Jenson Button was standing at an airport baggage declare in late 2008 when he obtained a name that the F1 staff he drove for was shutting down, and he’d misplaced his experience. He quickly signed with Brawn GP, a staff that solely existed for one yr, 2009 — then drove to his first and solely championship in a season many name an F1 fairytale. Does he ever step again and go: “That was me — I received the fairytale season”?
“No,” Button informed Motorsport. “As a result of it wasn’t a fairytale season. It was one of many hardest years of my life.”
Button received six of the primary seven F1 races in 2009, accounting for greater than a 3rd of the 17-race season. He didn’t win one other race that yr, however held onto the factors result in take the title. Button mentioned the season was “nice firstly,” however shortly, something lower than perfection turned a disappointment.
“You at all times wish to do higher,” Button mentioned. “So even after successful three races, not being quickest in a observe session was a failure. Not being on pole in qualifying was a failure.
“I obtained to the purpose the place I put a lot stress on myself after these seven races, [if] I obtained to a race the place the automotive did not work, I could not get one of the best out of it. My head was within the improper place already. Every part was a failure aside from a win, whereas I ought to have been on the level the place: ‘Effectively, we’re not quickest, however I obtained to get one of the best out of the automotive, and ending on the rostrum continues to be a win as a result of folks aren’t actually taking many factors off of us.’”
Button, 44, is 15 years older now, and greater than a decade away from his full-time F1 profession. (We spoke in the course of the debut of a particular Mobil1 livery for his Hertz Staff Jota LMDh automotive, his current years having taken him to WEC.) However when Button seems to be again at his Components 1 period, he thinks he’d deal with that stress “100 occasions higher” in the present day, and sees related patterns on this new period of younger drivers.
“I really feel that a number of drivers which have gone into F1 anticipating nice issues,” Button informed Motorsport. “If it hasn’t occurred instantly, their head drops.
“I believe making an attempt to manage your feelings and get your head in the correct area may be very tough for kids in motorsport, and it is very straightforward for them to do a yr within the sport and get thrown out. That is it, sport over. The place do you go from there? It’s extremely tough to choose your self again up from that time.”
To listen to Button dig deeper into the perils of getting a seat too younger, the draw back of being a “easy” driver, the true story behind his harrowing helmet malfunction in the course of the 2004 German Grand Prix, and extra, watch the total episode of Behind the Visor under or on YouTube.
