All we can say for sure about Jenson Button’s career following his surprise announcement on Saturday is that he won’t play a part in the 2017 Formula One season.
The high and low points of his career have contrasted more sharply than others: The dazzling debut for Williams followed by the grim sophomore season at Benetton; a breakthrough victory in 2006 followed by the crushing defeat of the next two seasons; and of course the near-ending of Button career when Honda withdrew, only for him to return the next year with Brawn and become champion.
The last time we began a season without Button, Damon Hill was on the grid, the Millennium Bug was giving people the jitters worldwide, Hillary Clinton’s husband was the US president and Max Verstappen still wore a nappy.
Despite the length of his time in F1, the majority of Button’s major successes, including his world title and all but one of his race wins, came in a brief purple patch between 2009 and 2012.
But it would be wrong to overlook some of his less eye-catching yet equally superb drives in weaker cars. Here are ten of Button’s finest days in F1.
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2000 German GP – 4th
Five more points finishes followed, as well as a superb third place on the grid at Spa, and his best result of the season came at the old flat out Hockenheim, where he finished fourth.
In a race best remembered for the protesting track invader and his future team mate Rubens Barrichello’s first victory, Button was outstanding. He worked his way up the field from a lowly 16th on the grid to fourth, resisted the temptation to put on wet weather tyres when rain fell, and almost pipped David Coulthard to the final podium place.
2002 Malaysian GP – 4th
Having been turfed out of Williams to make way for Juan Pablo Montoya in 2001, Button sought refuge at Benetton. Unfortunately, he had picked the worst possible time, and the former constructors champions provided the Briton with an abject car. He took just one points finish, again at Hockenheim.
Fortunately, when Benetton became Renault in the off-season their fortunes were revitalised. He embarked on a much improved campaign, and was on course for a comfortable 3rd place at round two in Sepang when his suspension failed in the closing laps, gifting his position to Michael Schumacher The wait went on.
2004 German GP – 2nd
The British driver claimed his first podium finish at the scene of his heartbreak two years earlier. The floodgates had opened: Button took six podiums in seven races and grabbed pole position at Imola. Button finished on the podium ten times that season – a better strike rate even than his championship-winning season five years later – and secured third in the championship.
The stand-out performance came, once again, at Hockenheim. On the by now truncated circuit, Button qualified third, was demoted to 13th on the grid after an engine penalty, and fought his way back up to second by the finish. What made the drive even more impressive was that for much of the race he was driving with one hand down straights to avoid being strangled after his helmet had come loose!
2006 Hungarian GP – 1st
The 2006 campaign began with much of the same, albeit with his team now rebranded as Honda. It began to seem that Button’s career might already have peaked. An engine penalty which left him 14th on the grid for the Hungarian Grand Prix did not suggest an upturn in fortune was imminent.
But, thanks to a combination of superb driving, changing weather and his rivals’ mistakes and misfortunes, Button was unexpectedly thrust into the winner’s circle at the Hungaroring. He wasted little time racing through the pack at the start, made no mistakes on the damp track and reached the head of the field. Button eventually opened up a 30 second gap and eased to a stunning victory.
2007 Chinese GP – 5th
But it proved to be yet another false dawn. The following two seasons at the wheel of Honda’s ‘Earth Car’ creations proved to be a complete and utter write-off.
Bright spots were few and far between, with only four points finishes over the two seasons. But one of them, at a damp Shanghai in 2007, saw Button reach Q3 and subsequently race to fifth, ten places clear of his team mate Rubens Barrichello. It proved he had lost none of his talent for racing in changeable conditions.
2009 Bahrain GP – 1st
Instead, a phoenix named Brawn GP arose from the Honda ashes, and he won six of the next seven races en route to the world title. Funny how quickly fortunes change in F1.
His win in Bahrain in round four was particularly masterful. Maintaining his fourth place grid slot at the start, Button was required to overtake the KERS-equipped McLaren of Lewis Hamilton in order to keep pace with the lightly-fuelled Toyotas in front. He did just that, jumped them in the pit window, and strolled to victory – a huge 38 seconds clear of his team mate.
2009 Monaco GP – 1st
Only after taking the chequered flag did Button put a foot wrong. Unaccustomed to success on the streets of Monte Carlo, he parked his car in parc ferme rather than on the start finish straight as is traditional, and had to run back down the pit lane and track to reach the podium ceremony.
