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Jenson Button burst on to the Formula One scene at the start of the 2000 season, making his debut with Williams.
Frank Williams was heavily criticised for his decision to sign a relatively inexperienced 20-year-old to partner Ralf Schumacher, but Jenson soon silenced his critics with his performances on the track!
When Jenson scored a point in only his second race great things were expected from the young Englishman, and for much of that first season he delivered.
A string of strong drives saw him collect 12 points during his first year in the sport, while an impressive qualifying performance at Spa saw him line up ahead of hero Michael Schumacher on the grid for the Belgian GP!
Although Jenson had impressed team boss Frank Williams with his maturity, feedback and speed throughout the season, the team was already committed to providing Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya with a 2001 race seat, and as a result Button was 'loaned' to Benetton for two seasons.
His lack of experience meant he struggled to get to grips with the car during his second season, and while the B200 was far from easy to drive, Jenson failed to match the pace of team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella, ending the year with just two points to his name.
For 2002 Jenson stayed with Benetton, now re-named Renault following the French manufacturer's purchase of the Anglo/Italian team. With Fisichella moving to Jordan, Jenson was joined by another highly successful former-karter Jarno Trulli.
Things got off to a difficult start for Jenson when he was 'taken out' at the first corner of the Australian GP though two weeks later he almost finished on the podium only to be passed by Michael Schumacher on the last lap when his suspension failed.
In Brazil Jenson was 'mixing it' with the McLarens but after that Renault seemed to lose its edge and began to slip further down the field. Button continued to score points, but like team-mate Trulli it was mostly the crumbs from the table when one of the 'big three' teams failed to get both its cars home.
When Renault announced that it was not going to re-sign Button for '03 instead opting for former Minardi hot-shot Fernando Alonso, there were raised eyebrows along the pitlane. In the weeks that followed there was wild speculation as to where the youngster was heading until finally David Richards moved in and snapped him up for BAR.
Admittedly Jenson 'lost the plot' in 2001, but right from the outset in 2002 we had the highly motivated charger who'd thrilled us in 2000 with Williams.
The signing of Button to BAR clearly riled Jacques Villeneuve who had already seen his friend and mentor Craig Pollock dumped by the Brackley outfit in favour of Richards.
Villeneuve used the media to launch a war of words with Button, which thankfully, for the large part, the Englishman ignored. The Canadian claimed that Jenson had yet to prove himself and indeed compared the youngster to a 'boy band', style over substance.
Yet prove himself Button did, scoring all but six of BAR's points in 2003. They were pretty evenly matched in qualifying, but in the races - despite Villeneuve's unusually high number of retirements due to technical problems - it was the youngster that had the edge.
At season's end Button found himself leading both the American and Japanese events, seemingly destined for his first F1 podium, but it was not to be.
Looking ahead to 2005, the question on everyone's lips was; 'can he deliver?'
They were referring to the fact that in the wake of Villeneuve's departure, Jenson now assumed the role of team leader.
True, he had given some strong performance in 2003, but he had yet to record his first F1 podium, was this really the man to lead an F1 team?
The answer was a resounding yes.
From the outset, even though it was clear that the Ferrari's were untouchable, BAR clearly had a great car, a fine engine, and in Button, a real team leader.
In Malaysia, the second race of the season he dealt with the first of the mental barriers, finally taking a place on the podium. Two weeks later he was back on the podium again, this time one step higher. By the end of the season, Jenson had visited the podium ten times, though never quite making it to the top step.
His best opportunity to win came at Monza, but then the Ferraris decided to show what they could really do. However, his finest performance came at Hockenheim, where, despite starting from 13th on the grid as a result of an engine failure, he worked his way up to second, giving some fine lessons in how to overtake, and proving that it can still be done.
Sadly, Jenson's season was marred, and his image somewhat tarnished, by the failed move to WillliamsF1, an issue that dominated much of the summer. Leaving aside the rights and wrongs of the episode, it is to his credit that the behind-the-scenes goings on never affected his performance and he continued to give 100%.
Having made those first trips to the podium, and finished third in the drivers' championship, albeit 63 points shy of Michael Schumacher, the big question heading into 2005 was could Jenson pick up where he left off in 2004.
From the outset, it was clear that it wasn't going to be an easy year for BAR, and indeed Button, however, nobody could have predicted how bad it was going to be.
Aside from the fuel tank saga, which got his team disqualified from one race, and suspended from a further two, there was the BAR 007's, poor aero package, which resulted in woeful lack of grip. By the end of the season, the Honda was probably the most powerful engine out there, but the BAR couldn't handle it.
However, Jenson Button had his own problems, and for the second year running was involved in a high profile, and somewhat ugly, contract battle. Trouble is, this time instead of trying to get out of a contract with BAR and move to WilliamsF1, he was attempting to wriggle out of a contract with WilliamsF1 and remain with BAR. Confused? Everyone was.
In all honesty, there must have been times when even Jenson must have wondered whether it was all hype. There were occasions when he was outstanding, however, there were many more when he was simply average. Furthermore, he could no longer fall back on the 'youngster' excuse, at 26 he was two years older than the World Champion.
There was no doubting his raw pace, however, one could not help but feel that Jenson was carrying just a little too much 'baggage'. At Imola he surrendered far too easily to Michael Schumacher, while in Canada he crashed out following a needless error.
