Jenson Button is F1 world champion

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Six wins in the first seven races put Button on course for the title

Jenson Button has won the 2009 F1 drivers’ championship.

He climbed from 14th to fifth in the Brazilian Grand Prix thanks to a combination of a crash at the start of the race and several bold passes by the Brawn driver.

He was already in a position to win the title when fortune dealt another blow to his team mate. Lewis Hamilton passed Rubens Barrichello for third with ten laps to go and clipped the Brawn’s left-rear tyre in the process. Barrichello was forced to make an extra pit stop, and fell to eighth.

It’s a remarkable turnaround for Button’s career. He spent the last two seasons in the doldrums as Honda produced two woefully uncompetitive cars.

The Japanese manufacturer quit F1 at the end of last season. But Button stayed with the newly-formed Brawn team, taking a pay cut as 40% of the staff were laid off to cut costs.

His loyalty was rewarded as the team’s 2009 car proved a triumph. He won six of the first seven rounds, giving him a 26-point lead over team mate Barrichello.

Although Button has struggled to repeat his early season form, he has continued to collect points regularly. And whatever the final racs brings, no driver will win more races this year than he has.

Countries’ champions

Button takes the world championship title from fellow Briton Lewis Hamilton. It’s the first consecutive championship win for a British driver or drivers in four decades: Graham Hill winning in 1968 and Jackie Stewart in 1969.

By a strange coincidence Button won the championship by finishing fifth – just as Hamilton did last year.

Britain now has ten different world champions, who have won 14 titles between them, more than any other country:

1. Britain 14 (Mike Hawthorn, Graham Hill (2), Jim Clark (2), John Surtees, Jackie Stewart (3), James Hunt, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button )
2. Brazil 8 (Emerson Fittipaldi (2), Nelson Piquet (3), Ayrton Senna (3))
3. Germany 7 (Michael Schumacher)
4. Argentina 5 (Juan Manuel Fangio)
=5. Australia 4 (Jack Brabham (3), Alan Jones)
=5. Austria 4 (Jochen Rindt, Niki Lauda (3))
=5. France 4 (Alain Prost)
=5. Finland 4 (Keke Rosberg, Mika Hakkinen (2), Kimi Raikkonen)
9. Italy 3 (Giuseppi Farina, Alberto Ascari (2))
=10. United States 2 (Phil Hill, Mario Andretti)
=10. Spain 2 (Fernando Alonso)
=12. New Zealand 1 (Denny Hulme)
=12. South Africa 1 (Jody Scheckter)
=12. Canada 1 (Jacques Villeneuve)

Read more about Jenson Button

2009 Brazilian Grand Prix

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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244 comments on “Jenson Button is F1 world champion”

  1. Rasputin was a C...
    18th October 2009, 18:39

    “thanks to a combination of a crash at the start of the race and several bold passes by the Rubens Barrichello driver.”

    Hmmm, think that might be an error.

    Anywho, bloody excellent result for Button. Well deserved championship after all the pressure and question marks over his ability to see it through.

    1. Sorry, bit of an odd typo that one, fixed it.

    2. If Bar hadn’t got a puncture and stayed ahead for 3rd place, would button still have won the champ with a 6th place?

      1. yes, Barrichello’s bad luck didn’t help Button this time.

        But wow, just got back from my mates house, an Button proved me completely wrong. Won that race through aggresive overtaking, I would have liked to have seen how far he would have got if if he passed Kobayashi earlier. Man has more balls then I initialy credited him with.

      2. no, Bar would have needed button to be 8th if he had finished 3rd.

      3. yes he would still have won.

  2. Bravo Button.

    I think it is the Simulator he uses. ;o)

  3. Fantastic Button well done, great stuff…

  4. Yay Button! Now he can race freely at Abu Dhabi and we’ll see what he can do.

    Great to see Button hug Ecclestone. Bernie is seriously tiny :)

    1. Haha i laughed when i saw that too. You would think Bernie could get a pair of stilts or something…

      1. Maybe a pair of stiletto heels ( and maybe some lipstick)

        1. Then Max would never leave him alone !

    2. I think Jens hugged everyone, including a surprised and delighted cameraman.
      Well done, you & Brawn GP deserved it.

      1. Haha did you see ow Bernie clasped his fingers as he hugged Button? That really made me laugh, Button seemed like a big giant compared to Bernie lol..

        Jake Humphrey looked quite surprised when Button hugged him lol

        I loved the scene when Jenson just came out of his car and Rubens was there waiting to congratulate him, JB jumped and they hugged- heartbreaking, happy, and touching at the same time! Great sportsmanship from Rubens!

        Then Jenson hugging his teary Dad – aww!

        He finally realized his dream! After years and years of struggling in bad cars, he waited patiently for his moment and never gave up! He stayed loyal to his team, never really complained o created problems.. And now when he finally got a good car and won 6 races, after his wins the other teams started to catch up with him YET he still managed to collect valuable points-bar only race that he was DNF because of an accident that wasn’t his fault-and maintained his lead..
        And in his final race he raced his heart out from 14th in nothing but a champion’s drive to 5th – a position even better than the minimum he needed due to Ruben’s position!
        He didn’t hesitate one bit, he was out to get the championship and nothing was going to stop him! Overtaking everyone that came in his way successfully showing his true talent..

        And after aaaaaallllllll of this ppl still say he doesn’t deserve it?!

        Keith said it best, “If Jenson Button doesn’t deserve the 2009 Championship no-one else does”.

        It saddens a little me that some ppl aren’t happy for JB, whether we like it or not as JB happily sung: “We are the Champions!!”

    3. Not only does Bernie tiny, he seems very fragile. Button was giving everyone giant bear hugs except for Bernie: it looked like he was afraid he’d break him!

      Now he can kick back and enjoy Abu Dhabi. Everyone will be going for a win because the two titles are decided. Although maybe Hamilton and Raikkonen will still do some point racing for 3rd in the Constructors.

  5. Quite happy for Button, he seems like a nice person, but ‘Jenson Button, world champion’ just doesn’t seem right

    1. I feel sick. This shouldn’t happen to F1. Oh dear…

      1. Agree with both of you

        1. Jhonnie Siggie
          19th October 2009, 5:18

          Grow up guys…He wins regardless of which computation you use
          1) Most pts….check
          2) Most race wins….check
          3) Most pts finishes….check
          4) Most overtakes…..check (well at least of the top 4 cars)

          I suppose this is also the crowd that believes Massa should be WDC. What he needs is a Tony Robbins. If he doesn’t get over what happened in 2008 he will be eaten alive by Alonso and Hamilton for the rest of his career and like Barichello he will be 37 asking what da heck happened.

    2. Agre with every bit of that Ned

      1. who should have it? Rubens “Crybaby” Barrichello?

      2. I disagree, after quali I agreed, but his race changed my mind. To make his strategy work and to take advantage of luck thrown his way Button had to overtake and overtake, agressively and skilfully. It took guts and that was definately a champions drive.

        Wouldn’t have said that before the race but he won it on merit today from a difficult position in not even one of the fastest cars.

        Anyways, Niki Lauda doffed his hat, man made a very good point, can’t argue with Niki.

        1. I agree with Scribe… after that race, I honestly feel Jensen Button is a deserving World Champion.

          Now, can McLaren grab both Championships in 2010? I certainly hope so! :P

    3. Your right, Jenson Button World Champion doesn’t sound right.

      He’s the Formula 1 world champion, sounds better.

      1. Oh give it a rest you lot FFS. YYYYYAAAAAWWWWWNNNNNNN>>>

      2. YAWN SIGH YAWN. Give it a rest you lot.

        1. ha. 2 adams. both sticking to jensons critics. Totally agree. The guy is World champion and whether you or anyone else “dosent think it sounds right” is completey irrelevant and nobody cares

          Well done Jenson….. You deserve it!

          1. I’m happy for Button, but I really wish it had come down to Abu Dhabi. No this last race seems kinda pointless. I was hoping it would come down to the last lap again.

  6. Six wins in the first seven races put Button on course for the title

    No, it won him the title… He’s been awful since then

    1. Mouse_Nightshirt
      18th October 2009, 19:44

      And so it should have won him the title; that was more than Hamilton won last season.

      1. What race were you watching today? Buttons had a great race – showing he is one of the few people on the track not scared to overtake – and also manage to do it without crashing.

      2. That was a different year, and Hamilton isa better driver than Button. Brawn caught McClaren & Ferrari with their pants down. We will see what happens in 2010.

