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Any news in White or Grey are recent bits of news.
***** MARCH 2008 NEWS (SO FAR) *****
Jenson Button was pleased with his 10th place finish at Sepang - suggesting that the lack of attrition made it a true reflection of Honda's progress.
The British driver spent most of the race battling with Red Bull's David Coulthard and Renault's Nelson Piquet, and managed to fend off the latter despite a penultimate lap mistake that took him over the grass.
"I'm pretty satisfied with 10th place as that is where the performance of the car is right now," Button said.
"With the majority of cars ahead of us also finishing, it is a good reflection of our overall position."
"We're going in the right direction and learning more about the car all the time, so we need to keep up the hard work and continue to develop ahead of the next race in two weeks' time."
Jenson Button declared himself “very happy” after qualifying 11th for the Malaysian Grand Prix and
confirming Honda’s recent progress.
The Japanese squad had a torrid time in winter testing and was widely expected to languish near
the back of the grid at the early races.
But a new aerodynamic package the team introduced following an 11th-hour pre-season test at
Jerez has proved highly effective, and Button has been quick all weekend at Sepang.
He missed the cut for the pole position shootout by less than 0.1s and was only one second
behind pace-setter Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari in Q2.
“It was a good session actually, I’m very happy with the way it went,” he told ITV Sport’s F1 pit lane
reporter Louise Goodman.
“I’m really happy with the lap I did and P11 through sheer speed is not too bad.
“I’m quite pleased with that.”
Button added that selecting the right tyre compound had been tricky as the track rubbered in
during Q2.
“It was very difficult to choose between the [harder] prime and [softer] option tyres,” he said.
“I think I was the only guy running on prime tyres at the start of Q2.
“I just couldn’t get the options to work, but everybody else was on the options and when they’re
putting that much option rubber down you’ve got to give it a go.
“We did that for the last run, and I went two and a half tenths quicker than my prime run, which is
what was in the car.”
Jenson Button is poised to sign a three-year extension to his Honda contract, ITV Sport understands.
Honda Racing CEO Nick Fry told ITV Sport's Ted Kravitz that the team was confident of securing Button's services for the long-term, and that he was a vital part of Honda's Formula 1 future.
"Our relationship with Jenson and his management is absolutely first class," Fry said.
"He's really been an important part of pulling the team of people that we've now got together.
"Obviously he's looking towards the future as well, and our objective is obviously to make him world champion.
"Jenson and the Honda team really are locked solid together."
Button has remained loyal to Honda despite the team's desperately disappointing 2007 season, but it was thought that this patience might be tested if Honda continued to struggle for points this year.
Fry said Button's perseverance and performances in adversity were key reasons why the team was so keen to hang on to him.
"He has really improved year after year, and even though last year was a difficult year for us, I think as a driver and an individual he continued to develop," he said.
"He's certainly someone we want on our side."
The team boss added that while he was certain that Button would extend his contract, the deal would not be finalised immediately.
"I think later this year," he replied when asked about the likely timescale for the agreement.
"There's no big hurry - we've got a great relationship with each other and we can take our time."
Honda has made a better than expected start to 2008 - with upgrades introduced late in testing helping the team to 10th and 12th on the Melbourne grid.
With ex-Ferrari genius Ross Brawn now installed at the team, Honda's future prospects are also considered much brighter.
***** FEBRUARY 2008 NEWS *****
His playboy ways have cost Jenson Button dearly.
Last month the 28-year-old Formula 1 racer was seen drooling over a pretty brunette.
Now I can reveal he has split from his longterm girlfriend Florence Brudenell-Bruce.
My sources say Flee, as she is known, gave Button the push last week.
"Flee is gorgeous but Jenson couldn't be tamed,' says a friend of the 22-year-old.
"They have cooled things off."
Button's spokesman says: "They have split."
"They both have busy lives and their own careers.
TOKYO: Honda's British driver Jenson Button on Thursday predicted a better season following a disastrous last year for the under-achieving Formula One team.
The struggling outfit late last year brought in Ross Brawn, a 10-year veteran of Ferrari, as its new team principal to work alongside CEO Nick Fry.
Last year, Honda's best performance was Button's fifth place at the Chinese Grand Prix.
“I must say I'm very happy with the way things are going. We are making improvements at every test in many, many areas,” Button told reporters in Tokyo ahead of the new season.
“For me, I'm happy also because the car is a great driveable car. It's a car we can really build on, so going into 2008, I'm positive that we can have a good year.
“I'm looking forward to 2008 and also the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne,” he said, referring to the season opener on March 16
Honda figures on Thursday presented an upbeat mood about the 2008 season, despite lagging the field with its new car in winter testing.
