Jenson Button won the 2009 Formula One World Championship when he drove for the Brawn GP team.
178 Facts About Jenson Button
2.
Jenson Button currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No 15 Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing with support from Stewart-Haas Racing and sponsorship from Mobil 1.
3.
Jenson Button first drove in F1 with Williams for the 2000 season.
4.
Jenson Button finished third in the 2004 World Drivers' Championship, before falling to ninth in the 2005 championship.
5.
BAR was renamed and became the Honda team for the 2006 season, during which Jenson Button won his first Grand Prix at the Hungarian Grand Prix, after 113 races.
6.
Jenson Button went on to win a record-equalling six of the first seven races of the 2009 season, securing the World Drivers' Championship at the Brazilian Grand Prix, having led on points all season; his success helped Brawn GP to secure the World Constructors' Championship.
7.
Jenson Button was born on 19 January 1980 in Frome, Somerset and brought up in nearby Vobster, Mells.
8.
Jenson Button is the fourth child of the half-South African Simone Lyons and former rallycross driver John Button from London's East End, who was well known in the United Kingdom during most of the 1970s for racing his Volkswagen Type 1, which was nicknamed the Colorado Beetle.
9.
Jenson Button's parents met in Newquay at a young age and were reunited after a musical concert at Longleat.
10.
Jenson Button enjoyed racing from an early age, racing a BMX bike with friends after school, and began watching Formula One motor racing with his father around the age of five or six.
11.
Jenson Button idolised four-time world champion Alain Prost for his calm personality and intellectual approach to driving.
12.
Jenson Button was educated at Vallis First School, Selwood Middle School and Frome Community College.
13.
Jenson Button failed his first driving test for driving between two cars on a narrow road.
14.
Jenson Button's father gave him a 50cc bike for his seventh birthday; he discarded it after half an hour because it lacked speed, which would have required his father to remove its restrictor, and he disliked his father's idea of progressing to the 80cc category.
15.
Jenson Button received the kart as a Christmas present in 1987 and he began karting at the Clay Pigeon Raceway in May 1988 aged eight following repeated questions by club members to his father on when Jenson Button would start racing.
16.
Jenson Button was required to drive on slick tyres on a wet track because his father wanted him to learn car control on a sodden surface and taught him basic driving techniques by standing at a corner and pointing to where his son should brake.
17.
In 1989, aged nine, Jenson Button won the British Super Prix.
18.
Midway through the year, his father spoke to him about progressing to the club level since others noticed he was competitive, which Jenson Button was interested in.
19.
Jenson Button won all 34 races of the 1991 British Cadet Kart Championship and the title with team Wright Karts.
20.
Jenson Button was required to manage the condition of his tyres to retain grip.
21.
The family telephoned Spencer for advice; he and Jenson Button's father constructed the young boy's karts and influenced his school headteacher to change his fitness regime and had to eschew unhealthy beverages.
22.
Jenson Button was fourth in the 1994 RAC British Junior Championship after losing the opportunity to claim the title through a series of accidents.
23.
Jenson Button joined the Birel team for that year's Junior Intercontinental A European Championship and raced as a professional in the Junior Intercontinental A Italian Winter Championship.
24.
Jenson Button was the youngest runner-up of the Formula A World Championship at age 15.
25.
Jenson Button was signed to drive Tecno-Rotax karts for Team GKS, coming fifth in the 1996 European Formula A Championship, third in the Formula A World Cup, and third in the American Championship.
26.
Jenson Button won the Ayrton Senna Memorial Cup for finishing second in the 1997 Japanese World Cup, and became the youngest driver and first Briton to claim the European Super A Championship.
27.
Jenson Button was runner-up in the Winter Cup before the European Super A Championship.
28.
Aged 18, Jenson Button moved into single seater car racing after his mentor Paul Lemmens spoke to racing manager and former driver Harald Huysman about him.
29.
Jenson Button was signed to businessman David Robertson and Huysman's managerial stable, who found him sponsorship to continue driving.
30.
Huysman and Robertson wanted Jenson Button to enter Formula Three but Jenson Button said he could not do so with his inexperience in car racing and did not want to enter the category for fear of immediately being uncompetitive.