    2. imagine, Button started badly, then got 6 wins in the second half of the season. would anyone then complain???

      1. I agree, Kimi had a crap start of 2007, but finnished very strong and he’s a hero WDC.
        Jensen’s the same, only he did it the other way round.

    3. imagine Button started 2009 badly, then won 6 races in the second half of the season. would anyone complain then???

      1. Terry Fabulous
        18th October 2009, 22:26

        Excellent point Sato113.
        Let we not forget that at the start of the year we were all bitching and moaning about how boring it was with Button winning everything!

        1. Mouse_Nightshirt
          18th October 2009, 23:26

          I honestly feel sorry for Button. Many will remember him as the champion that limped across the line. That’s a false view in my opinion – he should be rememebred as a world champion, plain and simple.

    4. if Rubens had won those races then he would have been in the lead but he didn’t button did. The brawn was then off the pace and they both struggled.

      more points, more race wins, more consistency more hair and more deserving.

      Well Done Button, Rubens and the rest of the Brawn team fantastic job!

  7. Fantastic!

    Great drive for it too.

    Bad luck Rubens.

  8. Button I’ really happy for you and Imma let you finish but Nigel Mansell was the least deserving WDC of all time … of all time

    1. No, Keke Rosberg in 1982 was by far the least deserving “champion”. Button earned the necessary points, but he is a one-hit-wonder and I bet he will never trouble the top of the championship tables again. Button will be known as the Jacques Villeneuve of the 21st century.

      1. Button was rather competitive in 2004 was he not?

        1. man of the season in many respects

      2. Keke Rosberg got the most points. Therefore he is a deserving world champion. He drove very concitently and therefore deserves to be champion. You get the most points you deserve it

        So shhhh

        1. Not necessarily. Imagine if Ferrari build a dominant car next year, Alonso leads Massa 1-2 in the first 14 races so he has 140 points and Massa 112. Then Alonso DNFs the final four rounds, Massa wins them all and wins the title despite never having actually beaten Alonso in a straight fight.

          Is the guy with the most points then deserving of the title?

          1. If alonso DNF’s the final four rounds,
            knowing the rule system he deserves to lose
            for being a flake that cannot be cautious
            when he holds all the winning cards.

          2. Peter what if my some chance it is engine failure or something happens which is not Alonso’s fault? That is hardly fair, but then again the drivers championship will always to some extent come down to the reliability of the car and external factors.

        2. Rosberg only one won race taht year Gilles got killed otherwise he would have won the WDC, his team mate Peroni broke his legs that put him out otherwise he’d probably have won.

  9. Good job Jenson. You haven’t really impressed this year but that was a champion drive. Good for you.

    1. he impressed me…

  10. “Jenson Button is F1 world champion”

    I think the World just imploded

    1. Terry Fabulous
      19th October 2009, 3:12

      Yup, the world has imploded. The man who has won the most races, earned the most points and driven faster then his teammate for the bulk of the season in the new champion.

      Next you will be horrified that the team which scores the most goals win the game, or the fastest runner wins the race.

      1. Jhonnie Siggie
        19th October 2009, 5:24

        Well said…. I was thinking about Man Utd being prudent when holding a nice lead going into the final games… You can never please some ppl

  11. Well done to Button, glad it’s over. Now, lets move on to 2010.

    1. hahaha, perfect. Please, bring us 2010.

      I hope Kobayashi will be there too, he’s done a great job fighting against Vettel and Button, a great wheel to wheel against Nakajima and he overtook Fisichella. All on his first F1 race.

      1. Yes Kobayashi looked great today, makes the other rookies in F1 look silly and also the comments that it takes time to adapt – he had very little dry running in time with the practice sessions and qualifying, but performed brilliantly for a first race.

        1. Yes, Kobayashi was great today, shame he didn’t score. He reminds me a bit of Montoya, very feisty behind the wheel.

        2. Seem to recall Hamilton already passing by his first corner….

          1. Jhonnie Siggie
            19th October 2009, 5:28

            Button said after the race that Kobayashi was crazy….I think what he really means is that if you see a car in title contention in your mirror pull aside gently… I thought Kobayashi did OK on debut

      2. Agree, Kobayashi showed a real racers instinct. Button did call him crazy but I don’t think he was expecting him to put up such a good fight.
        With a bit of practice and understanding that he can’t weave so much in F1 he could go a long way. We all know Japan needs a good driver. He surely deserves a drive for next year.

  12. Congratulations to Button, he has the most points, he deserves it this season. But not since Villeneuve has a more medicore driver won the F1 championship – it is sad. There are a bunch of drivers that are clearly faster and better than Button, to mention a few: Raikkonen, Massa, Alonso, Hamilton, Kubica and Vettel. Button just benefitted from having the best car early in the season and his team mate not being the fastest brazilian out there.

    Superb drive from Hamilton, he advanced 14 places – more than anyone else, simply impressive.

    1. Vettel is fast, but he just hasn’t had the overtakes when absolutely needed unlike Button

    2. I don’t see where you get that Villeneuve was a mediocre driver when he won. He was loaded with talent. That he unfortunately went off to BAR and then slumped into anonymity is another matter.

  13. Great Race and Now anohter Brit is Champion and an Aussie gets his 2nd Win. Good Race all around.

  14. Did you see that drive? DID YOU SEE THAT DRIVE? Someone PLEASE tell me, in all seriously, that his race today was not a champion’s drive. Button has had more spectacular – and crucial – overtakes than anyone else on the grid this year!

    1. That’s actually true. Jenson really impressed today.

      My real gripe with 2009 is FIA’s deliberate KERS back-track which left Ferrari, McLaren and BMW with seriously unaerodynamic cars compared to the rest, and the approval of the double diffusor – where Brawn basically headed the working group to set the regulations and then twisted them. Clever but unsporting. FIA/BE’s attempt to ‘reverse the grid’ I think. It worked.

      Had Ecclestone’s third bit of championship-rigging worked, the medal system, Button would have been champion way before today.

      Roll on a serious championship in 2010.

      1. Get your facts straight before making derogatory remarks about people.

        Ross Brawn formally warned all the other teams and FIA, in late 2008, and long before the 2009 rules were set in stone, that there were dangerous loopholes in the regs planned for 2009. He warned that a really clever engineering team could drive a coach and horses through the aero rules.

        They virtually laughed him out of the room.

        But they stopped laughing when Barcelona testing began.

        Brawn won the constuctors championship fair and square, though they certainly won’t have things so easy next year….so bring on 2010 !

        1. Not aware of the story regarding Ross Brawn heading the regs commitee etc.. but the ambiguous statements in the specification could have been easily pointed out just by asking for clarification on a particular point (e.g. Is a split level diffuser allowed?), if this was done (by at least one team) surely all teams would be informed about any amendment to the spec? As it happened all teams were free to interpret the specification to gain a design advantage; all part of the game but most teams decided to read between the lines to adopt the design which they knew the spec. had originally ‘intended’ and so avoid the risk of their design being ruled illegal.
          If Brawn did point this out, specifically as a loophole, it would seem he was well aware that the specification had intended to rule out double diffusers.. he took the risk and it paid off. I personally have doubts over whether it would still have been ruled ‘legal’ if, for example, mclaren and ferrari had come out with a double diffuser design. I don’t see how rules and regulations can be definitive if they are authorized somewhat arbitrarily depending on who / what you are. But hey .. all in the name of entertainment.
          Bad luck to Barrichello (esp. with the puncture – I guess Hamilton won’t be booking any holidays in Brazil any time soon :D), Vettel (who will undoubtedly be world champion in coming years) and the Red Bull team (watch out for another strong performance next year from them).
          Congrats to Button and the Brawn team… fairytale ending and Webber. Agree that Button did drive well in today’s race, could have silenced his critics with more of the same through the latter part of the season!!
          Looking forwards to the next race and especially the next season now!

          1. i remember that, brawn told the OWG that there was problems with the technical aero rules they laid out and it needed to be defined more. but they didnt do anything about it.

            he did the ethical thing and brought it to everyones attention

          2. If you go back a few months it was reported that Red Bull asked Charlie Whiting, before the season started, if the double diffusers were legal and was told that they were not legal.
            As reported on F1 GP Update
            http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2009/04/16/red-bull-developing-double-diffuser/

          3. W-K

            As McLaren found at Spa 2008, the answer would seem to be don’t ask Whiting anything remotely important!

