It"e;s Formula One"e;s age-old question: man or machine? In the case of Jenson Button, it"e;s a pertinent question. In 2008 Jenson could hardly buy a point with Honda (and believe me, they paid top dollar) as he was was labelled "washed up" at the tender age of 28. This year, he has won three out of four
grands prix and been praised to the rafters for his "smooth" driving style and maturity.
Well which is it? Car or driver? Was Jenson really that bad, or indeed is he really that good?
The truth is that in Formula One the car is the decisive factor. I couldn"e;t put a percentage on it but if pushed I would say 80 per cent car, 20 per cent driver. Put Lewis Hamilton in a Force India and they still wouldn"e;t win a race, although they might do a little bit better than they are now.
This dynamic is true of other sports. Ryan Giggs was yesterday named the PFA Player of the Year but would he have won that title if he had not been playing for Manchester United? Probably not. Success in sport is down to a combination of factors; where you play, who you play with, at what stage of your career you are playing.
Some people find that frustrating. They want to know definitively who the best is. And sure, it would be interesting to see which driver would come out on top if all 20 cars on the grid were identical but you can find that challenge elsewhere. What makes Formula One so fascinating - the DNA of the
sport I suppose you could call it - is the technological challenge; who can build the fastest car, the most innovative solution? F1 is at least as much a battle between the engineers as it is the drivers.
Besides, there is still that crucial 20 per cent. When the cars are roughly similar, and the stakes are high, who will emerge victorious?
In my opinion, Jenson really is world class, right up there with the likes of Lewis and Sebastian Vettel. Yes, he has had the best car for most of the season, but he has still beaten his team mate Rubens Barrichello in every race so far.
It has sometimes been said of Jenson that he is a fine driver on an open road but not really a racer; well, his opening laps in the desert proved his detractors wrong. Jenson"e;s out-braking manoeuvre on Lewis - a fantastic racer - was particularly impressive given his Brawn car is not KERS-equipped.
Ultimately, though, comparisons between drivers and ages are fatuous; is Michael Schumacher the best driver ever simply because he won the most world titles? No. Formula One is all about timing in and out of the car - positioning yourself with the right team at the right time. What is important is that once you"e;re in position, you must capitalise. That is what Jenson is doing right now.
Bahrain was a fun trip. The Crown Prince always puts on a good show and the paddock had a nice feel to it, certainly nicer than Shanghai the previous week. I even found the 38C heat bearable - maybe because I"e;m used to being in overalls out there. Still, I took the precaution of wearing a t-shirt under my shirt to prevent any sweat patches from showing on the BBC!
The attention now turns to Barcelona a week on Sunday although before then we have a certain FIA world council hearing in Paris. So much has been said on the subject that it"e;s hardly worth adding my two pence worth but here it
is anyway: McLaren were caught lying and have since offered a full apology to the FIA. They have sacked one employee, seen another resign and had their name dragged through the mud. Their card has been marked, their reputation tainted. Do we really need to see more?
Subscribe