2010 Australian GP – 1st
It didn’t take long for him to confound the critics. Two races into his McLaren career Button topped the podium once again, winning the Australian Grand Prix on a drying track after a brave early decision to switch to slick tyres. He followed this up with another victory two races later in China, and remained in contention for the title for most of the season.
2011 Canadian GP – 1st
Button’s win on a sodden Montreal afternoon made his debut win at the Hungaroring look like child’s play. Seldom has a driver been forced to battle through more adversity to achieve victory than he did that day.
First a collision with Hamilton sent Button into the pits for a new front wing. He then earned a drive-through penalty for speeding behind the Safety Car. Once the race resumed after a mid race deluge, Button picked up a puncture in a collision with Alonso, leaving him in last place with 30 laps to go.
Aided by two additional Safety Cars which bunched up the field, Button mounted a remarkable comeback, racing through the pack to seize first place from Sebastian Vettel halfway around the final lap.
2012 Belgian GP – 1st
On his day, though, Button was as quick as ever. His only other victory that season came at Spa, where he utterly dominated the weekend. Pole position – eight-tenths clear of Hamilton – was easily converted into race victory. Not even his team mate’s infamous and ill-advised tweeting of his telemetry data could detract from that.
Button’s subsequent seasons at McLaren have proved to be short on highlights, with no hint of additional victories and just one podium finish. But with the Honda engine clearly improving, perhaps we’ll get a final glimpse of Button at his best before he hangs up his distinctive ‘JB’ helmet come November.
Over to you
What do you think were the ten best performances of Button’s F1 career? Have your say in the comments.
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Chris
7th September 2016, 11:59
That Canada pass is one of the few times in the past 10 years I’ve jumped out of my seat at the F1. Brilliant.
altitude2k
7th September 2016, 12:14
Agreed. Incredible race, incredible victory.
Sean Newman
7th September 2016, 12:27
Certainly he was lucky to win but due to his patience and awareness it was the type of win you could normally only expect from a Senna or a Schumacher. One of the most memorable F1 races ever.
Andy (@andybantam)
8th September 2016, 19:12
Lucky? Button was sensational that day. The bad luck he had far outweighed his opportunities.
I also jumped out if my seat, punching the air, shouting out loud. Honestly, the moment Seb ran out wide on to the damp tarmac and lost traction on old tires, allowing Button to slip by with half a lap to go is surely going to be one of my death bed memories. Against all odds. I couldn’t believe it.
It’s a shame most people had tuned in to something else after the long red flag period when the rain came. If only those folk stuck to it…
Anyway…
That or Brazil 2009 goes down as my favourite GP of this modern, tall rear wing, F1. That said, Bore-rain 2014 was great too!
Tango (@tango)
7th September 2016, 13:26
It was great, absolutely great, but by this moment, there seemed to me to have a real fealing of inevitability. Like sometimes you know a golfer is going to snatch victory in an open. He was just on another level that day.
Dan Rooke (@geekzilla9000)
7th September 2016, 14:38
Canada 2011 is possibly my most favourite race – easily top 3!
Not only did Button win from what seemed like an unwinnable position, but the sheer length of the race due to the rain and the downtime gave a great insight into the teams. We saw them make model boats and having a laugh – there was such a feeling of camaraderie.
Unicron (@unicron2002)
7th September 2016, 12:30
To this very day I still jump out of my seat when I see that pass. YESSSS!
Sun Siyuan (@peking901)
7th September 2016, 12:40
＋1
Phil-F1-21
7th September 2016, 14:35
Jenson’s drive this day was incredible. I still remember it as one the greatest F1 drives I have ever seen by anyone. He was unstoppable that day.
His talents and skills are dismissed far too easily by too many people. He could easily have more championships if things had gone his way more. He’s generally underrated I think and has been all his career. I think this partly stems from his lack of pole positions though which always get the headlines.
Andy (@andybantam)
8th September 2016, 19:28
Me too and me three!
It was definitely, definitely worth the long wait after the red flags!
