JENSON
BUTTON
The 2009 world champion is most
certainly not afraid of Lewis, and
wants you to know that racing is
still more important than money.
But he will admit one thing: he uses
the phrase ‘for sure’ far too much…
WORDS HANS SEEBERG PORTRAITS GLENN DUNBAR/LAT
enson Button bounds into the room
in jeans and a Brawn shirt, with the
sort of grin you might have if you’d
J just increased your salary by about
£4.5million. This will be his last day as an
employee at Brawn GP. In three hours
time, the worst kept secret in F1 will be
officially announced: Jenson Button is
joining McLaren in 2010. He knows.
We know. He knows we know. We know
he knows we know. But this being the
cloak-and-dagger world of F1, this silver
and orange, Woking-based elephant in
the room cannot be officially discussed.
040 F1 RACING JANUARY 2010
The 2009 F1 world champion has
always been polite and patient with the
increasing amount of work the modern
F1 driver has to do out of the car – just
as well considering where he’s off to next
season. But the simple fact of the matter
is, it would not have been a surprise had
Jenson not turned up to do this interview
and the others that will follow for other
media over the next eight hours. But he’s
here, eager to face a questions-based
firing squad from F1 Racing’s readers…
who may just have slipped in a couple
of sneaky ones about partnering Lewis
Hamilton and, after his reported contract
wrangling, whether money is now more
important to him than racing…
What was your first thought the
morning after your title triumph?
Joanna Lepowska, Poland
‘I’ve got to get a new phone,’ that’s what
I thought. My message beep is too loud
and it was going off non-stop with texts
from my family and friends. I probably
got about 150 messages in the few hours
after Brazil. It’s strange, because not
many people have got my number! h
F1 RACING JANUARY 2010 041
 Why is your dad always wearing
that same pink shirt?
Paul Karas, Australia
Well, I think he was wearing a pink shirt
when I won the first race in Australia,
and he’s started a bit of a craze now
because he always wears a pink shirt on
a Sunday. There’s a lot of people out
there now who wear pink shirts for the
race – people in the paddock, friends,
the lot. He’s definitely started a craze.
Now you’ve achieved your ultimate
goal, do you feel as motivated?
Look what happened to Kimi after
he won the world championship…
Nick Birtles-Smith, UK
Well, every driver’s different for sure –
I’ve got to stop saying ‘for sure’, a lot of
F1 drivers are using that phrase at the
moment. Anyway, everyone’s different,
and I’m motivated because I want to go
out and win the championship again.
After Brazil I thought, “What’s the world
got in store for me now?” But there are
always new challenges and that’s what
I’ve got for 2010. Racing’s in my blood
and it’s still something I want to achieve
in. I wouldn’t race if I wasn’t dedicated.
Did you ever have rows with Ross?
Julia Gielniak, Poland
Me and Ross get along very well…
I hope there’s still mutual respect there.
We worked closely this year – this was
the first time I’ve had a car that’s had
a chance of winning a world
championship. There were tough times,
but if we did have issues we talked about
them. Discussions, not rows.
At the end of the year, did you ever
think it might go horribly wrong?
Phil Renwick, UK
Yeah, of course. The first time I really
thought that was in Singapore, when
I wasn’t very good in qualifying for many
reasons and I came on the radio and
said, “This is how to lose a world
championship.” I soon rectified that in
the race, but that for me was the tough
one. Brazil was also massively emotional,
qualifying 14th with my team-mate on
“Me and Ross get on very
well... I hope there’s still
mutual respect there”
042 F 1 R A C I N G J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 0
pole – it couldn’t have been any worse.
Mind you, I turned it around the next
day. That was like my whole career in one
weekend. It was the toughest point in the
season for me… and the best.
Who’s got the better beard:
you or Nick Heidfeld?
Ben Moody, UK
Nick has probably got better coverage
– I get bald patches on my cheeks where
it doesn’t grow properly. Beards are good,
because you make yourself look older and
then people forget your age – then you
shave it off, look young again and people
think you’re a changed man. I was
looking at some pictures recently of when
I won in Hungary in 2006 – I had a
proper beard then. I look back now and
think it’s not for me, but you change. I’m
Jenson respects his Brawn team-mate Rubens “a lot” for a very tough, but very fair, title fight during the 2009 season
sure that, one day, I’ll turn up on the grid
with a full handlebar moustache.
Are you afraid of being Lewis
Hamilton’s team-mate?
Jonathan Bautista, Mexico
No, I think in Formula 1 you’re racing
against very talented drivers – we don’t
get here by chance. But racing against
any new team-mate is always exciting and
it’s a challenge – especially racing against
a past world champion. He might only
have been in Formula 1 for three years
but he has a lot of experience in a good
team and a good car, so competing
against him is definitely going to be a
challenge. Would I fancy my chances
against him? Well, every driver would;
every driver wants to show to themselves
more than anyone else how good they
are, and we all think we’re up there with
the best of them. You don’t know if
you’re better than someone else unless
you’re racing against them in the same
car. You can say you’re the best in the
world and you can feel you’re the best in
the world, but you never know until you
go head-to-head with them.
How strained did your relationship
with Rubens become during 2009?
Soroush Yaghini, Canada
We got on great all year. When you’re
both fighting for the world championship
and getting on well, you sometimes think
in the back of your mind, ‘Are they trying
to trick me?’ But I don’t think he was.
It was very refreshing to be fighting with
someone who was bloody fast but also
very fair. I respect him a lot for that.
When driving from A to B, what
annoys you about other drivers?
John Ruffle, UK
They never have an understanding of
their surroundings. Maybe that’s a bit
harsh, but a lot of people don’t. They
don’t concentrate enough. Driving a
car is dangerous for sure, and when I
race it’s in a controlled environment
– but it’s not when you’re on the road.