            Leon

            ‘Unsporting’ is hardly the most derogatory statement, I can think of worse. Brawn was/were clever, sure. But I agree with Green Streamer that before or after the fact, FIA were happy to see the advantage tilt to the ‘smaller’ teams this season, perhaps to ensure the number of teams on the grid. i.e. Had McLaren, say, come up with the double diffuser, I doubt it would have been allowed. Though we’ll never know of course.

    2. I agree, i think this is the race that showed his mettle…great way to win the title.

  15. Congratulations to Button!!!!!!!!

    Congratulations to Brawn!!!!!!!!!

    What a race!!!!!

    1. You mean congratulations to Mercedes! We will see what happens with the engines next year. I thought it was different that sub-teams dominated, but let’s get back to what everyone wants to see McClaren, Ferrari, & Toyota dominating the field, and not hampered by the silly F1 rules.

      1. HounslowBusGarage
        19th October 2009, 15:43

        but let’s get back to what everyone wants to see McClaren, Ferrari, & Toyota dominating the field

        Everyone?
        That’s not what I want to see. I don’t want to see any one team ‘dominating the field’, I want to see racing.

      2. I think if Honda didn’t pull out of Formula 1, “BrawnGP” with Honda engine would have won the title way sooner. First of all that car was build around Honda engine and when they switched to Mercedes they made some compromises that influenced the car speed. Secondly, lots of finances were lost when Honda pulled out, salaries were cut etc… Anyway correct me if I am wrong and pardon my English :)

  16. a great drive and a great race to top a quiet insane season for jenson!!! well done mate!!

  17. Oh My God! I nearly pee’d myself!

    Congratulations to Jenson & everyone at Brawn & well done to the very worthy winners of both championships.

    I look forward to seeing them & you lot at Bluewater on tuesday.

  18. YYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

  19. What impressed me most about Jenson Button’s overtaking moves today was not the total number of them (which was quite healthy in itself), but how superbly executed and well calculated they were – the risk levels were just right. Nothing too rash, and not too tentative. Just perfect. Imagine Massa trying to pass a slower car from the back and you’ll see the contrast*.

    * Steph is going to bite my head off here.

    1. I agree. He was driver of the day for me.

      1. not to mention, the year!

    2. lol I won’t, glad I have made such an impression, it’s ok you can have your opinion it is the passion of F1, I don’t mind a little bit of a debate. I quite like it really. I would say look at Brit 07 though when Massa at back and had to work up to 5th :P
      And I hope I never bite anyone’s head off! :)
      But agree with you for Button today he did do very well, I won’t take that away from him.

      1. Sorry Hakka

        I am no tifosi but Felipe vs Robert in Fuji 2007 in the wet shows what he can do… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qjQiOJpHBM – also Monaco 2008 showed he can handle the wet stuff Ok…

        Rich

        1. Apart from the part in that video where Felipe blatantly forces Robert off at the hairpin…
          …and the part when he does it again into the right hander…
          …and the part where he finally takes Rob by using the tarmac run-off which, technically, isn’t allowed in the regs…

          …but yeah, apart from that I completely agree with you! :P

          In all fairness, though, I never really rated Felipe untill last year when he started beating his World Champion team-mate every race weekend. He really proved myself and the other doubters wrong.

      2. Hehe. I was just kidding. You’re one of the most balanced and level-headed participants on this site. I for one am glad you participate actively.

        Anyway, I don’t question Massa’s skill in general or even in the wet (where he’s actually quite reasonable but has an undeserved reputation of being bad) – but he has a singularly bad habit of holding the racing line even while being aware that there’s a car right next to him. This is especially true if the car is from what he considers to be a lower-tier team. He invariably ends up banging them off the track. Of course, some might consider that as aggression and admire him for it – I think it’s very, very poor racing.

        I’m sure there are a couple of exception, but it would be better if he made these exceptions more often.

        1. I do think he can be clumsy, a bit too aggressive and inconsistent which are his biggest flaws, maybe it depends on his emotions/mentality at the time. So I do agree with that Hakka but I think he has improved, he is still youngish (I know most of the drivers are practically in nappies) but he may need more time to mature.

  20. Well done button, fully deserved!

  21. what was the odd that a driver with the car number 22 (last team numbers) wins the WDC 2 years in a row!

    1. And that they win it by coming in 5th!

      1. fun stat

      2. And its a brit in a british car winning it at Interlagos!

        1. with a mercedes motor :)

      3. and that they are both british

    2. And both times it happened in brazil

    3. And it was in Brazil both times

      1. Both times in Brazil, then :)

        1. interlagos was in brazil twice.
          What’s the chances of that!

  22. What a fantastic performance! Guy’s got balls and shows it to the whole world today. Well done, Jenson! Two British world champions in a row which is fantastic either.

  23. StrFerrari4Ever
    18th October 2009, 19:58

    Congratz to Jenson even if he wasn’t my ideal choice for WDC but hey he took the opportunity with both hands.
    2010 will be much tougher for him to defend the title as Ferrari & Mclaren get back to the front aswell as the more determined Red Bull’s bright times for F1 people!

  24. Let me get this straight. He scored few points last year, winds more races than anyone else this year, with a team with a cut staff… and he is a mediocre champion. Maybe the Ferrari hat is cutting off the circulation to your brain.

    Button deserves it. He was the best driver this year. PERIOD!

    1. best driver of the year? Probably not. Best car? Yes. Better than team mate? Yes. Will he deffend his title or win another championship? Probably not, (without another major rule change),

      1. if he wasn’t the best driver, who was? i can’t think of anyone else who pulled out the consistency of button. he didn’t necessarily remain at the top for the whole season but he didn’t make any mistakes that i can remember. a thoroughly deserving world champion. congratulations Jenson!

        1. Ok we all know Button is no Alonso or Hamilton. but when you have the best car it is alot easier t think that the driver is driving the best out of the feild. If everyone was in the same car i bet Bitton would not be on to.

          Congrats to Jenson. However i did not like his attitude after the race. In the press room when he arrived, no1 was there and he yelled “where the hell is everyone! IM F*****G WORLD CHAMPION!”

          1. i would argue that if the FIA hadn’t been so obviously biased against McLaren, Lewis would have won the 2008 crown just as easily

  25. Congratulations to Jenson. He deserved and his driving today was a worth champion driving…

  26. Ultimately, even if Button didn’t drive the way he did today, he’d probably still have clinched the title.

    But the way he drove today was a true champion’s drive – and it reminded everyone why he is NOW the 2009 World Champion. :)

    BTW, does anyone know the song/score the Beeb used for the Jenson/Brawn Champions Montage?

    1. If you can post link Ill be able to tell you, I have this song ID thing on my mobile

    2. If you can post link I’ll be able to tell you as I have this music ID thing

    3. If you post link I can tell you

      1. sorry for multiple comments there it was my laptop!

    4. I believe it was Ashes by Embrace.

      1. Thanks, iBlaze. But there was one other song they used though – something from Masters of the Universe, I think. Anyone familiar with that?

        1. and what was that croaking from Button! Bloody hell, the guy nearly shuttered my ear drums – and that was just on TV; what about his race engineer who had to listen to the entire charade!

  27. He drove like a champion today. However, I reckon that if he had tangled with Grosjean, Kobayashi or Kovalainen in one of his many battles as he easily could have then the condemnation would have been pitched. Anyway, well done and congratulations to him and R. Brawn.

    Barrichello has to imagine himself cursed. How on earth did he drop 15-20 seconds on Webber in one stint? And then the flat to finish him off. He must be crushed.

    Most amazing was Lewis’s race. If had managed to get around BAR in the second stint maybe he could have caught Kubica. Whitmarsh gets a gold star for strategy—for choosing the right set up strategy yesterday and nailing the race strategy today.

  28. A fantastic race and massive congratulations to Jenson Button, an unquestionably deserved Championship win following a truly championship drive from Jenson! I was rooting for Barrichello but Jenson finally put an end to all the nay sayers and doubters, good on him.

    That was surely the best race of the season. More of these please. :)

  29. A British driver in a Mercedes-powered car 22 wins the WDC by finishing 5th in Brazil, beating a title rival from Sao Paulo who had been number 2 to Michael Schumacher at Ferrari for a number of years. Spooky.

    1. What a fantastic race! What a fantastic season! Not in all the time I have been watching has there been such a mix up of teams’ strengths and weaknesses changing race by race. Fantastic stuff.
      Now we get get to see a race with all the pressure off, on an untried track, with twilight racing and the most dangerous pit exit ever. What a treat. Should be mental!

