Jenson Button

Indianapolis

in 2004]] Jenson Button is a Formula One driver currently in the employ of the BAR team. Though until 2004 he had not met with significant success, he had five podium finishes after seven races at the start of the 2004 season and became the press's immediate up-and-coming favorite. Others complained that it was just hype, but he appeared to be an immediate challenge with the Renault Sport teammates to the dominant Michael Schumacher.

Button was born on January 19th, 1980, in Frome, Somerset, England. He became involved with karting at age eight, generally dominating every race he took part in; in 1991 he won the British Cadet Kart Championship, taking first in all 34 races. He switched to cars in 1998 and entered Formula Three in 1999, winning two races and placing third in the British Championship.

McLaren awarded Button their Young Driver Award in 1999 and he began testing in F1 in 2000, switching teams a bit, and beating the Prost team's regular driver Jean Alesi's times in testing at Barcelona. This amazingly auspicious debut caught the attention of Sir Frank Williams, of WilliamsF1 fame, who wanted Button as his testing driver; however, Button quickly began outpacing Williams's second man, Bruno Junqueira, and signed on as the team's junior driver. He finished eighth in the 2000 drivers' championship and proved that he was quite fast by outscoring his team mate, the more experienced Ralf Schumacher, on many occasions. His best races of the season were a fifth place at the Belgian Grand Prix and a fourth at the German Grand Prix.

In 2001 Button drove for Benetton but had quite a dismal season; the car was not fast nor was he. He did place fifth at the German Grand Prix but fell to seventeenth in the Drivers' Championship.

Button behind the wheel for [[British American Racing

at the 2004 US Grand Prix at Indianapolis]] In 2002 Benetton was purchased by, and renamed, Renault, and Button proved to the world that 2001 was just bad luck. Though his teammate Jarno Trulli outpaced him in qualifying, Button was too fast for him in the race. He barely missed third place and a first podium at the Malaysian Grand Prix, being passed by Michael Schumacher in the last lap due to a suspension failure and in the end finishing fourth. The Brazilian Grand Prix gave him another fourth; he finished seventh in that year's Drivers' Championship.

In 2003 Button joined the BAR team alongside former world champion Jacques Villeneuve. A bit of bad blood arose between them when Villeneuve spoilt a points-finish for Button in the first race by coming into the pits when it was Button's turn. However, as the season progressed Button's times were consistently better than Villeneuve's, his best result being a fourth place in Austria. Button crashed heavily during practice at Monaco, missing the race and the following testing at Monza; however, he finished ninth in the Championship.

In 2004 Button and BAR made a surprise jump to the top of the heap (beneath the ubiquitous Michael Schumacher and Ferrari). He finished the first race (Australian Grand Prix) in sixth place after a brilliant qualifying session, and in Malaysia Button landed his first podium with a third place, which he reprised at the inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix. His (and BAR's) first pole position came at the San Marino Grand Prix in April in which he finished second behind Schumacher, confirming his position as the main challenger at this stage of the season.

Constructors and drivers currently competing in the Formula One championship:
Ferrari	Williams	McLaren	Renault	BAR	Sauber	Jaguar	Toyota	Jordan	Minardi
1 Michael Schumacher>Schumacher 2 Barrichello	3 Juan Pablo Montoya>Montoya 4 Schumacher	5 David Coulthard>Coulthard 6 RÃÂ¤ikkÃÂ¶nen	7 Jarno Trulli>Trulli 8 Alonso	9 Jenson Button>Button 10 Sato	11 Giancarlo Fisichella>Fisichella 12 Massa	14 Mark Webber>Webber 15 Klien	16 Cristiano da Matta>da Matta 17 Panis	18 Nick Heidfeld>Heidfeld 19 Pantano	20 Gianmaria Bruni>Bruni 21 Baumgartner