|
|
|
|
| Birth Name(s) : Jenson Button |
Date of Birth: N/A |
| Status:
Single
|
Partner:
|
| Profession:
Athlete |
| << Add Jenson Button To Your Favorites |
|
Full Jenson Button Biography
Jenson Alexander Lyons Button, often called Jense, (born 19 January 1980) is an English Formula One racing driver. He currently competes for the Honda Racing F1 team. He won his first Grand Prix in Hungary, on August 6, 2006 after 113 races.
Jenson Button was born on 19 January 1980, in Frome, Somerset, England. He is the son of former Rallycross ace John Button (well-known in the UK for his so-called Colorado beetle Volkswagen and his Autoconti Tuning garage at Trowbridge, Wiltshire), whose best overall results was to become the runner-up in both the Embassy/RAC-MSA British Rallycross and TEAC/Lydden Rallycross championships of 1976. Jenson’s parents are divorced, and he has 3 older sisters.
Further successes followed, including three triumphs in the British Open Kart Championship. In 1997 he became the youngest driver ever to win the European Super A Championship and won the Ayrton Senna Memorial Cup as well, precipitating a move into car racing.
Aged 18, he contested the British Formula Ford Championship with Haywood Racing and won the title with nine race wins. He also triumphed in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, ahead of future Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon.
In 2002 Renault renamed Benetton as Renault F1. Though his teammate Jarno Trulli routinely outpaced him in qualifying, Button had the superior race pace. He narrowly missed third place (and his first podium) at the Malaysian Grand Prix, being passed by Michael Schumacher in the last lap due to a suspension failure in his Renault, and ultimately finished the race in fourth. The Brazilian Grand Prix gave him another fourth place, and he finished seventh in that year's drivers championship.
For the 2003 season Renault team principal Flavio Briatore replaced Button with Fernando Alonso, previously test driver for the team. Despite a "huge outcry" Briatore stated "Time will tell if I am wrong." In 2005 Alonso won the Drivers' Championship with Renault, while Button had yet to win a race and was involved in his second contract dispute in two years. The Times quoted Briatore as saying "Jenson is a fine driver but there were too many contracts, too many things in the background."
BAR boss David Richards fought to keep his driver, though Frank Williams maintained that the switch was entirely legal. The FIA Contract Recognition Board (CRB) held a hearing on October 16 in Milan, Italy, to determine Jenson's 2005 status, concluding that he was contracted to BAR-Honda for the 2005 season.
Button has always gone well at the Hockenheim circuit, and 2005 was no exception. He qualified his BAR-Honda in second place for the 2005 German Grand Prix, and then went on to finish third, his first podium finish of the season.
In 2005 Button again found himself the subject of contractual controversy. Despite having signed a contract to drive for the Williams team for 2006 he judged the likely prospects for that team to have declined, as their engine suppliers BMW had purchased the Sauber team and were to stop supplying engines to Williams. Frank Williams was adamant that the contract must be honoured despite Button claiming that circumstances had changed and he had a right to remain at BAR.
On 21 September 2005, BAR confirmed that Button would once again drive for them in 2006 (having bought out his contract from Williams for a reported $30m), where he would partner ex-Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello
At the start of the 2006 Formula One season, BAR Honda were fully purchased by Honda and became a full works team, changing its name to the Honda Racing F1 Team.Button celebrating his first win on the podium at Hungary, alongside drivers Pedro de la Rosa (left) and Nick Heidfeld (right)
At the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix, Button managed to out-qualify his teammate for the first time since Imola. However, after battling with David Coulthard in 8th, Button got passed by him and lost his chance for a point. Another retirement occurred at the 2006 United States Grand Prix when Jenson was one of several drivers eliminated in a first lap collision.
At the French Grand Prix, Button retired once more due to an engine failure. Qualifying for the German Grand Prix, however, brought a ray of sunshine into the bleak performance of qualifying this season. After a slightly shaky Q1, where he, once again, got pulled into the weighbridge - Jenson managed to get onto the second row of the grid with P4. After running for a while during the race in a strong P3, Jenson eventually finished back in P4.
Former British world champion Damon Hill aired doubts over Button's hopes to be a championship contender at Honda over the coming season, saying, "if he is serious... he has to get himself in a car that is a championship contender." Alan Henry writing in The Guardian 2007 F1 season guide, predicted: "Button will win a couple more races but is not a title contender." He was proved to be wrong as the Honda car proved to be aerodynamically poor.
Button was engaged to Fame Academy's Louise Griffiths for two years. Their relationship ended in April 2005, and his socialising with friend David Coulthard became tabloid fodder. His current girlfriend is socialite Florence Brudenell-Bruce.
Like most Formula One drivers, Button resides in the principality of Monaco, and also has properties in the UK and Bahrain. His hobbies include mountain biking and body boarding. He is also a keen fan of Bristol City who were recently promoted from League One. |
|
|
| Add Jenson Button Biography (SuperUSERS) + |
| Add Jenson Button Review/Comment
|
HQ Jenson Button Pictures (2) | Random Jenson Button Picture
|
| << Back to the Jenson Button Homepage |
|
