Jenson Button: The Legend Who Never Won a Title
I look upon Button as a legend. I may get some stick for this one, but here goes.
When Jenson entered the Formula One circus in the year 2000, everyone was prepared to see the best British F1 driver since Damon Hill and Nigel Mansell. That, however, never materialised, and Button still only has that one career win at the rain-soaked Hungarian GP of 2006 under his belt after eight years of racing.
That surely is enough to deem him not a legend, right? Wrong!
Button, for me, is a legend because if it would have been me, I'd probably have retired by now and hung my head in shame. But he still turns up, week-in and week-out in a happy, optimistic frame of mind, and is dedicated to taking the Honda Racing F1 team back to the top end of the field where they were two years ago.
We regularly see him in an upbeat mood talking to Louise Goodman after some failure or another that's occurred to his car. He is never in a negative frame of mind.
He had offers to drive for other teams that may have given him a chance of a title fight. Rumour had it that it was McLaren-Mercedes who wanted him before signing Heikki Kovalainen, but he stayed put and is hell-bent on making Honda a force to be reckoned with again.
He could have jumped ship and gone straight to a better performing car and team. Some will wonder why he is so dedicated to his team, because Honda seem to be underachieving massively. By the time they are back up the top end again, it will be not far off retirement time for Button and his dream of being Formula 1 WDC could all be over.
Some thought that when traction control was removed from the cars for the 2008 season that we would see Button shine, that he may have an advantage over other drivers as his right foot is like traction control in itself—he is so smooth on the throttle when exiting corners. That hasn't really happened either, so it's just a poor car that he has to contend with.
Many people would say that his 'playboy' lifestyle has affected his on-track performances. That can't be true because the 'playboy' lifestyle would surely make a human more confident and more eager to impress—I think the case is more a mixture of rotten luck and poor performing cars.
So for his grit, determination, and will to fight even when he knows he probably won't win another race again - let alone a title - is why I consider Jenson Button to be a legend. It can't be easy to accept the position he is in.
The same goes for the rest of the guys at the back of the field. They are legendary the way they turn up and plug away at it, but drivers like Sutil are still young, they have a chance of a move to a bigger team in the future. Button, however, unfortunately doesn't have a lot of time left.
Maybe I'm crazy and the only one who considers Button to be legendary. In terms of winning, he is NOT legendary, but as I have said already, I don't think you have to be a champion to go down as a living legend. The man has a big heart and he wears it on the bonnet of his Honda all the time.
It would be such a shame to see such a talent disappear into the mire of forgotten drivers, the nearly-but-not-quite-there club, and believe me he is talented - he just never had the cars or opportunities to show us what he is really made of.
Britain's only hope of a WDC now lie solely on the shoulders of Lewis Hamilton. Now don't get me wrong, I like Heikki Kovalainen, but it would have been nice if Button and Hamilton were fighting for the title, both in a McLaren. Two British drivers in a team able to win a championship would have been a dream. It's a shame that move didn't happen.
So I pose this question to you all: Do you think one has to be a winner and champion to be seen in this light?
What do you all think of Jenson Button's will, grit, and determination? Is he a legend for that? Or is he a Formula 1 flop?
Bookmark or share this story with:
Related Articles:
| 8 Aug, 2008 10:15 | Report |
|
Shepz (IP Logged) Mr |
Date Joined: Mar, 2008 Location: UK Posts: 45 |
| 8 Aug, 2008 10:21 | Report |
|
Ben Auty (IP Logged) Unregistered User |
| 8 Aug, 2008 10:46 | Report |
|
fredje (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 148 |
| 8 Aug, 2008 10:53 | Report |
|
Power of Dreams |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 334 |
| 8 Aug, 2008 11:15 | Report |
|
markandrew (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Aug, 2008 Location: Posts: 1 |
| 8 Aug, 2008 13:54 | Report |
|
Hector Gomez (IP Logged) Unregistered User |
| 8 Aug, 2008 15:31 | Report |
|
Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 2446 |
| 8 Aug, 2008 16:47 | Report |
|
Hector Gomez (IP Logged) Unregistered User |
| 9 Aug, 2008 10:48 | Report |
|
Tuscan Boy (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 33 |
| 9 Aug, 2008 10:56 | Report |
|
70s fan (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 2195 |
| 9 Aug, 2008 20:22 | Report |
|
Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 2446 |
| 9 Aug, 2008 20:57 | Report |
|
70s fan (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 2195 |
| 9 Aug, 2008 21:39 | Report |
|
Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 2446 |
| 10 Aug, 2008 08:39 | Report |
|
Dano (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 83 |