31.
Jenson Button instead moved to Formula Ford for the 1998 season.
32.
Jenson Button took the British Formula Ford Championship in a Haywood Racing Mygale SJ98 car with nine victories and won the season-ending Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch.
33.
Jenson Button finished runner-up in the European Formula Ford Championship with one victory from four races.
34.
Jenson Button impressed Saulnier and accepted his offer to drive at Promatecme.
35.
Jenson Button drove in the British Formula 3 International Series in 1999 in a slightly underpowered Renault-Dallara F399 car compared to the Mugen-Honda engine, with guidance from trainer-physiotherapist Josef Leberer.
36.
Jenson Button finished fifth and second respectively in the Marlboro Masters and Macau Grand Prix, losing out by 0.035 seconds to Darren Manning in Macau.
37.
Jenson Button did not want another year in F3 and twice tested a higher-tier Formula 3000 car with both the Super Nova Racing and Fortec Motorsport teams at the Jerez circuit in Spain, which he disliked because its sequential gearbox forced him to drive aggressively, and found the cars somewhat heavy.
38.
Jenson Button tested for the Prost team at the Circuit de Catalunya after the team owner Alain Prost was impressed by Button's ability and asked him to test.
39.
Prost offered Jenson Button a drive at his F3000 squad before becoming his F1 team's test driver for one season to prepare for competitive driving.
40.
Jenson Button did not commit because Prost had not prepared to fulfill the promise of a F1 seat.
41.
Huysman and Robertson declined Dennis' offer for Jenson Button to join the McLaren team and a seat from Jaguar chairman Jackie Stewart.
42.
Jenson Button's father instructed him to tell Williams he was indeed ready.
43.
Jenson Button talked with Williams and BMW motorsport director Gerhard Berger and a 'shoot-out' test was arranged between Jenson Button and F3000 racer and test driver Bruno Junqueira at Jerez in a Williams FW21B car modified by being fitted with an BMW engine.
44.
Jenson Button worked with a physiotherapist to help build his strength to drive an F1 car.
45.
Williams chose not to sell Jenson Button's contract, keeping the right to recall him in 2003.
46.
Jenson Button went to Benetton Formula on a two-year loan.
47.
Under safety car conditions Jenson Button swerved to avoid the pack which had bunched up, and crashed into a barrier.
48.
Jenson Button finished his debut season in eighth place with 12 points.
49.
For 2001, Jenson Button partnered experienced driver Giancarlo Fisichella at Benetton, which had recently been purchased by Renault.
50.
Jenson Button's car was very uncompetitive due to a lack of power steering and horsepower to the faster teams coupled with a lack of pre-season testing and he was consistently outperformed by his teammate.
51.
Jenson Button finished 17th in the Drivers' Championship with a total of two points scored; his best result was a fifth-place finish at the German Grand Prix.
52.
Briatore believed Jenson Button's inexperience showed as he struggled to help his team set up a competitive car.
53.
In late 2001, Briatore invited Jenson Button to spend ten days at a ranch in Kenya, to become acquainted with his peers and do physical training to eliminate a shoulder and back problem that had hindered him in 2001.
54.
Jenson Button spent a lot of time working with his engineering team and felt there was an improved understanding between them; Jenson Button described himself as "very confident" for the season.
55.
Jenson Button's performances were greatly improved from 2001 because his car had power steering and launch control; although often outqualified by Trulli, he showed the faster race pace to outscore his more experienced teammate.
56.
Briatore faced criticism for his decision, but stated "time will tell if I am wrong"; he would accuse Jenson Button of being a "lazy playboy".
57.
In July, Jenson Button signed a two-year contract with a two-year option for British American Racing with the option for a further two years after that to replace the outgoing Olivier Panis, partnering 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, after discussions with several teams fell through.
58.
Jenson Button faced early hostility from new teammate Villeneuve, who said Jenson Button "should be in a boy band" and was not on speaking terms with him.
59.
Jenson Button scored eight points in the first six races, including a fourth place at the Austrian Grand Prix.
60.