    2. I was gonna point that out. You beat me to the punch!

  30. By a strange coincidence Button won the championship by finishing fifth – just as Hamilton did last year.

    Another coincidence, both had the number 22 on their cars…

    1. I wonder who’ll have car No 22 next :)

  31. This has been a truly great season as ALL teams have at various times been capable of a podium and the same teams potential candidates for failing to get to Q2 at other times. Not to mention Briatore, Mosley and other off track diversions.

    When we went to Silverstone it looked like the tide was going Red Bulls way, McLaren looked very lacklustre and Force India would never be competitive. A worrying sign though there was one driver today who should not have been out there – Kobayashi has a super licence ?? Incredible.

  32. Mike "the bike" Schumacher
    18th October 2009, 21:07

    True champions drive by Button, fantastic overtaking, very worthy champion.

  33. I too was seriously impressed with Jenson’s driving today, and the Brawn story is just a fairytale.

    I’m surprised at the Villeneuve bashing though. Don’t let his previous attitude and the fact that he made a great car only look good in 1997; he is still a fantastically gifted driver who, like his old man, entertains with his driving talent.

  34. All this talk of undeserrving stems from the last 3 seasons before, If Hamilton, Raikkonen or Alonso, posted Butoons second half season results, none of them would have been WDC.

    I’m no Hamilton Nuthugger but some could argue the FIA were tryign to steal the title from him last year. And Alonso drove ridiculously to take the title from Ferrari.

    But what I found most interesting was JB himself saying “today’s drive deserved the championship” makes me think he believes his accomplishments up til then were not enough.

    Anyway fairplay to JB,Ross and co, World Champions, not their fault they were not challenged better by the others.

    1. MarK Hughes on BBC.com sums it up about ‘preconceptions’ ie: “he can’t be deserving this year because he was rubbish last year”
      Well JB was pretty good today.

  35. Well done Button and many many congratulations.Despite my cynicism about the his route to the championship, i find myself happy that he, rather than the fony Barrichello, who has come out on top, i love the pictures of him and his dad; john must be so proud and he should be, he must have scarificed much to get his boy in F1; with a little help from Sir Frank of course.
    Jeneson is not the best driver out there, but he kept his head when the chance came his way, made less mistakes than his contenders and came out on top.
    For those of us who have followed F1 for more thna 10 years, we know what Barrichello is made of, despite the e-spin; he’s an over hyped journey man there because of his family’s money and not even in the same league as Masssa. But i guess “..he who pays the piper calls the tune…”

    Well done Jenson, the World Championship stays in England for another year; heres for the next…i have my fingres crossed for a Lewis/Jenson battle down to the wire next season………

    1. That would be great to see them battle, but with equal equipment, Button loses to Hamilton. JB is a second tier driver, which is nothing to be ashamed of in F1, as they are the world’s best.

  36. Congratulations JB and Brawn GP. What a fighting performance and some truly exceptional overtaking moves – and all season, not just today. Two very well deserved championships. Those who continue to describe JB as a mediocre driver and act like this is a dark day in the history of F1 will probably continue to do so regardless of this excellent article in the Telegraph and Mark Hughes well informed piece on the BBC website, but that’s no surprise.

    I am disappointed for Rubens that he couldn’t at least get on the podium in his home race, he really does have dismal luck there, and my ideal result would have been to see RB finally win his home race with Button about half a second behind to clinch the title. But I am not going to complain about by far the most exciting race of the year, Button and Brawn as deserving champions, and also a Webber victory, the down to earth Aussie is like a breath of fresh air in F1.

    Days like today are the reason I have been an F1 fan for 25 years :)

  37. Well done to all at Brawn GP – and especially to Jenson – he had to start being aggresive to win the championship but he was and it worked and paid off only thing such a shame for Rubens – whether he has the chance to ever be in a competitive car and lead his home GP – it would be great but the way things are shaping up – it wont happen and not to win your own home race must hurt – again well done all at brawn gp

  38. Button ur a G, for sure.

  39. Congratulation Jenson – he did really well today! He had me slightly questioning his composure in the middle part of the season, but he did it in the end.

    Happily he proved he can be a real racer!

    My thoughts go to Rubens, he is a great guy and good driver.

  40. Finally, the champions’ drive to the title. He didn’t have to, but in the odd way things go about, only a few hours after I say (on here) that every “what if/he was lucky” scenario had been levelled by yesterday’s qualifying, Jenson proved to me that he deserved to win the title.

    Well done Jenson, and bring on 2010!

    On another note, that was a good race, with great drives in abundance.

  41. Finally, the champions’ drive to the title. He didn’t have to, but in the odd way things go about, only a few hours after I say (on here) that every “what if/he was lucky” scenario had been levelled by yesterday’s qualifying, Jenson proved to me that he deserved to win the title.

    Well done Jenson, and bring on 2010!

  42. What a brilliant race and I am so so very pleased tonight. Button drove a race of champions today, no question.
    Overtaking wise, he was the THE best driver this season. Vettel is nowhere near that level yet.

    When the car was not with Button he was still picking up good points. he didn’t throw a wobbly at any point. he always remained calm.

    Look at Vettel’s ridiculous childish behaviour and the way he lost it yesterday. no class.
    Look at the way Barrichello blamed his own team a couple of times earlier in the season. also totally unprofessional.

    Button was consistent, did more overtaking than anyone and was professional. he is also damn quick, but people like to think about his previous seasons when he driven a dog of a car. people forget he came third in the championship a few years ago.

    also pleased for Ross Brawn, he deserves a hell of a lot of credit for leading that team to victory.

    1. no he didnt, hamilton made more passes in the first race then button made in the whole season, almost. Add up hamiltons passes in brazil and austraila and its easily more than button

      1. Amazing what KERS can do, isn’t it?

        1. yes it is, but still nobody uses it!

          I wonder why that would be if it was so great! remember first you have to catch someone to pass them, and after you pass them then you have to pull away from them to pass the next guy, so its not all kers.

          the guys on BBC’s commentry team counted buttons passes this season at so far its at 10

  43. What a brilliant race and I am so so very pleased tonight. Button drove a race of champions today, no question.
    Overtaking wise, he was the THE best driver this season. Vettel is nowhere near that level yet.

    When the car was not with Button he was still picking up good points. he didn’t throw a wobbly at any point. he always remained calm.

    Look at Vettel’s ridiculous childish behaviour and the way he lost it yesterday. no class.
    Look at the way Barrichello blamed his own team a couple of times earlier in the season. also totally unprofessional.

    Button was consistent, did more overtaking than anyone and was professional. he is also very quick, but people like to think about his previous seasons when he driven a dog of a car. people forget he came third in the championship a few years ago.

    also pleased for Ross Brawn, he deserves a real lot of credit for leading that team to victory.

  44. When we look back on Jenson Button’s career in years to come, his biggest attribute has been loyalty. For six years he has remained loyal to what, in all but name, is the same team.
    That same team has morphed from BAR to Honda and now to Brawn Gp, and for all that time, Button remained loyal.
    Back in 2005, when he turned down the opportunity to drive for Williams, thus going against an already signed contract, many thought the move as crazy.
    He had yet, after half a decade of trying, to win a grands prix. During the dark times of 2007 and 2008, those doubters became even more vocal, as Honda started to fall apart along with what appeared to be Button’s career.
    In the last two years, many people on blogs like this one have criticised the rise of Lewis Hamilton. Many, quite rightly, pointed out that Hamilton’s success in 2008 was due to his having a championship winning car from the get-go.
    There was no Nigel Mansell style climb to the summit, pitted with terrible disappointments, just one huge jump from GP2 champion to F1 championship contender and eventual champion.
    Button, for large parts of his career, has driven terrible F1 machines. How he must have felt, seeing Fernando Alonso win back to back championships in a team he had once graced. To have seen Montoya take his previous team Williams to nine gp wins, whilst he struggled in the doldrums.
    Yet in 2009, he took his one chance, and won! Yes, the second half of the season was always going to be tougher than the opening races. Brawn Gp’s advantage running the double difuser had been nullified by their competition, and McLaren and Ferrari were never going to go down without some kind of fight.
    The compelling facts are that during this time, the likes of Mark Webber, Vettel, and Barrichello failed to make the most of Button’s ‘lean period’. They failed to gain the points required to turn the tables, and that is purely down to them and their teams. Button, today especially, displayed consistency and speed, without taking any stupid chances.
    A very professional performance.

