By Erin Baker
Jenson Button is being interviewed by the athlete Denise Lewis in front of an appreciative crowd at Honda HQ in Bracknell. Laughter echoes through the smart reception area. ‘It’s every boy’s dream to drive an F1 car,’ he says, his enthusiasm apparently undimmed by the testing season McLaren Honda has had so far. ‘I still get really excited every time I jump in an F1 car, even after 16 years,’ he tells his Honda colleagues, and the grin on his face backs it up.
‘If Honda does not race there is no Honda’
Later, Dream sits down with him for a glass of water in the sweltering summer morning heat. ‘It’s a big season for us as a team,’ he says. ‘As you might have noticed, it’s been tough. We’re going through a process. It’s a very special partnership that will win in the future. But we’re doing our testing at Grand Prix, which is always difficult in front of the media. We’ve got to keep everyone positive.’
Jenson with teammate Fernando Alonso
It’s all about teamwork
If anyone is the man for such a job, it’s Jenson Button. He is the consummate professional, relishing the challenge of a new partnership and being back in a Honda-powered Formula One car.
‘I worked with Honda for so many years,’ he tells me. ‘So it’s great to work with them and McLaren so closely again. These Honda engines have got 800bhp; working with Honda to make it more driveable…it’s a nice feeling.’
Ironman 70.3 – Berlin
Despite the individual accolade of being crowned World Champion in 2013 and the solo pressures of an F1 drive, Button is the archetypal team player. ‘There are several hundred people working on the car. It’s a massive team and most of them will never go to a Grand Prix, so we have to keep them positive. Every single individual has the same input and their role is as important as the driver’s.’
Half an Ironman
Button’s input includes a huge amount of fitness work between races. We speak on a Thursday before the British Grand Prix; the following weekend he has organised his own triathlon event. ‘I’ll train every day,’ he tells me. ‘It makes me feel a bit more refreshed. Running is the most difficult for me; I’m just not built for it. I’ll probably head out on the bike tonight, I’m not a big fan of the gym, I’m a very outdoorsy person.’
He wants to complete an Ironman triathlon, so far he’s only been able to do half because there isn’t enough time to train for a full one. His marathon PB is a ludicrous 2 hours 52 minutes – not bad for someone who claims he finds running hard. He also gets out on his bike with the pro Tour de France cyclists round his home in Monaco.
Off the track thrills
Doesn’t he ever just want to sit in a nice comfy car and pootle round his local roads? His garage includes a 1956 VW camper van with a few mods that have taken power to 200bhp (‘it backfires quite a lot,’ he chuckles), and he’s eagerly waiting for his new Civic Type R to turn up.
‘The Type R is one of those cars you would draw as a kid,’ he says. ‘The engine screams; it’s what Type R is all about. A proper screamer. I had the wedge one; remember that? I love that car. This one [the new model] is a massive step forward.’
He asks me if I’ve driven it yet, and I tell him I had the good fortune to drive one to Goodwood and back the other day. ‘Oh did you? You git!’ he laughs. I can’t believe I’ve actually made an F1 driver jealous!
What else is in his garage? He has a couple of customised Harleys, he tells me, although he finds them a challenge to take out and ride properly, whereas his Honda CB1000 is his regular bike, ‘My go-to bike and a mega piece of kit,’ he tells me.
And what of the mighty NSX supercar? He drove a yellow one in 2007, ‘Wish I’d bought it,’ he says, wistfully. ‘I put it in the gravel at Turn One at Brands Hatch. And then I had a blue one, which I’d love to buy back, if anyone knows where it is.’
He even likes karting. ‘For me it’s the closest thing to F1.’ he says. ‘It’s proper, pure racing: 50 guys who are good. I’ve only been karting once since F1, in 2007 when I was racing with Honda. I fractured two ribs driving it, which wiped me out for a season’s winter testing. I do miss it.’ I think I speak on behalf of the whole of Honda when I say, keep away from karts until this season is over, please!