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
7th September 2016, 16:45
I often argue that JB isn’t or hasn’t ever been f1 worthy. I cannot however argue with the successes of his career, in spite of that I must argue that he shouldn’t have been in the position of winning that consequentially incredible Canadian grand prix. I think his f1 career despite of all the typical shortcomings of the early to mid 2000’s couldn’t have been any better.
hyoko
7th September 2016, 22:43
Did I miss something? JB did nothing special in that pass. Is was SV who went out to pasture.
To tell you the truth I was glad that SV blew that win, but I saw no particular merit in the pass.
Nuggy1980
7th September 2016, 23:59
The merit in the pass was pressure.
Nick (@nick101)
8th September 2016, 0:01
Apparently what you missed was Button carving up the ENTIRE field going from last to first in less than half race distance. At times, he was 2 seconds per lap faster than anyone else on track! His pace and charge through the field that day were, in my opinion, unrivalled by anyone else in any F1 race ever.
While his pass on Vettel wasn’t anything spectacular in itself, it was the build up to it and the fact that many believe Button’s pure pace FORCED Vettel into the mistake that made it so great.
Henrik
8th September 2016, 5:57
And of course the inevitable snide remarks from Hamilton fans who never have nor ever will forgive Button for not doing a Kovalainen and thus showing the world that Hamilton is not the Second Coming and that of the two, Button was, if marginally, the better driver.
Nuggy1980
8th September 2016, 8:40
Jenson is my favorite driver, but even I’m not deluded enough to think he is better than Lewis.
Samouri (@samouri)
8th September 2016, 18:48
While being teamed with Lewis for 3 years, Jenson was never in the running or contention for a WDC. The same can’t be said for Hamilton, because in 2010 and 2012 he stood a chance in both those years of securing a WDC.
Samouri (@samouri)
8th September 2016, 18:57
hyoko +1
James Brickles (@brickles)
7th September 2016, 12:24
Regarding the 2000 German GP, Jenson was actually one of the first to switch to wet tyres when the rain started to fall. He was just a lot more comfortable on the track than the others, lapping up to 2 and a half seconds quicker than DC who changed onto wets about 5 laps later. It was an early indication as to how good Jenson was in the wet.
Jonathan Parkin
7th September 2016, 14:36
He could have actually won had he started from his original grid position of 16th but he started at the back for some reason which has escaped me
James Brickles (@brickles)
7th September 2016, 15:32
He stalled at the start of the formation lap.
Unicron (@unicron2002)
7th September 2016, 12:33
Fantastic Top Ten. If it was a Top Twelve I would certainly sneak in Japan 2011 and China 2010. Oh and Number 13 – the incredible Brazil 2012
James Brickles (@brickles)
7th September 2016, 12:38
Hoping for a Felipe Massa Top Ten Races now ;)
mog
7th September 2016, 12:56
Critics often decry that Button is overrated and lucked into a WDC. But it’s clear he is a class act, and these top ten prove it.
frood19 (@frood19)
7th September 2016, 13:07
If it was a top 11 then i would add suzuka 2014. i think that was a great example of the driver making the difference, though he didn’t get the podium he deserved.
montreal95 (@montreal95)
7th September 2016, 13:14
Japan 2011 was amazing from Button as well. In fact, IMO 2011 was by far his best season. Much better than 2009 which is a joint second together with 2004. 2011 was the peak of JB’s career, the only season during which he was the stand-out driver in F1 even though he didn’t win the WDC
DanimalHouse (@thrillerwa09)
7th September 2016, 14:46
Agreed! I can’t believe that wasn’t in the top 3, even better than the 2012 Belgian GP. Plus, it was extra moving because he has been so close with the people of Japan (was dating Jessica at the time) and it was the year of the massive earthquake/tsunami. Very emotional win.
montreal95 (@montreal95)
7th September 2016, 20:32
@thrillerwa09 Yeah the emotional factor was immense. But I deliberately didn’t mention it, as I wanted to rate JB’s performance on pure driving criteria
Philip (@philipgb)
7th September 2016, 14:25
I’d go with the consensus on Japan 2011 from the other comments here as well. I think that was actually one of his best outright performances. One of his few qualifying victories over Hamilton without some kind of issue or poor performance from Hamilton, and it took one of Vettel’s best qualifying performances to pip him to pole.