The Japanese manufacturer finished 2007 an abysmal eighth in the constructors' standings, scoring just 6 points for the entire season with the earth-liveried RA107 single seater.
Honda did not attend this week's Barcelona test, but Jenson Button's best time at the wheel of his new mount, the RA108, was over three seconds off the pace at Jerez late last week, and only fractionally quicker than the RA107 in the hands of Super Aguri's Anthony Davidson.
"I must say I'm happy with the way things are going," Briton Button, who is 28, told a news conference in Tokyo.
"We're making improvements at every test in many, many areas. And for me, I'm happy also because the car is very driveable.
"It's a car we can really build on," he added.
The mood at Honda has also been buoyed by the arrival recently of new team boss Ross Brawn, who had very little to do with the specification of the current RA108.
"I think the performance is okay," Brawn said in Japan. "It is nothing special at the moment, but there is quite a lot of potential for the season."
Button's teammate Rubens Barrichello is also happier with the RA108, after failing to score a single point in 2007 for the first time in his long Formula One career.
"I'm happy that we improved the braking problems that we had last year, and we are still lacking a bit of performance overall," he said.
KART king Declan Jones is following in the footsteps of Jenson Button – with the backing of the motor racing superstar’s dad.
Formula One driver Button began his career as a kart racer 17 years ago.
Declan, 12, is currently competing in three local Championships and is joining the British Championship circuit in April.
And dad Kelvin, who has been racing for 20 years, recently consulted John Button, father of British Formula One star Jenson, about how best to further his son’s rapidly developing career.
“I’m good friends with James Allen, ITV’s F1 commentator, and he put me in touch with John. We spoke about what’s best for Declan and we agreed that it’s best for him to be looking at getting into cars next year,” said Jones snr.
“Declan was recently named as one of the ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ by the British Racing Drivers Club,” said Kelvin, “and he’ll be going off to race in Genk in Belgium in August.
“He’s won countless trophies, and he’s currently leading the Championships at Hooton Park, and is second at Wigan and in North Wales.
“He loves racing, he’s been in cars since he was eight and he’s grown up hanging around the paddocks and learning from his experiences.”
Kelvin is appealing for sponsors to help increase Declan’s chances of success.
“Some of the lads that Declan races against have engines that cost around £30,000,” added Kelvin, “whereas Declan’s cost £800 and he’s still beating them.
“To get to the very top you need backing. Lewis Hamilton told (McLaren boss) Ron Dennis that he’d like to race for him when he was 12, and ever since then he’s had the best backing available.”
Hamilton is another role model for Declan, he recently designed a new helmet and had it painted by the same company that works for the British star.
However, Declan himself is already turning into a role model, explains Kelvin.
“Declan’s dyslexic, and he got a lot of help from the Dyslexia Action centre, where they have a signed picture of Jackie Stewart (himself a dyslexic) on the wall. Now Declan’s sent them a signed photo and it’s up there next to Jackie!”
Declan, an SFX pupil, is being given time off school to compete in various Championships, and while the kind of success enjoyed by the likes of Button and Hamilton is a long way off, he’s learning fast.
“He takes on any challenge,” added Kelvin.
“He’s racing, and winning, against lads much older than him, so who knows how far he can go?”
Jenson Button remains confident that Honda will make headway this season despite the lacklustre performance of its new car in initial testing.
The Brackley-based squad is relying on the RA108 to banish memories of a dismal 2007 season in which the team scored only six points.
But it has made no appreciable breakthrough thus far, lapping some three seconds off the front-runners’ pace in testing.
Button admits the new car is not yet a competitive proposition but feels sure the team can improve it steadily as the season goes on.
“We have a lot of work to do in order to achieve our targets and obviously things are not going to happen overnight,” he told the official Formula 1 website.
“However we have some very good people at the team and I have every confidence that we will progress throughout the year.”
Honda appears to have overcome the chronic aerodynamic and braking stability problems of last year’s car but the RA108 is lacking all-round mechanical grip.
Nonetheless Button believes it provides a decent platform for development, and says the team has a “clear plan” for addressing its weaknesses.
“The RA108 is completely new which means we are starting from zero in terms of developing the set-up,” he said.
“We are also working on driveability as we adapt to the new ECU.
“These challenges were reflected in our speed at our debut test in Barcelona, especially on single fast laps, but our long-run consistency improved.
“We have a good basic car with new opportunities for aerodynamics and other areas and a clear plan for addressing any issues in the coming tests.”
Button would not be drawn into making specific predictions about the results Honda can expect this season.
Asked whether he would have an opportunity to add to his 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix victory, he said: “We still have some important tests ahead so at this moment any answer would be a pure guess.
“But I am very confident that the development is moving in the right direction and that results are lurking around the corner.”
Q: What is the new car like to drive?
