Jenson Button

[LuNo]

Autosport Awards

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Race of Champions

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Race of Champions

[LuNo]

[ve.ro.nika]

Autosport Awards

:woot: :woot:

[Bibi]

Cute world champion!

[Clauds]

He's so cute&adorable! ... Can't believe there's nothing new here since last year

[Simao2008]

Jeson and his gf Jessica Michibata

[madristar]

Button escapes armed gang in Brazil

Jenson Button has hailed the swift actions of his police driver after being confronted by an armed gang in Sao Paulo.

The Formula One world champion, his father John, manager Richard Goddard and trainer Mike Collier escaped unharmed following the frightening attack that occurred on their return to their hotel after yesterday's qualifying session for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The quartet managed to flee the machine-gun wielding assailants as their police protector used the armoured Mercedes he was driving to barge his way through several vehicles.

"We were going back from the track and were outside a shanty town and moving slowly on a busy road," Button told the Mail on Sunday.

"I saw a dog come out, which was very cute. The next thing I saw was a man with a gun.

"I said 'isn't that a gun?' and as soon as I said that, the driver angled the car and floored it.

"That's when we saw six men, all of them brandishing machine guns.

"My driver was a legend. He bounced off about five cars. We were driving over the top of them. It was very scary.

"I don't know whether they knew who it was they were ambushing.

"But I am glad I didn't have my girlfriend Jessica (Michibata) with me. She would have been terrified."

Goddard also praised the officer assigned to protect them, an action purposefully instigated by McLaren given the level of gun crime in Sao Paulo, one of South America's most violent cities.

"We were about three or four minutes away from the circuit when the incident took place," Goddard told Press Association Sport.

"I would suggest there were more than four or five guys, something along those lines, who emerged from a block of flats.

"I initially saw one guy carrying this piece of wood, a baseball bat kind of thing, but I didn't spot the one who had a gun until someone pointed it out.

"It was pulled, and that was it really. You didn't really have time to think about what was happening.

"You hear about these kind of things in Sao Paulo, and because they don't come home to roost, you don't think about them.

"But when it almost happens to you then it's fairly worrying.

"We were very lucky to have a police driver looking after us because he got us out of what could have been quite a frightening situation.

"The real positive thing to take out of it is that we are all fine and we're all able to look back on it and see it for what it was.

"Obviously from our perspective, luckily it wasn't a lot worse, and luckily the sharp actions of our police driver forcing his way through the traffic like he did was great."

McLaren have confirmed the Sao Paulo authorities will today provide additional security to transfer Button, team-mate Lewis Hamilton and other senior personnel to the Interlagos circuit ahead of the race.

The incident is not the first of its kind in the Brazilian city as four media personnel with Toyota also avoided injury after they were threatened by a gunman in their car.

The group were returning to their hotel when they were approached by a group of teenagers after stopping at a set of traffic lights.

One of the youths attempted to kick in a window before shots were fired as he attempted to rob the group, only for them to make good their escape.

[madristar]

Button: "I'll go hell for leather"

Jenson Button has vowed "to go hell for leather" this weekend as he seeks an unlikely Brazilian Grand Prix victory.

Given the facts Button has not been on pole all season and his last triumph was in China in April, it would be surprising if he took the chequered flag at Interlagos.

Even then that might not be enough for the 30-year-old given he is 42 points adrift of championship leader - Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

But with nothing to lose, despite knowing he might no longer be F1 world champion come late Sunday afternoon, it is a relaxed Button who takes on the renowned Interlagos circuit.

"People are obviously concentrating more on the other four," Button said, referring to Alonso, team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull duo Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.

"It's a nice position to be in because almost all this season, and obviously last season, it's been full-on focus, not just me, but a lot of focus on what I do.

"So it's been nice to be able to relax and just go and do my own thing, and it's nice to come into this race and be that relaxed, to be able to enjoy it.

"To still be in with a chance of winning the title with two races to go, and to be in the position I am, it's great."

