Former F1 World Champion Jenson Button celebrates his 42nd birthday today. One of the sport’s most prolific figures, Button enjoyed a dream stint in Formula One during his illustrious career, winning 15 Grands Prix. He became Drivers’ Champion in 2009, with the Brawn GP team going up against the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Rubens Barrichello.
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Button’s last F1 appearance was the 2017 Monaco GP for Mclaren, his 306th Grand Prix start. Immediately after his championship year he switched to McLaren and stayed with the team until his last race. He enjoyed a long stint (2010-2017) with the Woking team. Button’s best performance for McLaren came in the 2011 season, where he finished a close second to Sebastian Vettel.
The Woking team extended their heartfelt wishes to the former Mclaren man. In a tweet posted earlier today, Mclaren wished Button with a pinch of nostalgia. The team shared a clip from the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix, arguably Button’s most iconic win of his 306-race career. It was one of three wins the Englishman added to his records this season.
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McLaren F1 Team wishes Jenson Button in style
Button joined McLaren ahead of the 2010 F1 season. He started 137 races for the Woking-based team, winning 8 of them along with 26 podiums. However, the highlight of his career remains the 2011 Canadian GP. The race started behind the safety car in wet track conditions. After 19 laps, the race was red-flagged due to deteriorating weather conditions.
It started up again after a while but the disorder continued with several contacts and many cars being forced off the track due to wet conditions. Button was involved in a small contact with Alonso on Lap 37, where he suffered a puncture. Including that, he had to complete 4 pit stops and one drive-through in this entire race.
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However, he drove his Mclaren back onto the grid and soon overtook Webber and Schumacher. He was still stranded behind race leader Vettel, but not for long. Vettel went wide on lap 70 when he turned in too late and Webber was through. After a terrible afternoon, Webber led Vettel’s Canadian Grand Prix.
He saw the checkered flag as the race director won the Grand Prix in what is considered the most sensational drive of his career. Fans could hear him cheering with delight on the radio: “That was a hell of a race, a hell of a race.”
NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND: Santander Ambassador Jenson Button is pictured during the 20th anniversary of the Formula Student competition at the Silverstone Circuit in Northampton, England. (Photo by Patrik Lundin/Getty Images for Santander)
On his birthday, fans cherish those memories and hopefully Button himself will want to look back on those days and cherish this part of his illustrious career.
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