled with on track achievements but spelled some popular off track stories like the series of girlfriends, the Monaco flat, the Ferrari road car, the long 72 foot yacht, all stories big enough to keep him distracted from his racing career. Jenson, in the following years admitted that all this nearly cost him his career. Some even declared him to be “just a lazy playboy".
Jenson outperformed in the year 2004 and went for a brilliant finish of being third overall in the Championship. Later, everyone was astonished as he signed a contract returning to his previous team, Williams. But owing to a dispute for his services the Contract Recognition Board ruled that he needs to stay at BAR-Honda for the year 2005 and after the year he can move to the Williams.
Button was successful in grabbing his first victory in the 2006 at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The following two years were frustrating for him as the ineffective cars prevented him from any podiums or even minor victories and he shockingly withdrew from the sport in late 2008.
2009 brought a miraculous resurrection for the champ as the Brawn GP team came up and stood as title contenders.
Amidst all the controversies and gossips the Brawn-Mercedes driven magnificently by Jenson Button won six out of the seven early races of the season. He was not able to win more races that year but was able to steadily keep shoving more than enough points to hold his driving title firmly and also helping secure the Constructors' Championship of 2009 for his team Brawn.
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