Simply being on the grid at all is a triumph of sorts for Jenson Button in 2009.

There were real fears that his Formula 1 career would be ended prematurely, or at least interrupted, by Honda’s shock pull-out.

The Briton remained impressively loyal to the Brackley workforce and this patience paid off when the renamed Brawn GP team was rescued by a management buyout.

The delay in resolving the squad’s future – which kept it on the sidelines for most of winter testing – was initially expected to scotch its chances of a competitive renaissance and limit the realistic objective for 2009 to mere survival.

But the remarkable pace of the Mercedes-powered BGP 001 once it finally hit the track in March suggests Brawn may indeed be poised for a breakthrough.

And given a competitive car, there are few drivers better than Button, whose silky-smooth style and clinical overtaking skills are without peer – even if his reluctance to manhandle recalcitrant Hondas has meant they have been largely wasted over the past two years.


Career log

Button was immediately tipped for greatness when he burst onto the Formula 1 scene with Williams in 2000.

Aged only 20, and with just two seasons of car racing under his belt, the young Brit would have scored a point on his debut had his engine not failed.

He continued to impress all season, but Williams was already committed to Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya for 2001, so Button had to move to Benetton.

He couldn’t match team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella in a difficult car, and the critics pounced – accusing Button of being an over-hyped playboy.

Although he reasserted himself with a series of points finishes in 2002, he was dropped in favour of Fernando Alonso at the end of the season.

BAR boss David Richards threw Button a lifeline, to the chagrin of incumbent number one Jacques Villeneuve.

Jenson won the intra-team battle, and the dumped Villeneuve could only watch from the sidelines as BAR took a big leap forward in 2004.

It was a breakthrough season for Button, who single-handedly kept the dominant Ferrari in sight for much of the year, even though victory remained elusive.

He was therefore devastated when the team’s 2005 car proved both less competitive and significantly more unreliable.

Button also became embroiled in a prolonged contractual wrangle between Williams and BAR, before committing to the latter just as it became a fully-fledged Honda factory team.

He duly flew in winter testing and started 2006 as a dark horse for the title.

Honda’s early-summer slump crushed that dream, but he did at least end the season as an F1 winner after taking an unforgettable triumph in changeable weather at the Hungaroring.

Button hoped to build on that form in 2007, only for Honda to deliver a disastrously uncompetitive car.

Bar a few characteristically strong wet-weather showings, Button spent the season mired at the back of the pack.

Last year was little better, but with Ross Brawn now on board and the team pouring its efforts into a 2009 revival, it looked like there was light at the tunnel – until Honda’s exit bombshell.


Early career

Button had a meteoric rise to F1, with his exceptional karting record meaning he was already a hot property before he even sat in a car.

He captured the British Formula Ford title and the prestigious FFord Festival in his debut season in 1998, then went on to finish third in the domestic Formula 3 series before being given his first F1 test with Prost in late 1999.

His form caught the eye of Frank Williams, who gave Button the chance to successfully audition for a 2000 race seat.