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Jenson Button

Jenson Button

The racing ace reveals his tips for reaching the top in Formula 1.

Nerves are normal

Every sportsman gets nervous. It's such a high speed sport, and there's a lot of danger involved. Once the adrenaline starts flowing you get a real buzz. You don't want to arrive at a race and suddenly think 'I'm here at the start.' Then you get very nervous and you're not in control. If you build it up through the morning before the race, you get to the race and the adrenaline is pumping, but you're in control.

Profile

Name:
Jenson Button

Born:
19 January 1980

From:
Frome, Somerset

Height:
1.82m

Weight:
70.5kg

Sport:
Formula 1

Teams:

  • McLaren (2010)
  • Brawn (2009)
  • Honda (2006-2008)
  • BAR Honda (2003 - 2005)
  • Renault (2002)
  • Benetton (2001)
  • Williams (2000)

Achievements:

  • Appointed MBE (2010)
  • Fomula 1 World Champion (2009)
  • Winner - Hungarian Grand Prix (2006)

Visualise your goals

Before the race you have to be relaxed and you need to understand the strategy. You're never going to know everything that can happen. You can't plan the first corner, because so many different things can happen. I don't have someone that tells me what to do. I run through the race and visualise a lap of the circuit. For me, visualising qualifying is very important.

It's good to review

You need to pick up on the positives and the negatives, and there are always both.

When we finish we go into the engineers' room, sit down with them and discuss the strategy, the car, the engine and the tyres. We look at where we could have been better and where we think we did well.

In the days after a race we discuss what improvements we're going to make to the car for the next race. It's about understanding that you're never at the peak, you always need to be thinking of ways in which you can improve.

Look forward

You have to be careful not to dwell on things too much because you'll end up living in the past. There are certain points of the race that stand out to you. We get the timings of every single lap we do, and every single lap other cars do, along with the distances between cars. I run over all the information and I think it's helpful. I think most drivers do.

Focus on your dream

In this career you have to be very dedicated. You have to be focused and you have to give everything. In five or six years time, when I've decided I want to go and do something else, then I can spend more time with my family. It's worth putting up with because this is my dream. This is what I love and I won't give up until I achieve something great.


If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.

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