    1. Someone who agrees with The Limit
      19th October 2009, 1:00

      When we look back on Jenson Button’s career in years to come, his biggest attribute has been loyalty. For six years he has remained loyal to what, in all but name, is the same team…[more intelligent comments]…Yet in 2009, he took his one chance, and won!

      This. A thousand times this.

      Whether you like it or not the fact is that F1 is a team sport that is as much (or more so) about the car and team as it is about the performance of the driver. The fact is that Brawn (Honda) constructed a car that was the fastest of the entire field – at least in the first half of the season. Sure, Honda had been working on this new car a long time in advance in a hope of taking advantage of the new regs, but there was nothing that was preventing any of the other teams from doing exactly the same thing. Even the diffuser issue, as has been pointed out above, was by no means an underhand way of winning an advantage through exploiting a loophole in the technical regs as Ross himself had highlighted this very issue to everyone beforehand, and yet the teams still did nothing about it.

      Jense didn’t suddenly turn into this race-dominating behemoth overnight and neither did Brawn (Honda), but he is, in my view, worthy of being this year’s World Drivers Champion and being recognised in history as being part of that elite club because he had the opportunity and he took it. You could have the fastest car in a race by any margin – but you still have to win it. When the Brawn was the best car, HE won those 6 races – Rubens didn’t. Rubens, as much as I like him and wanted him to be more sucessful this year, had the same opportunity but didn’t do the job, whereas his mate Jense did. Ultimately, he couldn’t blame anyone else for it.

      I actually begin to really dislike Jenson during the time of BAR’s good form because of all the hype ITV and the British media gave him that I, personally, felt wasn’t justified. He just happened to be the one British driver most likely to have a chance of winning, so he became our ‘golden boy’ for that one reason – which put me off him a bit, although I probably had no legitimate reason for it.
      So sure, there’s other drivers who I feel may be ‘better’ or who I prefer as characters but even I have to recognise the efforts that he and the team have made and the major achievements that they’ve accomplished. I am a bit disappointed that the on-track action hasn’t been as epic as I imagined it would’ve been this year but I don’t blame Button or Brawn for that and I really can’t wait for March to roll round so I can head down to Melbourne and start it all over again (Bahrain can GTFO).

      Congratulations Jense and BrawnGP – you’ve earned it!

  45. Hamiltonforever
    18th October 2009, 21:46

    Jenson Button???Who the f***ck is him???
    Lewis Hamilton for life!!

  46. Did you catched JB asking his team to complain to Charlie Whiting about Kobayashi’s driving?? Outrageous!!

    As already mentioned he seems like a nice chap but this year’s title is a joke after the FIA authorised the double diffusor. Bring the 2010 on!!

    1. To be fair, did you see his driving?! I’m sure Nakajima would like to have a few words with him.

      That said, a drive like that on an F1 debut shows signs of someone who could go a long way in this sport.

    2. I’m suprised Kobayashi didn’t get a drive through or black flag.
      Reminded me of a certain Germans less than safe driving.

  47. Congratulations to Button ! after many years toiling in less than top cars, he had his opportunity and took it.
    He was patient and polite all those years when results were not good, and now gets his reward.

  48. Good on JB, he took a few risks today. So it’s ‘only’ fifth, but it gets the job done.
    And I liked Vettel copying Senna in ’93 going round the outside at Ferra Dura.

  49. Great job by Button all season. When the car was top dog, he took the wins with dominating performances, his smooth Prost-like style surprising many, including Ross Brawn himself. As the rest of the field started reeling in the Brawn cars, Jenson kept his car in the points while his main title contenders stumbled over their own feet.

    Doubtless with the words of some of his recent detractors ringing in his ears, Button underlined his championship winning performance this weekend, with some fearless overtaking (remember that thing that can happen on the track) on Nakajima, Grosjean, Kobayashi and Buemi.

    Worthy champion this season. Raising my glass to Jenson Button – great season with the right outcome, and not an FiA official in sight. Well done sir.

  50. Congratulations to Button and Brawn. What an exciting decider today, once again.

  51. Congratulations to Jenson Button! If you win 6 out of 7 races you deserve to win, period. Beside, he also scored a second place and he drove absolutely brilliant today! All this talk about the Brawn Gp car being the best there is in the beginning of the season os of course true, but Button didn’t make any mistakes then and he really trashed the competition. It’s not his fault the entire field got so supercompetative. This year we have had the first 15 or so drivers within a second! Anyone can win a race on any given day now. This worked in his advantage because Vettel or Barrichello weren’t able to consistently score points because the Ferrari’s and McClaren’s got back on their feet again (well, at least one driver of both teams). Button and Brawn totally deserve the titels they clinched!

    I’m really looking forward to 2010 too! In my view we’ve got a lot of drivers there who can become champion. Alonso in the Ferrari (most likely), Lewis Hamilton in the McClaren (he’s doing well now too), Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull and Kimi Raikkonen wherever the …. he drives are the main contendors IMO. The other contendors would be Button/Rosberg in Brawn Gp (if they keep it up), Webber and Massa. I’m very curious to the new stars that appear too. Kobayashi did great today, he seems like a fighter. Hülkenberg’s arrival will be spectacular. In short: it’s time for some more great contendors beside the big 3! (Alonso, Hamilton, Raikkonen)

    1. its 6 out of 17 races….

      1. What Dennis probably means is, Button won 6 of the first 7 races. Then again, could have been a typo…

  52. Good job today for Jenson. Just like its supposed to work. Most total points wins the Championship. That is, consistency wins the Championship. He and Brawn demonstrated it all year. Button had a great early drive today, very, very aggressive. It seemed like once he got to where he needed to be in order to secure the Championship he held station. Smart driving. Did what he had to. Barrichello had an amazing qualifying run in the rain too. He is a great driver and must be congratulated as such. Quite a sport that after end of season charge from Ruebens he will be let go at seasons end. Must always look ahead I guess. Drive of the day probably goes to Hamilton from where he started to wind up 3rd. Admittedly the accidents etc. helped. World Champion lightweight boxing award shuld go to Trulli for his accosting of Sutil. I really didn’t se what Sutil did that was so wrong. Jarno was trying a pass that seemed it could never work. Kimi gets meritorious mention also for his drive through the firery mist coming out of Kovi’s refueling hose. If Kovi had any chance to stay at McLaren it most certainly is gone now. Storming drive from Webber and Vettel as well. Easy to forget about Webber’s win with all the other commotion! Congrats to Jenson. He will be a good Champion. Nice to his Dad hugging him after the race.

    1. What did Kovi do wrong. The lollipop went up.

  53. I still can’t believe this sterile “is JB a worthy champion ?” debate is still going on…
    Have we seen the same race ?

    His race today was awesome (as Webbers Hams and Vettels too), he’s been consistent all season, scored more wins than anyone else… Surely he doesn’t deserve the title, logical, huh ?

    Just imagine: a rookie scores 6 wins in 7 races, manages to score points after that, drive a wonderful Interlagos race to get the title. Would you feel he doesn’t deserve it ? No.

    The problem is that JB has spent too many years in bad teams, and thus got the “looser” sticker in some peoples’s mind. It is for them unbearable to admit that this man now sits in a wonderful car and turns things around. In a way that means that the car is of uttmost importance, relativising their own past “hero”‘s achievment: “man, MS must have been helped by the quality of its car”.

    Well done JB, Barrichello, Brawn, RBR, etc…

  54. I’m not Button’s greatest fan, and I do believe he’s had quite a lot of luck this year, and also a much better car. But out of the 4 title contenders, he was able to capitalise in the beginning of the season, and it was due to silly mistakes from the others that he was able to keep his lead while scoring the small points.

    I don’t believe he is part of the “elite” drivers with Raikkonen, Alonso, Hamilton, Massa and potentially Kubica/Vettel. In fact I don’t believe he is even the best of the rest, I think Heidfeld, Rosberg etc are better than him, but for this season out of the 4 contenders, he definately deserved it the most.

    If the next grand prix wasn’t at a new track, I wouldn’t bother watching and just read the results for who’s got 5th in the WDC and who has got 3rd in the WCC, as the racing has been rubbish this year and the titles have been decided. Roll on 2010!

    By the way I just hope this means that Rosberg/Barrichello swap can be announced now.

    1. That’s summed it up perfectly :-)

    2. You’re 100% right man…

    3. i would agree with this

  55. Oh yeah…Kobayashi gets the gold star for one of the drives of the day. Nothin’ to this F1 stuff huh? :-) Hope we get to se more of this guy next year!