Belgium 2012 to me very much seemed that McLaren just gave him an exceptional car. I’m never going to believe he had that qualifying gap over Hamilton purely on his own pace and in the race no other car was close. You can’t fault his driving, but when a car has unchallenged pace it’s hard to rate the actual driver.
Hairs (@hairs)
7th September 2016, 17:40
It’s interesting that his engineers mentioned both races as standouts when tweeting memories at him: I remember the spa weekend the team were quite vocal about how good his drive had been, and that the two rear wings simulated the same overall lap time, just making or losing time at different parts of the lap. Tom Stallard mentioned it in his McLaren column too, about how Jenson’s driving talent doesn’t show in the car because it’s all in his feet rather than the shoulders like Hamilton. But that’s one of Button’s curses as a driver: being sensitive to a car’s foibles means his top drawer results are rarer than for those who battle through a car’s failings, and truly remarkable drives get put down to the car rather than the driver. But anyone looking through that list can’t deny that Jenson had the talent to be a world champion, and took on the greatest drivers on the grid in straight battle, and best them more than once.
He was good enough to provoke a reaction from Hamilton that weekend, and that’s usually a pretty good indicator when a teammate truly has done a great job, if their prime rival is frustrated at the gap.
Not an Alonso, Schumacher or Hamilton, but there were times when each of those drivers would have looked at Jenson ahead of them, and known they were beaten, that day at least. And for all the contract drama in the first few years of his career, it’s an achievement for someone to last this long without being dogged with accusations of being a dirty driver, a political manipulator, or a bad influence within a team. 10 top drawer drives from a top drawer driver, and that’s what we’re all looking for, isn’t it?
Phil-F1-21
7th September 2016, 19:54
Very well put!
Kgn11
7th September 2016, 20:55
Sadly that weekend has more surrounding it than what was being reported
Nick (@nick101)
8th September 2016, 0:05
Meaning what exactly??
ILuvSoundtracks (@)
7th September 2016, 15:02
Canada 2011 win ranked 2nd? Should’ve been ranked 1st…
nase
7th September 2016, 16:01
It’s a list in chronological order.
Kingshark (@kingshark)
7th September 2016, 16:13
Canada 2011 was his most entertaining race, but Hungary 2006 was his best drive.
I never understood why people rated Canada 2011 ahead of Hungary 2006. IMO his drive at Hungary 2006 was objectively of much higher quality.
Samouri (@samouri)
8th September 2016, 20:18
Kingshark as you said it was entertaining, but not to be compared with the performance of his drive at Suzuka in 2011, which I felt was one of Button’s finest efforts. Jenson had also the aid of 6 safety cars, which played a major role and part in his win at Canada in 2011.
Homerlovesbeer (@homerlovesbeer)
7th September 2016, 17:30
Button is still an A class driver who is a real character in F1 that always refreshes with his candor and honesty.
Sorry to see such a classy driver take a break from the sport, especially when he is still a top 5 driver.
Missing you in 2017 already JB. Thanks for the memories.
Uzair Syed (@ultimateuzair)
7th September 2016, 17:36
Jenson Button is one of the most underrated drivers in F1 in my opinion. Great driver, but was not in the best, or one of the best cars until 2009, and also drove some shockingly bad cars previously. He only had one chance to win the WDC, and he took it. He beat Hamilton and Alonso (albeit in his first season back at the team) in the same car. He will be missed. I will always remember Hungary 2006 and Canada 2011, both excellent races.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
7th September 2016, 19:48
@ultimateuzair
I think we have to class the 2010 McLaren as a car which could have won the world championship. Consider what Hamilton’s score would have been at the end of the year if instead of crashing out at Monza he’d finished where Button did.
PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
7th September 2016, 20:04
@keithcollantine And so would the 2012 McLaren.
x303 (@x303)
7th September 2016, 20:10
I think most consider the 2012 Mclaren to be a very fast car @xtwl, albeit unreliable.
nase
8th September 2016, 9:50
@x303
True, but it wasn’t too unreliable to be a serious championship contender. The problem is that Hamilton collected almost all the gremlins the car had, which cost him a awful lot of points. Meanwhile, Button was less plagued by unreliability, but that didn’t help him much, as he simply was nowhere near Hamilton’s pace.
If they had somehow managed to combine Lewis’s pace with Button’s car’s reliability, we would’ve ended up with a three-way fight for the title in the final race.