But it is still the basic car. The car in front of me here is actually more advanced than the car that I
drove at the test by quite a bit.
There are quite a lot of differences already for the Barcelona test so I think we will get a better read
at Barcelona, but the good thing is that there is nothing that is wrong.
It is not as quick as the Ferraris and McLarens or whoever but there is nothing wrong with the car.
It's predictable, you know what it is doing, we just need to improve it a lot. And that is exactly what
we are doing.
Q: How excited are you to work with Ross Brawn?
We've employed a lot of people, not just Ross, but aerodynamically we've got a lot of new people
heading up that department.
Also in engineering there is a lot of new people so there is a lot that has changed around here for
the better. It's a very positive place at the moment, as it should be.
I'm really looking forward to working with Ross at the circuits; he has had a lot of good input.
He can't really have a lot of input on the way the car is at the moment – because the initial, basic car
has already been designed – but for the future, for sure, he knows what to do to build on it along
with the aerodynamics team that we have.
And not just aerodynamics, but engineering, mechanical grip and so on. So I am happy with the way
things are going, it's the strongest this team has ever been and for me it's the strongest team for
the future.
I think we have everything in place to be challenging for the world championship in the future and
there is not one other team I would rather be in for the next few years.
This year we are not going to challenge for the world championship – that will be McLaren and
Ferrari I feel – but you have got to be looking for 2009.
There is a lot changing in 2009, we have everything in place to be challenging then, but for now we
need to work very hard on improving this car race-by-race to achieve our goals in the future.
It's not going to be easy; it's actually getting more and more competitive and there are so many
good teams out there now. But I think we can do it, we really can.
My aim is to be stronger in the last race than any other race.
The aim is to improve with the car every race, and I don't just mean feeling the car improve; I mean
compared to our competitors and moving up the grid in every race.
Q: Ross says he needs to give you a better car; are you still motivated after a year like last year?
Personally I am very motivated. I wouldn't have spent my whole winter training my arse off in
Lanzerote where it wasn't necessary, maybe.
I feel I am the fittest driver on the grid and I am as focused as any other out there.
I have been giving as much input over the winter, listening to what they have to say and also
seeing how the car is growing. I am definitely hungry and I definitely want a competitive car.
We have to work it though, it's not going to happen on its own.
Q: Do you think there is anything Ross can teach you from the way that Michael Schumacher
operated?
But I think I have had as much information as I need from Rubens. He was his team-mate for so
many years and you can really see that because Rubens also works very hard, and that's clear to
see.
It's good to have a team-mate that works hard, gives a lot of good feedback and that actually cares
where this team is going. I don't think I have really felt that before with my team-mates.
So I know hard Michael has worked and I am working as hard as I possibly can to take this team
forward.
Ross can't do it on his own, I can't do it on my own. It needs a team of people to be pulling their
weight and I think that is exactly what they are doing.
Q: So you think what you can learn from Ross is probably more technical stuff and what to do with
the car?
The guy has so much experience in Formula 1 and has also been challenging and winning world
championships.
He brings a lot to this team and it's not just about making the car quicker; it's a about building the
team and making sure there is nothing missing.
Q: Last year it was control tyres, this year it is lack of driver aids – what is the bigger process of
adaptation?
I have found it pretty easy to get used to driving without TC. I haven't driven in the wet without it,
but in the dry it's easy to get used to.
But what you have to realise is these engines have been built to use TC, so taking that away we
really do have to work on the driveability of the engine, the torque curve, etc.
There is more effort from the drivers going into the driveability of the engine than there has been
before because it has become so, so important.
And we are improving all the time, we are still not 100% yet, but we have made some good
improvements since last November.
Q: Can you give an insight into how the lack of TC will manifest itself in the races?
Personally I think it is going to add a bit more excitement and you are going to see us more out of
shape than we were last year.
And when it comes to overtaking, the same thing. You want to get out of the corner, you want to
get on the power so the guy doesn't get you in the next corner, and you going to have big broad
sideways moments which I think adds to the spectacle.
Q: What do you expect Alex Wurz to bring to the team?
He has a real understanding of a Formula 1 car aerodynamically, mechanically… so it's nice that we
can have a driver that is not looking to further his career as a racer, he can knuckle down and be
consistent in testing and give very good feedback.
I have always heard very good things about Alex, and it's nice to have that, to have someone that
we can really trust in.
He is not out there to set the world alight in one lap, like a lot of young drivers would be.
For me it’s a no-brainer. You need a guy that's good at testing, that can be consistent and not just
think about himself but the whole package, think about moving the team forward.
That's what Alex loves doing, he loves playing his part in the team and moving it forward and when
we start winning on the circuit some of it will be down to him. I think that is what he gets his buzz
from.