Jenson Button was cleared to race for the following Grand Prix in Montreal.
61.
Jenson Button continued to outperform his teammate and this helped rebuild his previously faltering reputation.
62.
Just before the final race in Japan, Villeneuve lost his seat at BAR, so Jenson Button was partnered with Takuma Sato; he took his second fourth place of the season, and finished ninth in the Drivers' Championship with 17 points.
63.
The 2004 season was the first in which Jenson Button was the more experienced driver in his team.
64.
Jenson Button was ambitious for the season, saying he wanted to challenge consistently for points and podium finishes.
65.
Jenson Button followed it up two weeks later with another third-place in Bahrain.
66.
Jenson Button took 10 podiums in 18 races, and scored no points in three.
67.
Jenson Button came third in the Drivers' Championship and helped BAR to take second in the Constructors' Championship.
68.
Jenson Button did so because BAR were not a works manufacturer team but Williams were in a partnership with BMW and felt they could help him win the Drivers' Championship.
69.
Jenson Button's management argued that the BAR option was not valid because it contained a clause allowing him to leave if BAR risked losing their Honda engines.
70.
Jenson Button separated from his manager John Byfield as a result, saying he had been badly advised.
71.
Jenson Button asked his friend Richard Goodard to manage him, and employed a personal assistant in restructuring his organisation.
72.
Jenson Button was unable to deal with regulation changes concerning aerodynamics and his car lacked pace as a result.
73.
Jenson Button was disqualified from third place at the San Marino Grand Prix after race scrutineers found his car had a second fuel tank inside the main one, that when drained, made his car underweight.
74.
Jenson Button had signed a pre-contract to drive for Williams in 2006, but he now believed his prospects of achieving his maiden Grand Prix victory would be better at BAR, and that his Williams contract was not binding.
75.
Frank Williams insisted the contract was fully binding, and that there would be "absolutely no turning back"; his team required Jenson Button to fulfill some contractual obligations with sponsors.
76.
BAR was renamed Honda prior to 2006 following a buyout by the Japanese manufacturer and Jenson Button was partnered by the experienced Rubens Barrichello.
77.
The new team performed well in testing, helped by the extra resources now available from Honda, and Jenson Button was confident in the car.
78.
Jenson Button had been frustrated by not converting his increasing experience and confidence in his driving into success in 2005 and was excited about Honda's car and engine development enabling race victory challenges.
79.
Jenson Button scored points in five of the first eleven races, finishing third at the second round, the Malaysian Grand Prix, and pole position for the following Australian Grand Prix.
80.
Jenson Button finished fourth or fifth at each of the next five races and ended the season with a podium finish at the final round in Brazil.
81.
Jenson Button was unable to partake in pre-season testing because of two hairline fractures to his ribs, sustained in a karting incident in late 2006.
82.
Jenson Button's year was worse than in 2006, driving within the middle of the field and usually qualifying outside of the top ten.
83.
Jenson Button scored six points over the course of the season for 15th overall with a best finish of fifth at the rain-affected Chinese Grand Prix.
84.
Jenson Button stayed with Honda for 2008, and continued to be partnered by Barrichello.
85.
Jenson Button was confident since the technical director Ross Brawn became Honda's team principal and noticed wind tunnel designs of the car.
86.
Jenson Button began working with human performance coach Michael Collier that year.
87.
Jenson Button was informed of the news by Goodard the day before and Button changed his plans to discuss the withdrawal with colleagues and not the performance of his 2009 car.
88.
Jenson Button declined an offer to drive for Red Bull Racing's junior team Toro Rosso because they would not give him a podium-winning car and they wanted sponsorship funding.
89.
Jenson Button signed a contract to drive for the team in 2009, and took a pay cut as part of the agreement.
90.
Jenson Button won six of the first seven races with four pole positions, having benefited from a double diffuser design making him and the Toyota and Williams teams faster than others.
91.
Once the major teams had introduced their own reconfigured diffusers Jenson Button's dominance ended, averaging sixth position in the following ten races and scoring 35 points after accumulating 61 in the first seven.
92.