There were some very good performances, but on the whole, and despite the limitations of the BAR, Jenson was a shadow of the driver we saw in 2004.
After 100 Grands Prix, it was clear that many of those that previously championed him were beginning to lose patience, even his adoring faithful in the British press.
We can forgive him for the usual pre-season "this is my year" bull, for this had become de rigeur for drivers and teams. For 2006 however, Jenson was to be partnered by another man with much to prove, Michael Schumacher's former sidekick at Ferrari, Rubens Barrichello.
After a promising start to the season, including a second in Malaysia and pole at Melbourne, Honda began to lose its way, and this had a knock-on effect on Jenson.
Despite his best efforts, it wasn't happening, and with every race, and the failure to score that 'magical' first win, the media grew more impatient.
Rock bottom came at Silverstone, when, in front of his adoring public, 'Jense' qualified nineteenth, the result of poor grip and a (random) trip to the weighbridge. We say rock bottom, but three races later, at Magny Cours, the Honda driver started from nineteenth on the grid yet again.
As further proof of Jenson's apparent fall from grace, the British media was now focussing on another youngster, Lewis Hamilton, who was making a major impression in F1. Tired of predicting when Button would score his maiden win - one hundred and ten races and counting - the media was now speculating on when Hamilton would make his F1 debut and with whom.
Then came Hungary.
We have described Jenson's win at the Hungaroring as fortuitous but that is not entirely fair. Yes, the weather turned the race into a lottery, much like the Nurburgring in 1999 when another British driver (Johnny Herbert) took a famous yet lucky win. However, the reality is that in both cases the driver had to be there to win, he'd survived where others hadn't.
The win in Hungary was not only a turning point for Jenson, it was a watershed for the entire Honda team. Weeks earlier, the Englishman had tried to motivate the team, visiting the Brackley HQ at a time when sprits were flagging. Post-Hungary we saw a new Honda and a new Button.
In the final five races of 2006 Jenson scored 25 points, more than he scored in the opening twelve races of the season. The monkey had been well and truly shaken from the Englishman's back, and with 56 points he finished sixth in the Drivers' Championship, 20 points ahead of his teammate.
Following the impressive run-in to the 2006 season, much was expected in 2007. However, it was clear even in pre-season testing that all was not well, with Jenson overheard describing the RA107 as a "piece of shit". Sadly, he was right and things didn't improve.
Ironically, while his former team (Williams) showed signs of serious progress, Honda was all over the place, in every sense, and it wasn't until the French GP, round eight, that the Englishman scored his first point of the season, adding one more in Italy and a further four in China.
At his home race, his team's guests, David and Victoria Beckham, were more eager to meet Lewis Hamilton, with Jenson's misery compounded by spinning off on the second lap. This was in addition to two other races where the hapless Englishman failed to complete the first lap.
Despite the fact that the car was a "piece of shit", Jenson continued to give 100%, and for that he deserves full credit. Not for nothing did he make it into the Autocourse Top Ten.
Remaining with Honda for 2008, Jenson must have been hoping that 2007 was merely a blip and that he and the Brackley outfit might be able to pick up where they left off in 2006. He was in for a nasty surprise.
In pre-season testing the RA108 was worryingly off the pace and it was only a major aero upgrade for Melbourne that saved the team's blushes. That said, the Englishman was eliminated in a first lap incident.
While the basic car was sound, the aero was not and the engine was now one of the least powerful on the grid. It was soon clear that little progress would be made and therefore the team - now under the guidance of Ross Brawn - opted to concentrate on its 2009 car.
Whereas in the past Jenson had risen to the occasion, for much of 2008 he was clearly unable to motivate himself, his frustration at another lost season all too apparent.
A sixth at Barcelona saw Jenson pick up his first, and only, points of the season, while in France he was the only driver to retire.
At season end, he could at least console himself in the knowledge that with Ross Brawn on board and a host of new regulations which would mean greater initial parity in 2009, all was not lost. Then came Honda's shock announcement that it was to quit the sport.
After three months of agonising, wondering whether he still had a drive, Jenson was informed that he would be on the grid in Melbourne, driving for Brawn GP.
In pre-season testing, despite a question mark regarding the legality of its diffuser, the Brawn looked very good, leading to claims that the Brackley team might pull off the shock of the century in Melbourne. Indeed, days before the season opener, Bernie Ecclestone was tipping Jenson as a dark horse for the title.
After two years in Hamilton's shadow it will be interesting to see if Jenson still has his edge and is ready to take his place in the spotlight again. His many loyal fans will certainly hope so.
Statistics - Prior to 2009 Season
Drivers' Titles: 0
Seasons in F1: 9
Grand Prix: 153
Wins: 1
Points: 232
Poles: 3
Fastest Laps: 0
Best result in 2008: 5th (China)
Best qualifying 2008: 6th (Spain)
Worst qualifying 2008: 19th (2 times)
Average grid position 2008: 14.83
2008: Out-qualified Rubens Barrichello 8 times
2008: Out-qualified by Rubens Barrichello 10 times
2008: Completed 936 out of 1117 laps (83.8%)
2008: Finished 14 times from 18 starts (78%)
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