  56. Well done Jenson and well done Keith for another fine article :)

    Here at the Badger’s Sett we reckon the race was “Braziliant” http://www.f1badger.com/2009/10/braziliant/

  57. Oh yeah….Kobyashi gets the gold star for one of the drives of the day today. Nothin’ to this F1 stuff, huh! :-) Hope to see more of this guy next year!

    1. I’m sure Nakajima would like to pin it on his chest personally…

    2. This guy could have seriously hurt Nakajima with his double weaving antics, so no not one of the drives of the day. One of the brainless drives of the day.

      Well done Button. I remember watching him qualify 6th at a wet Silverstone in 2000 and rememeber thinking he wasn’t too bad.

  58. Button on the button;

    Jenson was pinning for a front row start but the weather switched to rain, which unbuttoned his qualifying chances. Button could only clasp onto 14th on the grid. Ultimatum time when the red led lights switched off and the race started Buttons identify shone though and he zipped though the field and shaved past his rivals his supreme brawn car. His racing was muscular and his Brawn racing car was strong, full of energy and clout.

    But the Curious Case of Jenson Button’s second half of the season continued as he only finished 5th, but it was enough to sew up the driver’s title and button down his place in history books.

    ok, i’m done. Any I missed?

  59. Well done Jenson. Great drive and worthy champion.
    I’m so happy. :)

    2nd season in a row I’ve had to watch the deciding race on my “generic hard drive recording system”. Thank goodness for technology.

    1. Thank goodness for technology.

      Great unless the programme runs longer and the recording misses the last half hour. I say Thank goodness for iPlayer!

  60. fearlessferddy
    18th October 2009, 22:48

    YYYYAAAAWWNNNNNN!!!! Glad this season is over, Roll on 2010.

    1. yeah, why only moan about 2009, when you’ve got another whole year to do it all again……..

  61. It would have been lovely to see such overwhelming support for Lewis last year when he became champion. All I remember though was conspiracy theories about Glock, bemoaning the anticlimax of winning a championship by coming in only 5th, and pointing out that he never got as many wins as Massa when we all know Spa was stolen from him.

    Very sad tonight because of the negativity surrounding Hamilton, particularly in his home country, but also impressed with Lewis’ superb drive from 17th on the grid to a podium third. I’m afraid I cannot forget the outpouring of nastiness directed at Lewis last year, and how much of a contrast it is to the support that Button gets.

    1. Geez….you never give the Hamilton gushing a rest do you S Hughes?

      Congratulations Button and Brawn!

    2. Hamilton impressed today but give it a rest, please?

      Congratulations Button and Brawn!!!

  62. Congratulations to Jenson and everyone else at Brawn GP past and present, you’re world champions!

    Now how about a one-two at Abu Dhabi…?

  63. Congratulations Button.
    He may not have been fastest on track but he overtook when needed, just like all season. (Better than waiting for clear air to put in fast laps Vet)

    I also like that the title was decided in Brazil, it just wouldn’t seem right for Abu Dhabi to steal Brazil’s thunder because of money (and building constraints)

    A worthy champion in my eyes.

  64. Thoroughly, 100%, indefinitely, unarguably deserved.

    Why? I’ll tell you:

    – Most races won
    – Most laps lead (to this point I believe)
    – Most points
    – Made the most of a great opportunity before other cars developed and caught up
    – Most podium finishes (I believe)
    – Stayed with a team which was in danger of not even existing
    – FIRST non-mclaren/ferrari driver since JV in 1997. 12 long seasons.
    – Most points finishes
    – Least number of retirements this season (none through his own fault).

    How many drivers have done that this season? That’s right none. His other competitors didnt do half of that, none showed consistency like Button did.

    People CANNOT say Button didn’t deserve the title. Ok, he isnt a Schumacher, an Alonso, a Raikkonen or a Hamilton, BUT he put in 100% throughout the year.

    He deserves it without a doubt. People that think otherwise need to shut it really. Rubens moaned when it was he that couldnt do a good job. Vettel messed it up for himself by making moves that put him out of the race (particuarly Australia, 3rd would have been a brilliant start) and Mark couldnt hold it together when it counted (nor could the team).

    So I ask you, why isnt Button a worthy champion? That’s right, there isnt any reason as to why he isnt.

    One more time, JENSON BUTTON, WORLD CHAMPION 2009. Sorry folks, you’re gonna have to get used to that.

    1. Scratch that, just remembed Renault in 2005 and 2006. Point still stands though, some different than “the usual suspects”

  65. I’m stunned – by the comments here saying that Jenson is the best driver and the best overtaker. Nope Jenson (in a much better car) overtook the newest most inexperienced drivers. Have we seen him dogfight this season – with Alonso? with Lewis? with Kimi? no.

    Not the best driver out there imho, he won due to Ruebens puncture – that’s down to Ruebens bad luck – not Jenson’s skills.

    1. I agree with you, people saying Jenson was the best driver this season is getting out of hand! Best driver out of Rubens, Mark, Vettel, and himself, yes! But best out of the feild? i dont think so!

      dont get driver skill and talent confused with car speed! they are different things.

    2. I think it was in bahrain, where he (button) overtook Lewis.

    3. That’s not true Simone, at the time of Rubens puncture Jenson had already done enough to win. And it was only a matter of time before Lewis passed Rubens.

  66. ps – James I don’t think Jenson did have the most laps lead / fastest laps this season.

  67. Just curious, is ‘Britain’ a country? Or is it like saying North America is a country?

    1. No, England, Scotland and Wales make up Great Britain.

      Great Britain and Northern Ireland make up the United Kingdom.

      1. Poor Northern Ireland…since button is referred to as the 10th Brit to win it (not as the 10th driver from the UK), they don’t get to share on the spoils.

  68. congrats Button, u really are hard to beat! ;)

  69. William Wilgus
    19th October 2009, 0:55

    If it hadn’t been for Brawn’s huge superiority at the beginning of this season, Button wouldn’t have even been close. By rights, they should spell the 2009 F1 Champion’s name as “Brawn” on the trophy, not “Button”.

    1. Probably one of the most ridiculous comments I’ve ever seen on this site…

    2. Totally agree.

    3. Really William, you are simply a hater, and for no good reason. Give Button a break.

      1. William Wilgus
        20th October 2009, 1:32

        No, though I admit I’m not a Button fan. As far as drivers go, I really didn’t see that anyone stood out enough throughout the entire season to be an actual champion. In the first several races, Button was superior to Barrichello, but in the second half of the season it was the other way around. In reality, who wins a race is largely determined by the capabilities of the car they’re driving; at least 75%. In Button’s case, I’d judge it to have been 90%. Don’t forget that Button never won a race until his 101st, and then only because those who were leading him dropped out.

        I can, of course, agree that Brawn deserved the manufacturer’s championship; no other manufacturer came close.

        1. Ok, that’s fair enough, now you’ve explained your point. I don’t agree entirely, even not being a Button fan myself, but fair enough.

  70. I think it’s a shame Button won the WDC the way he did, but he is the champion. He owes 90% of the success to the car and the team’s preferential treatment to him over Rubens (as just one example recall Rubens’s sacrificed race earlier this year and subsequent threat to quit the team and F1 even, not to say anything about the fact that the car was first tailored to Button’s liking and only caught up to Rubens almost midway through the season). I said right from the Australian GP that this team is all about Button being the preferred driver and that was always true.

    Having said all of the above, the rules are the rules, Brawn got it right way before everyone else, they walked the first part of the season and then Button crawled to the finish line having not won a single race in the last 9 and in fact gotten on the podium only once.

    His place finishes (and not) over this span were 6,5,7,7,DNF, 2,5,8 & 5, That’s a grand total of 28 points in 9 races, or an average of 3 pts per race.

    The car deserves the title, Button does not.

    1. …and if the results had been the other way around, with 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, you’d be toasting his success and grit at pulling a mediocre car up from the doldrums.

      It doesn’t matter what order you score the points in – are you even aware of the bizarreness of cherry-picking his worst races, and then saying he doesn’t deserve the championship because he wasn’t good in those races? LAgain – let’s pretend the first seven races were the last seven:

      “After crawling for the first part of the season, button sprinted to the finish line having failed to win only one race in the last 7 and in fact being on the podium even then.

      His place finishes over the first seven races were 1, 1, 3, 1, 1, 1, 1. That’s a grand total of 66 points in 7 races, or an average of 9.42 points.”