At the Brazilian Grand Prix, Jenson Button was hampered in qualifying by a poor choice of tyres in the wet weather and could achieve 14th position.
93.
Jenson Button asked for a commitment to car development for 2010 and a close to a repeat performance of the 2009 season.
94.
Brawn and Fry said Mercedes would buy-out Brawn GP without locating potential sponsors, which Jenson Button found unappealing and told his manager Richard Goodard he desired a new challenge.
95.
Whitmarsh did not believe Jenson Button would leave Brawn GP since they had won the Championship; Goodard mentioned McLaren's competitiveness at the end of 2009 and partnering 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton appealed to Jenson Button.
96.
Jenson Button said he moved because he wanted the motivation and challenge from competing alongside Hamilton, but Whitmarsh cautioned the two before the start of the season he would observe any relationship problems between them.
97.
Jenson Button won at the Australian Grand Prix and the Chinese Grand Prix in variable weather to take the lead of the Drivers' Championship.
98.
Jenson Button later finished second in Turkey after a miscommunication with his team caused him to battle Hamilton for the victory.
99.
Jenson Button followed with two podium finishes and a trio of points scoring finishes to remain in contention for the championship.
100.
Jenson Button retired at the Belgian Grand Prix after Vettel hit him and punctured the radiator of his car.
101.
Jenson Button was mathematically eliminated from retaining the title with a fifth place in the race and took fifth in the championship with third in Abu Dhabi.
102.
Jenson Button believed the introduction of Pirelli tyres that season would suit his smooth driving style and said a world championship victory would make it difficult for him to retire from F1.
103.
Jenson Button began the season by finishing no lower than sixth in the first six races with three podium results.
104.
Jenson Button won the rain-affected Canadian Grand Prix after two collisions dropped him to the back of the field and overtaking Vettel when the latter ran wide on the slippery track on the final lap.
105.
Jenson Button then won the Hungarian Grand Prix, which was held in similar weather, and the Japanese Grand Prix, but his results over the course of the season mathematically eliminated him from championship contention when Vettel took the title in Japan.
106.
Jenson Button took 3 victories and 12 podium finishes to finish runner-up with 270 points.
107.
Whitmarsh wanted Jenson Button to remain at McLaren for the next three years while the latter held talks with Ferrari about a race seat in 2013.
108.
Jenson Button changed the set-up of his car and adapted himself to the tyres to retain temperature for better performance.
109.
The rest of Jenson Button's season saw him achieve wins in Belgium and Brazil and top-five finishes in five of the next seven rounds for fifth overall with 188 points.
110.
Jenson Button was joined at McLaren by Ferrari Driver Academy graduate Sergio Perez for 2013 and their relationship was cooler because the latter entered the team hastily.
111.
Jenson Button was appointed a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association in March 2013.
112.
Jenson Button was involved in aggressive driving from his teammate Perez early in the season in Bahrain and Monaco, annoying him.
113.
Jenson Button activated the terms of his contract to stay with McLaren for 2014 in September 2013, but considered taking a sabbatical from F1 following the unexpected death of his father in Monaco in January 2014.
114.
Jenson Button finished third at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix after Red Bull Racing driver Daniel Ricciardo was disqualified for a fuel flow consumption infringement and his team lost a subsequent appeal against the decision.
115.
Jenson Button achieved a quartet of fourth-place finishes and scored points seven more times for eighth in the Drivers' Championship and 126 points.
116.
Jenson Button became unenthusiastic over F1 and the press speculated on his future in the sport with rumors Alonso would be Magnussen's teammate in 2015.
117.
Jenson Button wanted to remain at McLaren but was made insecure about his career and told himself to concentrate on the present and not be concerned about the future.
118.
Dennis did not want Jenson Button to drive for McLaren but fellow team shareholder Mansour Ojjeh told him Jenson Button should remain over Magnussen after reviewing the situation.
119.
Jenson Button agreed to take a pay cut, with his contract containing the option for a second year; McLaren or Jenson Button were able to activate clauses to break the contract after the season if one of the parties desired it.
120.