There are very good drivers out there,
though. What’s nice when I’m driving in
this country is that I get people honking
their horns at me, going “Alright JB!”
It’s lovely. The Brits are very friendly.
Did you have any sympathy for
Flavio Briatore after the way he
treated you at Renault? After winning the title with Brawn, Jenson wanted
Peter Spiers, UK a new challenge. He’ll have his hands full as Lewis
That’s a controversial question. It’s a Hamilton’s team-mate at McLaren next year...
MAIN: STEVE ETHERINGTON/LAT. INSET: CLIVE MASON/GETTY IMAGES
difficult one with Flavio. The first year h
F1 RACING JANUARY 2010 043
 at Renault wasn’t good but the second
year was much better and, to be fair to
Flavio, he was actually quite helpful over
the winter at the end of 2001. Him being
there did help. He’s achieved a lot in the
sport and you can never take that away
from him, but there’s no reason for me
to try and get back at him now. I’m the
world champion and he’s not. I don’t
need to say anything else to him.
What’s been your best ever drive?
George Davies, UK
It’s difficult. Monaco was great – even
though I was leading it was still tough.
The track just gets narrower and
narrower the longer it goes on. Brazil
was also fantastic. Like I said earlier,
people forget Rubens qualified on pole
and I was 14th. It was hard work fighting
my way through, but it’s definitely one of
my most memorable races, for sure…
there I go again, saying ‘for sure’. For
some reason it’s a big driver thing – I
saw a website where they were counting
how many times drivers said ‘for sure’.
I’m not sure where I was in the table.
Now that you’ve won the world
championship is it still all about
the passion or just the money?
Ales Norsky, USA
[Pauses and chuckles] If only you knew…
it really is all about the passion and love
of the sport and trying to be the best.
And what I do best is driving F1 cars.
Racing drivers get paid well, that’s a fact,
just like a lot of sportsmen. But I’m not
the sort of person who needs crazy
amounts of money in my life. Money’s
important, but passion outweighs it.
You and Lewis both have your dads
at every race. Whose dad is cooler?
Duncan Bick, UK
Silly question – my dad wears pink, so
he’s got to be cooler! He’s been at all of
my races bar one. He bought me a go-
kart and he took me everywhere. He’s
given up a lot to see me succeed. In car
racing he hasn’t had the involvement for
sure – there I go again – because he
didn’t have the resources to move me
“There’s no reason to get
back at Flavio. I’m world
champion and he’s not”
044 F 1 R A C I N G J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 0
forward. So he’s been in the background
at the races enjoying it. It’s payback from
me to him for what he’s given me. He
deserves it. It’s good to have him around
and see him happy. He’s in a sport that
he’s loved since the ’50s, and now his
son’s just won the world title. He lives
and breathes F1 – more than even I do!
You seem to overtake more than
anyone else. What’s your secret?
Jon Reynolds, UK
I don’t know… and why would I give it
up if I did?! I think it comes from the
JB is F1’s resident pass master. Here, he’s putting the
move on Felipe Massa’s Sauber at La Source in 2004
karting days, but I’m not the only
person on the grid who has raced in
go-karts. You learn race craft at a very
early age, and I will go for a move if I
think it’s on. Sometimes I outbrake
myself, sometimes it won’t happen, but
I’ll never try a move where I think it
might end up in a crash if it didn’t go
right. In lower formulae, people can
tend to go for a lot of moves where they
think, “This will either work or there’s
going to be an accident.” The thing
about overtaking is that the guy in front
can’t ever know what you’re thinking
about – it’s about trying something
different on every single lap, because
if he knows where you’re going to try
and pass him, he can make it very
difficult for you. The good old ‘throwing
the dummy’ trick from karting really
works. I did it to Kubica at Suzuka and
Kobayashi in Brazil. I love overtaking.
I get a real buzz from it.
Were you a bit envious last year
when Lewis won the title?
Lucia Dimartino, Germany
It’s a simple answer: yes. I think every
driver would’ve been. If you don’t win
the world championship, you wish you
were in their shoes. But the only thing
you can do is work on putting yourself
in their shoes, and that’s what I did.
I wasn’t any more envious because
Lewis won it and he’s British. If he was
German I’d have still felt the same.
Do you still do your own laundry?
Alexander Novo, Australia
Yeah, I do my own laundry – except for
at race weekends, when the hotel does it.
It’s not hard, is it? Stick your clothes in
the washing machine, press a button,
take it out an hour later, put it in the
dryer, iron it – we’re all capable of that,
aren’t we? I still cook as well.
Can you overcome your dislike
of an imbalanced car and drive
around it, like Lewis and Michael?
Jamie Kirk, USA
Good question. I felt this year my driving
improved, and by the end of the year we
did have a car that was quite pointy and
difficult to drive. If you watched it in
Abu Dhabi my car probably looked the
most nervous out there – especially
when I was chasing down Webber. So I
do think I’ve overcome my issues there.
I mean, I like a stable car and one I can
carry speed into the corner with, but
I can also drive a car that’s a bit on the
nose, and I think I proved that last year.
If Simon Cowell asked you to
release your version of We Are
The Champions, would you do it?
Rachel Fleming, UK
Er… no. What am I going to get out
of it? If it was for charity it might be
different, but my voice is quite bad.
When I’ve been singing loads it’s even
worse. After doing it in Brazil I couldn’t
even talk. There’s a thing on the internet
called ‘Songs From Inside Jenson
Button’s Helmet’, with me going
‘woo-hoo!’ all over them. To be honest
there are millions of people out there
who can sing better than me… although
I’d probably have been alright on
The X Factor this year.
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LAT ARCHIVE
We’ll let you know which interviews are coming up
F1 RACING JANUARY 2010 045