      Would you be saying the car deserved the title, in that case, with Rubens ‘letting it slip away’ during the last 7 races? If Rubens had pulled this championship out at the last minute, would you be saying it was the car that won, what with Rubens not winning as many races as Jenson, etc etc etc etc?

      Sometimes I wonder if the most vociferous people following the sport have any idea how racing actually *works*.

      1. And the plank has the audacity to call himself ‘F1Fan’…lol

        1. Yes. Exactly what I was thinking.

        2. You are confused and missed the point of my post, which had more to do w/ Button’s driving ability than anything else. To restate the point: Button only won when he had a significant car advantage over everyone else, including his teammate. That’s a fact. If you can’t stomach it, that’s not my problem.

          And as far as knowing how F1 works, I have forgotten more than you ever knew about the sport. I know personally a couple of the drivers and have very good knowledge of not only the purely racing aspects of F1 but also of the off-the-field side of the sport.

          1. Mussolini's Pet Cat
            19th October 2009, 17:15

            Look, i was wrong to call you a plank, I should have called you a total plank…..

          2. “I know personally a couple of the drivers and have very good knowledge… of the off-the-field side of the sport.”

            So does Flavio Briatore, but that hasn’t stopped -him- from being a total plank.

            If your point had merely been what you claim it is in your most recent post, you wouldn’t have said “crawled to the finish”.

            And if the car is so tailored to Button, how come that resulted in Button beating Rubens in the first half of the season, but being beaten -by- him in the second half?

            The only way your argument holds water is if you suggest that Jenson suddenly became a much worse driver in the middle of the season. That’s been known to happen, but since Rubens’ performances, overall, dropped off along with Jenson’s (6, 10, 1, 7, 1, 6, 7, 8) it seems that Jenson didn’t fall very far vs. Rubens.

            Finally, Rubens’ performances in the first part of the season were reasonable but not stellar – in a car that ‘walked the season’, he scored 2, 5, 4, 5, 2, 2, ret. In three races he scored the maximum possible assuming Button had a built-in advantage from the car; in the other four he didn’t.

            Rubens’ performances were good when the car was great, and good when the car was OK; Jenson’s were fantastic when the car was great and OK when the car was OK. All of that added up doesn’t suggest that Jenson won because of the car – it suggests that two different drivers driving the same car reacted differently to the circumstances. It doesn’t suggest a mid-season collapse by Jenson, and it doesn’t suggest a car that favored him dramatically.

            And, finally, appeal to authority (“I know F1 drivers personally!” – great, so do their caterers; so what?) is usually the last gasp of a beaten debater. Even if you’re right, pulling -that- dull old arrow out of your quiver doesn’t do wonders for your credibility.

        3. You are an idiot. Go read up on F1 first then make comments.

      2. You are confused and missed the point of my post, which had more to do w/ Button’s driving ability than anything else. To restate the point: Button only won when he had a significant car advantage over everyone else, including his teammate. That’s a fact. If you can’t stomach it, that’s not my problem.

        And as far as knowing how F1 works, I have forgotten more than you ever knew about the sport. I know personally a couple of the drivers and have very good knowledge of not only the purely racing aspects of F1 but also of the off-the-field side of the sport.

    2. Accidental Mick
      19th October 2009, 10:14

      That is completely riduculous. The car was NOT tailored to Button as, at the beggining of the season, Ross Brawn openly expresed doubts as to wether Button had the strengths to become champion.

      Button won on merit.

      1. I think you’ll find that Brawn and Button admitted early in the season that the car was a perfect fit for Button and hence Ruebens struggled. I just wish I could find the video of the interview with Button and Brawn. I think it was around about the time of China?

        1. Accidental Mick
          20th October 2009, 18:03

          That is true. Button did suit the car baut that is totally different from deliberately tailoring the car towards one driver.

      2. You are completely wrong. Even James Allen posted an article to that effect earlier this year. Rubens likes a car w/ a certain type of brakes and certain break setup, he is very hard on the brakes. Button is smoother. The cars initially were tailored to Button’s style. Once Rubens got the brakes and setup he wanted, he beat Button more often than Button beat him, in both Q and race. That’s a fact.

    3. I said right from the Australian GP that this team is all about Button being the preferred driver and that was always true.

      You’re still wrong.

      Why would Brawn care who won?

      Barrichello simply drove poorly in the races where he was “surprisingly” beaten by Button. Read up on that here on this site. Keith’s excellent analysis should help you grasp that.

      Barrichello complained about the brakes and he got different brakes starting Singapore. That’s hardly something Brawn did on purpose. Again, why would they.

      Then people whine about how Barrichello was *much* better than Button in the second half of the season:

      Driver 1st half 2nd half
      BUT 64 25
      BAR 41 31
      VET 39 35
      WEB 35,5 26
      RAI 10 38
      HAM 9 40

      Barrichello scored 6 points more than Button in the second half. Big deal!

      Hamilton and Raikkonen are the “second half champions”.

      Or the “Button was driving the fastest car”. No he wasn’t. Only during the first 2 races and on Valencia and Monza. That’s only 4 races out of the entire season.

      Third race was China. Who was faster by about half a second there? And at Bahrain? Indeed Red Bull. That they lost the latter by poor strategy and driver error is not Button’s fault. Spain also a poor race from Vettel. Monaco too. Turkey too. Barrichello made (too) many mistakes during those races too.

      So sure, Button was lucky that the competition was driving poorly, but he was getting everything right in 7 races straight.

      In the latter half the car obviously was slower than the Red Bull and often also Ferrari and McLaren. Even Williams and Toyota now and then. So sure they scored less points.

      Still, Red Bull should have easily been able to capatalise on their much faster car and they didn’t.

      Only near the end (after yet another major update) did Red Bull start getting better results.

      Red Bull had the fastest car. Brawn had the second fastest car and the best driver (out of the 4 contenders)

      Button won it by a huge margin one race before the last. When was the last time that happened?

      1. Button had the better of the 2 Brawn cars for the first 6-7 races. It mostly had to do w/ break parts and break setup. The car was tailored to his driving style. They caught up w/ Rubens midway through the year, once they had the budget to do so (they received a mid-season cash infusion of 35 M Euro, some of which went towards improving Rubens’ car). Once Rubens got the car he liked he beat Button in Q and in most races. You can deny the facts all you want, but that does not change them.

        Brawn, as a team, won on merit. Button didn’t. He remains a very mediocre driver who simply lucked out once in his career. You will see that next year he will be nowhere near the top. Lewis, Alonso, Kimi, Massa, Nico, Kubica and Vettel are all far superior to Button.

  71. Well done WEBBER, Brilliant BUTTON.

    Cannot wait to see these two teams
    up around the top next year.

  72. The next race may as well be canceled! It is going to be so boring. I’m sorry, but as far as i am concerned the season is over and everyon should just go home. No sense spending any more money. Just use it to prep for next year.

    1. Don’t watch it then

      But I know I will

  73. Prisoner Monkeys
    19th October 2009, 1:48

    YES!

    I’ve been waiting ten yeas for this day. I’ve also been waiting about ten hours to post that since the site was slow in the ungodly hours of the morning.

    And come on Steph, admit it – Button won and YOU LOVE IT!

  74. What a wonderful race and a brilliant way for Jenson to clinch the title, he showed us what he can do when he’s not playing it safe, that move on Kobayashi was immense. Awesome first half, inclding win at Monaco, and Houdini like second half, escaping with points despite poor quali race by race, capped off by this masterful display. Sorry for Rubens, he just cant catch a break.

    Jenson Button world champion!

    Brawn GP world champion, what a story, they seem such a great bunch og people, long may their success continue.

    Is Ross Brawn the Man or what!?

  75. Mark Hitchcock
    19th October 2009, 3:12

    Jenson won when he had the best car and consistently got points when he no longer had the best car.
    Exactly how almost every other driver won the championship in recent years.
    And exactly what his rivals failed to do.

    If you’re gonna say that it was the car that won the championship then you can say that about every other recent champion as well.
    They all had the best car most of the time and they made use of it when it mattered. Just like Button did.

    1. spot on.

  76. Hamtilton now moves into 5th in the drivers. Red Bulls and Brawns aside, this is the best of the rest & I hope this isn’t overlooked…. same goes for Kimi.

    If it was Alonso who did this, we’d all be saying yet again what a ‘complete’ driver he is and how he’s the best ‘pound for pound’ driver on the grid. Just hope Hamilton gets due credit for this season.