Jenson Button struggled in 2015 due to an unreliable and an underpowered Honda engine lacking straightline speed, securing four top-ten finishes and a best result of sixth at the United States Grand Prix.
121.
Jenson Button was rarely able to progress past the first qualifying session and took 16th in the Drivers' Championship with 16 points.
122.
Jenson Button was retained by the McLaren team for 2016 following contractual discussions with Dennis and meetings with aerodynamics and engineers at the McLaren Technology Centre.
123.
Jenson Button received a 50 per cent pay rise by staying at McLaren for another year.
124.
Jenson Button had considered returning to the Williams team but decided against it.
125.
Jenson Button finished 15 of the 21 races that year, qualifying a season-high third at the Austrian Grand Prix, the highest start for the McLaren-Honda partnership.
126.
Jenson Button went on to finish the race a season-high sixth.
127.
Jenson Button was unable to finish higher than eighth thereafter and ended his full-time career with a suspension failure at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
128.
Jenson Button took 15th in the Drivers' Championship with 21 points finishing better than Alonso five times and qualifying higher on four occasions.
129.
Dennis asked Jenson Button to wait before returning for discussion to which he said he had already decided.
130.
Jenson Button suggested Button take a sabbatical and mull over the decision to retire while resting and made Button an ambassador for McLaren.
131.
Jenson Button was retained by McLaren as reserve driver with the option to return to full-time racing for the team in 2018 if he and McLaren agreed to it.
132.
Jenson Button was replaced as a GPDA director by Romain Grosjean.
133.
Jenson Button prepared in the team's simulator instead of testing in Bahrain because he would learn nothing by not driving on a narrow street circuit.
134.
Jenson Button retired late in the race following a collision with Sauber driver Pascal Wehrlein that damaged his car.
135.
In November 2017, Jenson Button was replaced as McLaren reserve driver by 2017 FIA Formula Three European champion Lando Norris for 2018.
136.
In January 2021, Jenson Button rejoined Williams as a senior advisor on a multi-year deal.
137.
Jenson Button focuses on the entire team and not one specific department but could not enter Williams' premises due to travel restrictions from the United States, and COVID-19 protocols restricted his mixing with team since he was in the Sky Sports broadcasting bubble.
138.
Jenson Button became interested in Super GT in about 2011, and discussions with Honda led to his series debut at the 2017 Suzuka 1000km in a NSX-GT for Team Mugen with teammates Hideki Mutoh and Daisuke Nakajima.
139.
Jenson Button considered racing as a third driver for Acura Team Penske's IMSA SportsCar Championship team, but was rejected.
140.
Jenson Button drove the full 2018 Super GT Series for Team Kunimitsu in the No 100 GT500-class Honda NSX-GT alongside Naoki Yamamoto; Jenson Button wanted to drive a Bridgestone-shod car and drivers recommended Yamamoto because he speaks English.
141.
Jenson Button's team helped him to communicate better, adapt to the series and its culture.
142.
Jenson Button held off Hirakawa to win the GT500 title by three points and was the first rookie champion since Toranosuke Takagi in 2005.
143.
Jenson Button finished 9th in the first race and 16th in the second.
144.
Jenson Button made his endurance racing debut at the 1999 24 Hours of Spa, sharing a BMW Team Raffanelli 320i E46 with David Saelens and Tomas Enge in the SP class, and retiring after 22 laps with fuel tank failure.
145.
Jenson Button finished fourth at the 6 Hours of Fuji and third at the following 6 Hours of Shanghai.
146.
Jenson Button missed the 1000 Miles of Sebring and 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps because of Super GT commitments, and the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans because his fiancee was due to give birth to their first child.
147.
Jenson Button made his British GT debut in the 2020 season's final round, the three-hour Silverstone 500, sharing the No 3 Jenson Team Rocket RJN McLaren 720S GT3 with team co-owner Chris Buncombe.
148.
Jenson Button is due to drive Hendrick Motorsports's NASCAR Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Garage 56 entry alongside sports car driver Mike Rockenfeller and NASCAR racer Jimmie Johnson at the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans.
149.
