The English Buttons Up

Jenson Button has four more races to contend with before he goes on to be tenth British World Formula 1 Champion. This would be the fourteenth occasion a British driver would head the points list in a championship.

With the Red Bull drivers scoring just one point among them in Monza, their fates are sealed to scavenge for leftovers. And its not just the drivers title, the Constructors as well.

An appropriate end for the season would be Rubens Barrichello, a written-off, back-on-again muse and a darling of the press, taking the crown. Barrichello’s stint with Ferrari during the Schumacher-era brought him plenty of sympathizers and consider this season as an appropriate send-off for the Brazilian.

Back to Jenson Button. Formula 1 World Champion? He was remembered as the driver who had no wins in 113 starts. And he may as well continue with the same miserable English weather that other Britons were soaked in post their championship wins. Lewis Hamilton for instance, wrote off his chances as the season began only to rebuke it when it was already too late. At Monza his lady sang, not the temptuous Nicole, but the fat one.

The English should learn to quit at the right time. Graham Hill, twice winner followed his last championship with seven barren years, and without a victory in his last six. James Hunt ended his career with the struggling Wolf. Jackie Stewart though, who was recently approached to run for the FIA presidency, ended with a blossomed career.

The value of Brawn GP has shot up for obvious reasons. So much so that Virgin may not continue with them in 2010. This means Brawn GP is at discretion to weed out, separate the wheat from the chaff so to speak. Will Brawn GP then see a new line up for 2010? Possibly!

Nigel Mansell called it quits after winning the 1992 title with Williams. He did not want to, but that was the right decision of sorts. Alain Prost had announced his return with Williams for 1993 with a clause in the contract which stated that Prost would be the number one driver in the team. With the dominance of Williams in the early 90's it was next to impossible to pose a threat to the team in any other car. Mansell’s fourteen poles and nine wins in 1992 from sixteen races stood witness to that fact. Mansell did return to regain some valor; both for himself and the sport, in 1994, but like Hill’s latter part of the career, he was sidelined as an exposition.

1996 World Champion Damon Hill was overshadowed by debutant Jacques Villeneuve in his championship winning season. So much so that Hill switched to a dark horse for 1997, Arrows. Williams managed to win both the drivers title and the constructors title for the second successive year. Hill meanwhile finished twelfth in the championship, scoring just seven points in seventeen races. A massive fall from grace. His last two seasons were with Jordan and was able to conjure up a memorable win in the dramatic 1998 Belgium GP.

Jenson has done his homework in the first seven races and now he can just wait for the four races to kindle some hope for Barrichello.

But…but…Button?

Image:

Jenson Button, Brawn GP