Q: Do you expect 2008 to still be dominated by Hamilton-mania in this country?
I think that they will be strong again; we don't know yet if they are really going to take the
challenge to Ferrari, if McLaren are just going to walk it, we really don't know. But looking at the
times in testing they both look very quick.
Nobody seems to have closed the gap to them but that could all change by the time we get to
Melbourne.
For sure, though, if he is at the front challenging for wins I expect people to be writing that he is
doing a good job and challenging for wins.
Until we get into a position where we can win races then it is going to be all about Hamilton, and I
can understand that and I really have no issues with it. It means I can get on and concentrate on
developing the car with Honda.
Q: What's an acceptable minimum for you this year?
If we are at our strongest at the end of the season and that means winning the race then fantastic,
if it means podium great, if it means fifth place that's where it is. But we need to just keep moving
forward.
We understand this car, its aerodynamics, we understand the wind tunnel. And to have that is
already a massive step forward for us. We can just keep building on what we have, which is
something we didn't have last year.
Q: You keep talking about the future, do you see yourself being here for three years, five years…?
It is the first time that I can truly say that in every area we are strong and we know which direction
we are going in.
We have great technical direction with Ross and that is going to make a big difference to this team.
I am very happy where I am.
Q: How much did you push the team that something had to change after last year? Did you set
them any deadlines?
For sure last year was very tough, and I think Honda realised that something needed to change – I
think all of us realised that something needed to change.
If we had had a year that was reasonably good where we had finished third or fourth, we would
have kept on the same path and maybe achieved the same this year.
We never really would have found a way out, but having such a dreadful year we have realised that
something seriously needs to change. Not just the personnel but the direction with the car.
It's all good at the moment but as I said this isn't the final product. There is a lot or work that we
need to do to make it competitive.
Q: You drove well on several occasions last year; how frustrating was it that very few people
actually noticed?
China, if nobody noticed in the press it makes no difference to me because me and the team know
what I did. We had a great race.
2007 was a very tough year but people who know about F1 said some very nice things about my
season and I think that people picked up on how tough it was but also how good a job we did.
Q: Do you think that mentally and physically you are more prepared than you have ever been?
I couldn't possibly be any more ready. I feel like I have everything: the fitness level, I have the focus,
I have such determination to achieve success in the sport.
I have been racing for eight years in F1, but I have never been in the position I am now with a team
that I feel is complete.
We just have to keep our heads down, forget about the future, and focus on improving and make
sure that each part of this team is doing 100%.
Q: Do you have contract talks coming up at the end of this season?
Q: What sort of improvements would you be looking for?
As I said the most important thing is that we understand this car and where it is in the wind tunnel.
Last year when it came to understanding the car we were lost. It was unpredictable and we didn't
know which direction we had to go with it.
Taken From:ITV-F1
Formula One drivers are some of the fittest men around, says Jenson Button.
"Your body is placed under enormous physical strain. The G-forces are similar to those felt by a
fighter pilot." And then there is the workload a driver's arms have to handle.
"We have power steering, but it's not like any road car. Applying opposite lock at high speed
requires a great deal of strength," he says.
Button prepares for the gruelling races with a customised exercise regime during the off-season.
Some of this takes place at Club La Santa in Lanzarote.
"There, and also in the hills outside Monte Carlo, I'll go running and cycling, both of which are good
cardiovascular disciplines and fantastic for general stamina," he explains.
"I'll throw in some uphill skiing when I go to the French Alps, too."
"There are three areas I concentrate on," he says.
"The first is all about core stability and balance. I perch myself on a large Swiss ball, placing my legs
on a smaller medicine ball, and then, holding a 10kg weight, I turn my arms 180 degrees from side
to side as many times as possible. My record is 401.
"The second area of training is a general weights programme. It's crucial to build up strength and
stamina, but it is as important to get the balance right. At my weight and height [11st and 6ft] I
cannot afford to be any heavier but also I cannot lose my strength.
"The third area is a neck exercise only racing drivers and boxers do. My trainer places a towel
around my head at the temples. We then pull in opposite directions for a series of 30-second
repetitions."
During the season, which starts in Australia on March 16, much of Button's exercise regime is
covered by racing. "The best training for a racing driver is actually racing the car," he says. "Believe
me, you don't want to be training for a day or two after a race."
Formula 1 star Jenson Button's girlfriend has put her modelling career in the fast lane with a racy
new campaign.
Florence Brudenell-Bruce has been hired in a bid to reinvigorate the John Lewis brand and also
draw in a new generation of shoppers to stores.
She models the latest women's collection alongside St Trinian's film actress Antonia Bernath.
Florence, a descendant of the Earl of Cardigan, has been dating the Button on and off for two
years.
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