Come to think of it, in that scenario (barring the butterfly effect and all that), Hülkenberg’s gaffe in the final race would’ve decided the championship …
x303 (@x303)
7th September 2016, 20:08
Or had Hamilton’s front suspension not failed in the Spanish GP.
F1 in Figures (@f1infigures)
8th September 2016, 17:31
Theoretically McLaren could have won the driver’s championship in 2010, but other drivers could have done better too. The Red Bull was the best car by some margin, followed by Ferrari and McLaren. Button was a bit invisible in the second half of the season, though. He was possibly relying on a shock result, which in combination with consistent point finishes should give him the title. Unfortunately for him it was not enough and when the chances where there for him to perform in Korea, he had one of his worst races of his career.
2012 still puzzles me. The car was fast enough to win the championship, but a weird combination of poor luck, a poorly-operating team and badly-timed mechanical issues denied Hamilton the title. Button only finished two points behind him, which is even more remarkable. Without mechanical issues in Monza Button would have outscored Hamilton. Very strange.
hyoko
7th September 2016, 18:58
2006 Hungarian GP: JB’s maiden victory… and a very bitter memory for me. Not because JB won but because Alonso didn’t.
Alonso was well on his way to an astonishing victory from 15th on the grid after the absolute best first lap of all time. It would have been his most brilliant race, well ahead of the famous Donnington Park victory of Ayrton Senna. Then, after the last pitstop Alonso’s Renault lost a wheel and DNF’d.
“Thanks to […] his rival’s misfortunes”, the article says. Quite an understatement. Alonso won the WDC that year, but I’ve never been able to forgive the mechanic that botched his job on that fatal pitstop.
Nor whoever caused Felipe Massa’s fuel hose screwup in the 2008 Singapore GP costing him the victory and the WDC. But that’s another story.
nase
8th September 2016, 10:13
“Alonso was well on his way to an astonishing victory from 15th on the grid after the absolute best first lap of all time. It would have been his most brilliant race, well ahead of the famous Donnington Park victory of Ayrton Senna. Then, after the last pitstop Alonso’s Renault lost a wheel and DNF’d.”
Very true.
Let’s also not forget Kimi Räikkönen’s epic gaffe in the early stages of that race, when he struggled to lap Liuzzi, who was trying to get out of the way, and ended up rear-ending him. He was running in P2, two places ahead of Button, at that time.
Or Pedro de la Rosa, who witnessed Räikkönen’s antics from the best conceivable perspective, but had to pit after collecting the debris produced by his team mate.
In fact, I never really understood the fuss about Button’s victory that day. Yes, it was his maiden win, but apart from that, I found his race rather unremarkable. He won the race because those who should’ve won it tried really hard not to.
In that way, the race reminded me of Johnny Herbert’s win in the 1999 European GP. Good for him, but not quite significant.
hyoko
8th September 2016, 11:05
Yep, both Hungary 06 and Canada 11 were wild strokes of luck for Button. His contenders in Hungary removed themselves from the competition. And in Montreal he managed to T-bone both Hamilton and Alonso out of the race while staying alive (although with a nose job) and then Vettel gifted him the win in the last lap. But it’s only fair to remember he had his share of misfortunes in other GPs.
sumedh
7th September 2016, 19:43
Not sure why Belgium 2012 and Canada 2011 are on this list. Belgium 2012 was Mclaren winning it. Lewis chose a wrong high downforce setup for that race, helping Jenson. Canada 2011 was an entertaining race, but by no means a virtuso performance by Jenson. I think Michael Schumacher was the best driver that race and was denied a podium thanks to DRS there.
Instead, I would add Japan 2011 (as many others have suggested here) and Hungary 2011 (I am surprised no one has mentioned this). The Hungary race went dry-wet-dry and we had Jenson and Lewis dicing in the wet!! Jenson was brilliant on the track and yet again showed his tactical acumen by not pitting quickly like Lewis did.
And yes, waiting for Felipe’s top 10!
Jan (@yancheelaa)
7th September 2016, 20:02
Definitely 2011 CANADA, I was proud to be his fan and was jumping all around the living room from excitement. Thanks for that Jenson…
UnitedKingdomRacing (@unitedkingdomracing)
7th September 2016, 20:34
Regarding the 2009 season I would rank Brazil and his fight through the pack above Monaco.