Jenson Button was invited to the Race of Champions six times: in 2007,2008,2009,2011,2015 and 2017, reaching the semi-finals of the Nations Cup with Andy Priaulx for Team Autosport in 2007 and 2008 and finishing second in 2009.
150.
In 2019, Jenson Button drove off-road races in a Rocket Motorsports-entered Brenthel Industries Spec 6100 TT class truck with Buncombe and managing director Mazen Fawaz his co-drivers.
151.
In 2020, while motor racing was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jenson Button participated in eSports races.
152.
In January 2021, Jenson Button launched JBXE to compete in the all-electric SUV off-road racing series Extreme E from the 2021 season on.
153.
Jenson Button made his first foray into historic racing at the 2021 Goodwood Revival, partaking in the Stirling Moss Trophy and the Royal Automobile Club TT Celebration races.
154.
Jenson Button will run three NASCAR Cup Series races in 2023 for Rick Ware Racing in the No 15 car, starting with the 2023 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas.
155.
Jenson Button adapted his style in go-karts and transferred it to more powerful machinery.
156.
Since 2000, Jenson Button has braked with his left foot, by dragging the brake pedal and stopping the car in less time to control and modulate power.
157.
Jenson Button is comfortable driving a car with understeer, prefers the rear to be stable into corners and on which he is able to lean on leaving them, and rarely locks the inside of his front tyres.
158.
Jenson Button's smooth driving means he cannot generate the necessary tyre temperature on a cool track.
159.
Jenson Button's driving gave him additional thought time and be less prone to making an error for improved consistency in races and notices events without the team necessarily instructing him on what to do.
160.
Jenson Button chose the number 22, which was the one he was assigned in his 2009 championship season.
161.
The BBC signed Jenson Button to promote its BBCi digital television interactive service from December 2003 to January 2004.
162.
Jenson Button worked with car builder Ant Anstead, designer Mark Stubbs and business adviser Roger Behle to relaunch luxury coach maker Radford in early 2021.
163.
Jenson Button is a patron of Make-A-Wish Foundation UK granting the wishes of terminally ill children and young persons, a sport ambassador for both The Prince's Trust and the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, and supports the Sean Edwards Foundation.
164.
Jenson Button is part of Johnnie Walker's Join The Pact initiative to promote responsible drinking, and began the Pink for Papa campaign in 2014 following the death of his father to raise funding for the Henry Surtees Foundation.
165.
Jenson Button ran a restaurant, Victus, in Harrogate from 2011 to 2012.
166.
Jenson Button was on the judging panel of the 2003 UK F1 Drivers' Challenge broadcast on the Five television programme Be A Grand Prix Driver, voiced his own character in the animated cartoon series Tooned, and since the 2018 British Grand Prix, has analysed select races for Sky Sports F1.
167.
Jenson Button finished second to footballer Ryan Giggs in voting for the 2009 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award.
168.
Jenson Button won the BBC West Country's Sports Personality of the Year and the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award.
169.
Jenson Button won the 2000 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Newcomer Award for finishing eighth in that year's F1 season, the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy in 2001, and the Hawthorn Memorial Trophy as the most successful British or Commonwealth driver in a season five times: from 2004 to 2006,2009 and 2011.
170.
Jenson Button was voted the Autosport Rookie of the Year in 2000, the International Racing Driver Award in 2004 and 2009, and the British Competition Driver of the Year in 2003,2009,2011 and 2012.
171.
Jenson Button won the BRDC Gold Star in 2004 and 2009, and was inducted into the FIA Hall of Fame in 2017.
172.
Jenson Button was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2010 New Year Honours for services to motorsport.
173.
Jenson Button received an honorary doctorate in engineering from the University of Bath in December 2016.
174.
Jenson Button has authored five books about his life and career.
175.
Jenson Button's hobbies include mountain biking, competing in triathlons and bodyboarding.
176.
Jenson Button was engaged to the English actress and singer Louise Griffiths before ending their five-year relationship in 2005.
177.
Jenson Button was married to his long-time Japanese girlfriend and model Jessica Michibata from 2014 to 2015.
178.
Jenson Button married American model Brittny Ward in 2022 with whom he has a son and a daughter.