| 10 Aug, 2008 11:11 | Report |
|
RealHondaF1.com Publisher |
Date Joined: Sep, 2003 Location: UK Posts: 2380 |
Quote:Dano
His loyalty too is incredible, if what was said in the story is right that he passed up a ride with Mclaren to stay at Honda then he is as loyal as you can get.
| 10 Aug, 2008 13:14 | Report |
|
Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 2446 |
| 11 Aug, 2008 17:33 | Report |
|
federica (IP Logged) Unregistered User |
| 13 Aug, 2008 16:22 | Report |
|
negotiator (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 5830 |
| 14 Aug, 2008 05:04 | Report |
|
No.1 Rubens fan (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 215 |
| 14 Aug, 2008 10:02 | Report |
|
RealHondaF1.com Publisher |
Date Joined: Sep, 2003 Location: UK Posts: 2380 |
Quote:No.1 Rubens fan
Rubens's teamate was once Ivan Capelli at Jordan, who I believe has the shorest F1 career ever at 800 metres or something (can someone tell me if thats right).
| 14 Aug, 2008 23:11 | Report |
|
Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 2446 |
| 15 Aug, 2008 07:19 | Report |
|
No.1 Rubens fan (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 215 |
| 15 Aug, 2008 08:28 | Report |
|
Neith (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 366 |
| 15 Aug, 2008 09:53 | Report |
|
itsmin (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 103 |
| 15 Aug, 2008 11:02 | Report |
|
negotiator (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 5830 |
| 15 Aug, 2008 12:00 | Report |
|
70s fan (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 2195 |
Quote:button aint even a top 15 driver if he cant beat a old man who can he beat?
| 15 Aug, 2008 14:38 | Report |
|
freedom102 (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 202 |
| 15 Aug, 2008 17:40 | Report |
|
Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: UK Posts: 68 |
| 16 Aug, 2008 03:15 | Report |
|
gturner (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 1222 |
Quote:button aint even a top 15 driver if he cant beat a old man who can he beat?
| 16 Aug, 2008 14:32 | Report |
|
r1tsa (IP Logged) Unregistered User |
| 17 Aug, 2008 08:53 | Report |
|
Dano (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 83 |
Quote:negotiator
button aint even a top 15 driver if he cant beat a old man who can he beat?
sato is a exception

| 19 Aug, 2008 05:18 | Report |
|
negotiator (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 5830 |
| 19 Aug, 2008 08:53 | Report |
|
fredje (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 148 |
Quote:negotiator
jesus christ he thrashed sato 2 years on the bounce![]()
he needs a ferrari contract with that sort of performance.
i'll tell you who i think button will beat in the current field
coulthard
sutil
piquet
roseberg
nakajima
kova
barrichello-maybe not dunno
fisi-hard to say but back in the days fisi owned him
bourdais
glock- maybe in the first half of the season, but now glock has found the speed to thrash trulli who is no slouch.
button does not stand a chance against kimi. hami, trulli, alonso, massa,vettel, webber, heidi and kubika
if button wants a wdc he has to have a car thats 2 tenths faster and a team mate whose 1 of the worst on the grid
| 19 Aug, 2008 12:57 | Report |
|
freedom102 (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 202 |
Quote:just ignore this guy he is a die-hard toyota fan wifout any evidence to proof whatever he says.fredjeQuote:negotiator
jesus christ he thrashed sato 2 years on the bounce![]()
he needs a ferrari contract with that sort of performance.
i'll tell you who i think button will beat in the current field
coulthard
sutil
piquet
roseberg
nakajima
kova
barrichello-maybe not dunno
fisi-hard to say but back in the days fisi owned him
bourdais
glock- maybe in the first half of the season, but now glock has found the speed to thrash trulli who is no slouch.
button does not stand a chance against kimi. hami, trulli, alonso, massa,vettel, webber, heidi and kubika
if button wants a wdc he has to have a car thats 2 tenths faster and a team mate whose 1 of the worst on the grid
Your rating of drivers isn't so great, just rate the drivers in the top teams as great like everyone does, while most of them perform bad.
Let's take heikke for example, he's like 0,5-0,8 second A LAP slower then lewis. So put him in a red bull, webber will be fighting for points while he's battling it out with force india.
Definately seems like a driver who will crush jenson,
only 5 drivers wich will give button a hard time; Webber, Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso and Kubica
| 19 Aug, 2008 16:49 | Report |
|
negotiator (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 5830 |
| 19 Aug, 2008 18:13 | Report |
|
gturner (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 1222 |
| 8 Sep, 2008 19:44 | Report |
|
bp (IP Logged) Unregistered User |
| 8 Sep, 2008 23:23 | Report |
|
Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 2300 |
Quote:i can see your point but if you look performence wise he was right up there and mostly on the days that honda were quick the ferrari was quicker they just couldnt be beaten. Jenson himself admitted that the car was no way in touch with the ferraris. Jense hasnt had the machinery to prove himself just like a lot of drivers out there thus gets knocked down.i would rate button if he and should of won a race in the 2nd fastest car in 2004

| 13 Sep, 2008 03:01 | Report |
|
negotiator (IP Logged) Registered User |
Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Posts: 5830 |