  77. Congrats to Jenson- perhaps not my favorite driver, but a very good season and a great drive today to take the title. I suppose the whole thing has a “feel good” style to it, so I guess it fits well.

    Thanks for the title wins by nations Keith- I suppose the res tof us have quite a ways to go to catch you Brits ;)

  78. Well at least the title and the season be over over and we can come back next season with a more interesting season. Of course Jenson deserves the series win, so congrats. That said, at the end of his career not many will remember Jenson Button.
    So once again. Thank God this season is all but over!!!!!

  79. most points in a season=world champion, no matter how snazzily he looked over the season, if you get more points than anyone, your world champion, i don’t get the complaints :/ and im not that fond of button either

  80. Congrats to Button and Brawn.

    I hope that next year McLaren and Lewis can be in the mix aswell…

  81. Jenson went out with the intention of winning the championship at Brazil despite being 14th on the grid – no damage limitations racing here. For me this was one of Jenson’s best races, if not his best race.

    But a great race today, let down by Trulli’s tantrum and an idiot throwing nuts at Hamilton during a post-race interview.

  82. Button was superb, we all hoped for a champions drive and he delivered. Of the three title contenders only Jenson’s drive was worthy of world champion status. You could hear in his radio transmission after he passed Kobayashi that he truly wanted to WIN the title in Brazil, and that’s exactly what he did. Vettel may have climbed more places during the course of the race, but he did it relatively easily thanks to the massive pace of the Red Bull this weekend. Rubens looked good in the early stages, but just couldn’t fight through the traffic after his first stop, faded badly, and then blamed the car (Radio transmission again “What’s wrong with the car?”). It was a very disappointing performance from Rubens.

    Jenson gave us a gutsy champions drive, and is a great world champion. Well done Jenson!

    I can’t congratulate Ross Brawn and Nick Fry enough. They rescued a team and made them world champions, it was a fantastic effort!

  83. I have to agree with some of the other posters sentiments regarding the whole British grouping. I don’t think it’s fair on the other countries. I mean the don’t even speak the same language throughout Britian. If you want to play it like that then you might as well group Austria and Germany as Germania! At least they do speak the same language. I know that techincally British drivers are all issued with the same super licence, classed as British. Again I think that this analysis is unfair because it’s not a true reflection of the drivers origin. Anyway that’s what I think. Take it or leave it.

    1. Okay, so it’s 9 titles to England and 5 titles Scotland.

    2. The signing of the Act of the Union in 1707 between the English and Scotish Parliments led to the United Kingdom of Great Britain, but in a tounge in cheek way if your Scotish and lose your referred to as Scotish, but if you win your British.

    3. British drivers are from Britain, so their nationality is British.

      I don’t see the problem.

  84. schumi the greatest
    19th October 2009, 8:52

    brilliant drive form jenson yesterday!

    I like alot of other people believe if he had alonso, or hamilton as a team mate, he would not have won this world tittle. But you can only beat whats in front of you and jenson has done that. Ok the 2nd half of the season has been dissapointing buit thats was down to the car aswell as jenson not getting the most out of it.

    But his drive proved that he is very talented and im pleased for him as before hamilton came on the scene he was always the driver after schumacher i was looking out for. I think jenson is 1 of the top guys in f1, i think you’ve got hamtiloton & alonso as the best 2, followed then by button, raikkonen and massa who, on their day, are near unbeatable then vettel who will get better every year.

    Some outstanding drives throughout the field, hamiltons pace on heavy fuel load was impressive, to come from 17th to 3rd was pretty special and sums up his season.

    I was pretty impressed with kobayashi too, few “dodgy” maneouvers but he didnt back down to anyone in his 1st GP.

    Looking forward to Abu Dhabi and 2010

  85. Not much to say that hasnt been said but id certainly put Jensons drive yesterday in the top 5 ive ever seen. Not quite Senna at Donnington but a spellbinding show of swashbuckling moves; reminded me a bit of Mansell in his fearless prime. In fact in someways the moves were even better than his, what they maybe lost in derring do and imagination they made up with in precision and control not to mention nerve.

    Its the circuits & drivers that need to be altered for overtaking to make a comeback not just the cars.

    Great Britian – 10 : Rest of the world – nowhere.

  86. Well done Button, you get the points and you get the title. I do struggle with the attitude of some on this site. I have never been a JB fan but give the man a break. The Gazzetta dello Sport here had it as the best race of the season and a deserved title to Brawn and Button. I think some of you should take note of us Italians giving credit where it is due.

  87. Good drive from Button. Because it wasn’t as dramatic a finish as last year I wasn’t shouting as much when Button crossed the line, but here in the UK because BBC had more post race coverage than ITV had last year, even if you don’t include the F1 Forum on the red button, you got a greater sense of the Button and Brawn celebrating the championship.

  88. He is world champion, but he’s no hamilton! Cant wait to see the best drivers battle it out next year!

  89. Jenson showed himself to be a classy guy all year, both when winning and losing. A Champion we should all be encouraged by, his career having been the story of talent unrewarded…until yesterday.

    I’m hopeful that an improved car will let him compete for the championship again next year, certainly that is all any driver can hope for.

    Thanks Mr. Button, all year you’ve shown grace under pressure…and now, the grace of a champion.

    (kind of reminds me of one Jimmy Clark….)

  90. Oh, that reminds me…..

    When was the last time two different British drivers won the championship in consecutive years?

    Answer: (56-46) kralC dna seetruS

    1. think you will find G Hill J Stewart were after that 68/69

  91. What do you recon for Button winning next year’s title? If he really is as smooth as everyone says he should have a significant advantage when refuelling is banned and tyre management becomes paramount. And just because I can’t be bothered to trawl through the net, does anyone know what is going to happen in qualifying next year? Is it going back to 12 laps, because I can’t see the point in having Q3 if they start the race with full tanks? How about Q1 and 2 with full tanks, Q3 low fuel and then start with full tanks.

    1. Next year Q3 will be just like Q1 and Q2, in that it will be low fuel and unlimited laps.

      So we should get to see the cars at their fastest, under the current rules we never get to see the quickest lap possible as although in theory it should happen in Q2 we have seen on many occasions that if a driver’s first run was good enough to get him in the top ten he wouldn’t go out to do another lap even if it meant he wasn’t top of the time sheets in Q2.

      I think getting rid of qualifying with race fuel is one of the best changes to happen to F1 in years.

      1. Can they change setup after Q3? At least this year there was a reason to run Q3 with different weighted cars so a different challenge for the driver between Q2 and 3 and more risk with strategy vs grid spot. Theoretically now you should be able to set the grid after Q1 or 2 if you can’t change the setup. The challenge between doing a fast lap in Q3 after you already experienced the same car in Q2 shouldn’t be so great. It will be like the old days, pre 12 laps, but with the knock out stages added for a bit of artificial drama, if anything easier, less cars on the track to get in your way. If you’re quick it looks like it will be easier with the only very small drawback of marginally more car wear.

  92. Well done to Jenson Button and to the Brawn GP Team who all did a great job this season.

    I just think it’s great that we have two British WDC’s competing in F1 at the same time. It’s almost like the great 1960’s when we had three or was it four racing at the same time. We had Surtees, Clark and Hill with the young up and coming Stewart (not yet a champion).

  93. How can so many people say that Button didn’t deserve this years title,

    This years title race was at least a million times better than those god awful processional races at the beginning of the decade when Ferrari won everything.

    Plus JB didnt purposefully drive any one off the track OR use team orders.
    Fair play to the man, bet Frank Williams is regretting dropping him for Montoya!!

  94. @someonewhoagreeswithTheLimit.

    Much appreciated. It makes me laugh how, in all sports, you get a certain element that complain that so and so is not a worthy champion. That he, or they, don’t deserve to be called the best in the world.
    The trouble with that theory is that the F1 World Championship is a long, hard fought, competition in which the margins between success and failure are measured in mere fractions of time.
    Champions don’t become champions by accident, over the course of a season, they are the ones who make the least mistakes and make the most of those made by others. That goes for all the drivers lucky enough, and skilled enough, to win the greatest prize in all of motorsports.
    For the rest, there’s always NASCAR!

  95. Schuamcher is alone in Germany,hope Vettel will be there sooner rather than later.

  96. Whats next???? Nick Heidfeld a deserving world champion?
    Jarno Trulli world champion!!!
    Mark Webber world champion!!!!

    whats next? Just because somebody had a tremendous ammount of car advantage compared to his next rival doesnt mean hes a “deserving” world champio. He’s just a champion of luck.

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