Caztone
7th September 2016, 21:05
Most of Jenson’s really great races were when he had to fight against adversity – whether this was weather, or track position, or team-mate reputation. He showed further evidence of this last week at Monza, racing from the back of the field to overtake a clearly embarrassed Alonso. Often, though, when things were just OK, he was too content to hang on to what he had, so didn’t always make the most of a largely underestimated talent. Had he been a little less risk-averse he would have won more races, more WDCs. Great talent, great driver and great personality; now need to find someone else to root for!
x303 (@x303)
7th September 2016, 21:40
That 2011 canadian GP was a thriller.
As a Mclaren fan, I was desperate after loosing Hamilton but Button moving up through the pack was stunning.
That move on Webber was fearsome: he could have lost the car out of the dry line. And there were those purple sectors. Lap after lap, Jenson’s was the quickest on the track. I remember Button’s race engineer over the radio: “come on Jenson, we can do it: we can win this race”. I was thrilled! Crossing everything I had to help him.
And then… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWie6Z9uIms
One of my best F1 memory. These moments remains rare, which make them special.
Good luck Mr Button, and thanks for the memories.
Greg Kingston (@gregkingston)
7th September 2016, 21:51
I still get goosebumps when I go back to watch highlights of Canada 2011, for me THE greatest F1 race of the modern era. Yet the highlights really don’t do justice to the mammoth 4 hours spent watching the race live. Like others here I couldn’t stop myself jumping out of my seat when he passed Vettel on the last lap.
What made that moment so special was the spectacle of him driving through the entire field in the last third of the race, from last to suddenly, against all the odds, having a chance to possibly catch Vettel. The commentary was fantastic, and the whole atmosphere was charged with so much hope, and you had the feeling that Vettel really was feeling the pressure of a charging Button pumped full of adrenaline and simply just on it.
There still didn’t seem to be any chance he’d pass Vettel even if he caught up to him, but the sense of inevitability just grew. There’s something beautiful watching an F1 car so perfectly balanced and in tune with the driver that it is just visibly quicker than anything else on the circuit. Jenson’s wide-eyed expressions at the end, and the emotions of his Dad, were magical.
I’d also put out a shout for Suzuka 2011. Not the same emotion on the track as Canada, but so much emotion for the nation and that race, and Jenson’s links to Japan. Vettel pushing him wide on to the grass seemed to set a steely determination to win that race.
Thanks for the great memories Jenson, and let’s see if we might just have a few more in 2018 ;)
DamonW
7th September 2016, 22:00
Let’s not forget Hamilton was much quicker than Jenson in Canada 2011 before the pair had the tangle ending Lewis’s race….
Nick (@nick101)
8th September 2016, 23:25
What, off 1 corner?
Do me a favour!
ogamii (@ogamii)
7th September 2016, 22:40
Love JB, so sad that he is taking a sabbatical, I doubt he will be back but I will keep my fingers crossed. I think after all of the support and development time he has put into McLaren it would have been nice for him to drive for a season under the new regs. As others have said 2011 Canada is my favorite ever race. I was lucky enough to be at Spa in 2011 when he dominated, after the massive crash at the start such a dominant display was not exactly mind blowing track side, but I was happy for him to win.
Epol610
7th September 2016, 23:12
You need to have English roots to like this rubbish tale.
Button was and is still a great F1 driver but do not overreact!
Paul (@frankjaeger)
8th September 2016, 0:49
Reading this list was verging on emotional. A true classy racer, that has brought so much integrity and style to F1.
Canada 2011 is a stand out for me. It’s the race where I fell in love with F1.
Clearly a master of changing conditions. It’s clear in this list that he is much more comfortable in gambling on tires when it’s wet.
Black n Blue
8th September 2016, 20:36
I think an honourable mention should be given to Imola ’04. In a year where the Schumacher and Ferrari won the title at a canter, Button really pressurised them that weekend. He set his first pole position that weekend, and drove a mature race to finish second. With guys like Montoya, Raikkonen and Alonso being tipped as future champions by many fans and the press at the time, it was good to see the Button put in a performance that proved he could perform just as well as these guys.