Jenson Button is one of the UK's most successful racing drivers and the 2009 FIA Formula 1 World Championship winner. He enjoyed an 18-year career at the pinnacle of world motorsport, driving for renowned teams including Williams, Renault, Honda, and McLaren.
Like many contemporary F1 drivers, Jenson started his career in karts. The son of John Button, a successful driver in his own right, Jenson was immediately competitive, winning the 1991 British Cadet Karting Championship. Over the next few years, Jenson became a regular winner and eventually moved into racing cars in 1998 at 18. He immediately found success, winning the British Formula Ford Championship, the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, and the annual McLaren-Autosport British Racing Drivers Club Award. This led to him test-driving a McLaren-Mercedes MP4/14 F1 car.
Jenson competed in Formula 3 the following year, winning three rounds of the British championship and finishing 3rd overall in the series. This success earned him a test drive with the Williams Formula 1 team, eventually leading to a full-time drive. After a debut season with Williams, Jenson was invited to join the Benetton team, which later became Renault. He remained with the team for two years and achieved 14 top-six finishes, demonstrating his capabilities. In 2003, he joined the BAR-Honda team, which later became Honda. During his six seasons with the team, the highlight was finishing 3rd in the 2004 Formula 1 World Championship with 10 podium finishes. His breakthrough race win came at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix. Following Honda's sudden withdrawal from Formula 1 at the end of 2008, the team was taken over by British engineer Ross Brawn. For Brawn Grand Prix, Jenson won the 2009 World Championship, with the team's highly innovative, Mercedes-powered car winning six of the first seven Grands Prix in the hands of Britain's star driver.
As the reigning Champion, Jenson was signed to drive for McLaren, winning a further 8 Grands Prix between 2010 and 2012 and finishing runner-up in the 2011 World Championship, ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who finished in 5th place. Jenson remained with McLaren during the first three seasons of the hybrid engine formula, stepping back from Formula 1 at the end of 2016. He made a guest appearance for McLaren at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix, deputizing for the absent Fernando Alonso, and finished his career racing sports cars in Japan in 2019. He won the 2018 Super GT title. In 2021, Jenson Button became a Senior Advisor for the Williams F1 team, working with its driver academy and acting as a team ambassador. Since 2019, he has been a Sky Sports F1 presenting team member, providing expert insights to audiences worldwide.
In Formula One, success relies on exceptional teamwork, with over a thousand staff collaborating under immense pressure. Engineers, pit crews, and others work seamlessly to meet strict safety, reliability, and performance standards. A culture of accountability, responsibility, and open communication is key to staying aligned in a rapidly changing environment. Discover how to apply F1’s teamwork principles — excellence, innovation, and adaptability — to your own team for continuous success.