Button knows, though, it is a case now of all or nothing, adding: "I know my chance of winning the championship is small.

"Because of that I have to go hell for leather, to give it all I can and just enjoy it.

"I have to finish first. There's no point finishing second because it's not like I'm racing one other guy.

"I'm racing four others and if one has a bad race, maybe the others won't, so I've really got to win the race.

"It's going to be very tough around here with both Ferraris, both Red Bulls and my team-mate being competitive, but that has to be the aim."

Button finished Friday's two 90-minute practice sessions down in seventh place, with the gap to Vettel a yawning 1.2 seconds, which does not bode well for the weekend.

"In high speed the car is good, but at low speed I'm struggling for balance and I've just no grip, which is something we need to work on," bemoaned Button.

"It's not great, but then on higher fuel the car was much better and I was a lot happier, and that's the important area.

"If the car works well in dry conditions on high fuel then that's what we want, and tomorrow should be dry."

Button's reference to the conditions is due to the fact rain is forecast for qualifying which could throw the situation wide open.

Appreciating his lowly 12th in the wet in Korea two weeks ago when he was unable to get his tyres working, Button added: "That was a pretty bad race for me in the wet.

"But every other race this year in the wet has been pretty good as I've won two races in wet conditions, which I enjoy, so hopefully I will get a good car in the wet here."

[madristar]

Button: I don't accept team orders

Jenson Button will never accept team orders but will know when the time is right to help team-mate Lewis Hamilton's title challenge.

Standing 42 points adrift of Formula One championship leader Fernando Alonso, nothing but a win will do in Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix if Button is to remain in the hunt heading into the final race in Abu Dhabi.

Button is adamant team boss Martin Whitmarsh has enough confidence in him to trust his judgement and serve the best interests of the team without ordering him to do so.

Button told Press Association Sport: "I will not be ordered, I will never be ordered to do anything.

"I think Martin and myself, in the short period we've been together over the last year, we've learnt a lot about each other and Martin knows he doesn't have to talk to me.

"He knows I'm intelligent enough to make my own decision, and the right decision.

"Of course, my main focus is to go out and try to win the race, and if that's not possible, we'll see what happens.

"But second to that the team is important to me, so yeah, I will do what I feel is correct.

"I think we have a very good understanding within this team," added Button.

"Naturally I want to win the championship. I don't want anyone else to do so.

"But if I suddenly find myself in a position where I can't win it, you are a team, so you do what you think is right.

"It's very like NASCAR in a way. You have two or three team-mates, and you can't win a race unless your team-mate pushes you around the circuit.

"It needs to be down to you as an individual to make that decision, definitely."

It is the harmonious relationship that exists between Hamilton and Button that ensures if push comes to shove, the latter will play his part.

That is a source of great comfort to Hamilton, who finds himself 21 points behind Alonso and in need of all the help he can get if he is to overhaul his former team-mate.

"It's a different scenario for all three teams," said Hamilton.

"The Red Bulls are really battling it out, neck and neck.

"Then you have Ferrari where (Felipe) Massa has supposedly said he is going to do everything to help Fernando, which is a completely different situation.

"Then you've the position here where we're both trying to win.

"But we have a great relationship, one generally where you would assist in a way maybe.

"Obviously it's all very hypothetical, but I feel it's a positive thing, which is what we all want. It's nice to know we are a team."

Seemingly the same cannot be said of Red Bull, where Mark Webber claimed yesterday the emotion within the team is with Sebastian Vettel, and that his championship challenge this season has been "inconvenient".

Button knows exactly what Webber is going through as he endured something similar at Renault where he felt he was an outsider.

"I think we've all found ourselves in a situation where we don't feel happy within a team, where you don't feel you're really wanted," Button said.

"That is important to me, to know you are wanted. I had that at my previous team and I was worried in moving teams I wouldn't have that, but I found it very quickly and I feel very at home here.

"I'm only going on what I've read and heard Mark say, but it doesn't look like he's very loved there.

"That must be tough and a difficult position to be in."

[Daniel Boundy]