The good times have started to roll once again in the Honda pits. Their sensational driver from Britain, Jenson Alexander Lyons Button, picked up his team’s third, and his first ever, Formula 1 race victory at the Hungaroring race track in Hungary. It has been a long and patient wait of 39 years for Team Honda, who last savored the ecstasy of finishing first when they won the Italian Grand Prix in 1967. But the limelight was drawn to none other than Jenson Button.

Early years

Born in a medium sized town called Frome in Somerset, Button is the son of former rallycross ace John Button. The latter was perhaps influential in cultivating the need for speed in Button Jr. at the tender age of 8. From then on, it was victory after victory as Jenson first won the British Cadet kart Championship in 1991, taking first place in all 34 races. Six years later he emerged as the youngest ever driver to win the European Super A Championship. 1998 saw him shift from karts to cars, where he won the British Formula Ford Championship for Haywood Racing. Button made his presence felt in Formula Three in 1999, winning two races and placing third in the British Championship

Awarded the McLaren Young Driver Award in 1999, he started testing for Formula one in 2000. It was this auspicious debut which caught the attention of Sir Frank Williams of WilliamsF1, who snapped up Button as their test driver. With his quick aggression and outpacing abilities, Button soon became the team’s second race driver. He finished eighth in his debut championships even outscoring the likes of his fellow teammate Ralf Schumacher. The season saw his best race finish of fourth at the German Grand Prix.

Button took a long time to prove his mettle at the F1 circuit. In 2001, he drove for Benetton on loan and it ended up being a dismal season for him as a whole. Year 2002 was filled with mixed emotions for Button and his team: Benetton became Renault F1, Button narrowly missed his first podium finish at Sepang, overtaken by Michael Schumacher in the last lap due to a suspension failure. The Brazilian Grand Prix gave him another fourth place; he would finish seventh in that year’s drivers’ championship.

Ice Breaker

In 2003, Button made big time when he joined the British American Racing (BAR) team alongside former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve. Soon bad blood arose between the two when Villeneuve spoilt a points-finish for Button in the first race of the year by making a crucial pit stop error. The season saw the two jibing at each other, on and off the circuit. The media lapped up the controversy. Button could only manage a ninth in the driver’s championship.

In 2004, Button and BAR- Honda caught everyone by surprise when they almost reached the top of the heap (beneath only the ubiquitous Michael Schumacher and Ferrari). He finished the first race (Australian Grand Prix) in sixth place after a brilliant qualifying session, and in Malaysia, Button landed his first ever podium finish with a third place, which he reprised at the inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix later that year. His (and BAR’s) first pole position came in April at the San Marino Grand Prix, in which he finished second. 2004 also saw Button come close to winning a race, at the Monaco Grand Prix, although he eventually finished second. Clinching third place, he ended the eventful season with a total of 85 points, confirming his position as a significant challenger to the F1 crown.

Just when things were looking on the bright side, 2005 came along and marred Button’s season with contract disputes and disqualifications. He made a recovery towards the end by finishing fourth at Magny-Cours and third at the German Grand Prix.

Blazing Button

For the start of the 2006 F1 season, BAR Honda was fully purchased by Honda and became a full works team, changing the name to Honda Racing F1 Team. The season also saw Brazilian Driver Rubens Barrichelo replace his teammate & close friend Takumo Sato.

Button began 2006 with a podium finish, in the second race of the year, placing third in the Malaysian Grand Prix. But the following races saw him slipping back in the points farther and farther with oil leaks, engine failure and even a purposeful stopping in the last lap of the Australian Grand Prix to avoid an engine penalty!

The scene was totally different at the Hungaroring however. Due to an illegal engine change, Button suffered a 10-place grid penalty causing him to start 14th.. Rain had affected the race circuit before the race was expected to play spoilsport during it as well. All the teams were forced to rely on strategy more than speed to emerge victorious and Button was on a three stop strategy using a combination of wet and dry weather tyres to cruise himself to victory. The podium saw him finish numero uno for the first time with the unlikely Pedro de la Rosa and Nick Heidfeld finishing second and third respectively. Despite not being an overtaking friendly circuit and being mocked by the celebrated presenter Jeremy Clarkson for his unaerodynamic windscreen, Button stood first in a race which involved eight retirements and one disqualification. He defeated Nigel Mansell’s record victory in 1989 by winning from the 12th position and became the first British Driver to win since David Coulthard in March 2003. His overwhelming triumph comes 13 years after Damon Hill won his first F1 race at the same circuit.

These are glorious days for both Button and Honda but the celebrations should not hinder their preparations for the next Grand prix in Istanbul which is just right around the corner. With five more races left in the season and Button looking exceptionally poised in his F1 career, Schumi, Alonso and the rest of the title contenders might have to do a reign check on their road to glory.

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