Honda’s 2009 car looks quick, will be driven for Jenson by small Asian man
Jenson Button believes Honda will be much more competitive in 2009, so much so that he could even win a couple of grands prix (no laughing at the back). Speaking at the Japanese manufacturer’s traditional end-of-season ‘Honda Racing Thanks Day’ at Motegi earlier this week, Button reassured the 25,000 fans that Honda is a team on the up:
“The last two years have been very difficult for all of us, but I think we have a very strong team and we have a real passion for racing, so things will come good for us.
“I’ve already seen what is happening with the car for next year, and it looks very positive. It feels more like 2006, when I got three podiums and I won my first race.
“So it’s all very positive, and I’m hoping to get some more wins next year.”
Jenson Button can still win the F1 drivers’ title. So says Murray Walker, a statement that suggests the 85-year-old commentating legend might be - how can we put this politely? - living in the past.
When asked to name his top ten drivers of 2008, Murray did not include Button, but went on to defend the English driver:
“I haven’t included Jenson Button, not because I don’t think he’s a damn good driver who’s perfectly capable of winning the championship, because I do think he’s a damn good driver who is capable of winning the championship.
“If he gets the right car next year – and hopefully he will have, because Honda are starting off from the same place as everyone else with the regulation changes – I’m utterly confident that Jenson can win races, and if you can win races you can win the championship.”
Murray’s faith in Button is touching but has no basis in reality. Jenson’s chances of ever becoming world champion are non-existent, unless McLaren or Ferrari suddenly decide to poach him from Honda. That’s not going to happen.
Button may indeed sneak onto a few podiums in 2009 - we’re not saying he couldn’t actually win a race, either - but unless Honda make giant strides in the next couple of years, Button will go down in F1 history as a good driver, not a great one.
Crasher bonus! Button takes on the mighty Nurburgring:
Looks like Rubens Barrichello is out of a job. We hear that Honda has decided - at last - on its driver line-up for next season. And the two lucky drivers are… drum roll… Jenson Button (no surprise there) and Bruno Senna.
Senna’s name brings with it a lot of financial muscle - enough for Ayrton’s nephew to get the nod over Rubens and Lucas di Grassi.
With new rules in place for 2009, we would have stuck with the experience of Barrichello (Murray Walker agrees), who didn’t do much wrong this year. He may be getting on a bit, but he is still a great driver, with at least one more season in him.
We’re yet to be convinced that Senna is the real deal - hype follows him everywhere, but much of that is down to his famous surname. Senna II will struggle to match Button’s pace, no doubt.
A thumbs-up from Bruno Senna, who enjoyed his first full day of testing in F1 at Barcelona yesterday. Senna, the nephew of Ayrton, is hoping to impress Honda bosses enough to win a race seat for next season, probably at the expense of compatriot Rubens Barrichello.
Bruno set the 15th fastest time, and crucially was more than a second faster than Lucas di Grassi, another young Brazilian who is being evaluated by Honda as a possible Barrichello replacement. Senna enjoyed the experience, saying:
“The first day of my first Formula One test has been just as big a moment as I expected it to be. I have also had a lot of fun and really enjoyed myself.
“This morning I focused on doing as much as I could to prepare for my turn. I listened to the team radio and watched and learned how the team works. I was feeling quite calm but on my first lap out of the garage I realised the significance of the moment.
“This is a very special opportunity and one which has been a dream my whole life.”
Ferrari won the constructors’ championship, but does that mean they were the best team in 2008? No, it doesn’t. In fact, given the massive resources at the Scuderia’s disposal, you might even argue that they underperformed - with the best car on the grid, and two of the best drivers, perhaps they should have won the driver’s title too, as well as winning the constructors title by a bigger margin.
Looking down the grid, we find teams that punched above their weight, admirably: Toro Rosso had a wonderful season, outperforming the senior Red Bull outfit. BMW Sauber were remarkably consistent and could have done even better, had they not decided to switch focus to their 2009 car halfway through the campaign. Renault started slowly but finished stronger than anyone, while Toyota had a solid year too.
Anyway, a few names to conjure with there. What say you?
British backmarker claims he’d be world champ in a McLaren too
Jenson Button says he is a better driver than compatriot Lewis Hamilton - but only when it comes to racing a “bad car”.
Button supposedly told The People (the newspaper of record, folks):
“Lewis is a worthy world champion but he wouldn’t have done as well as me in my Honda… I mean, the guy has never been in a bad car. I think you learn from it and become a better driver trying to work with a bad car.
“If (I’d) had Lewis’ car then I’d have been world champion too.”
A case of sour grapes or is there an element of truth in Button’s comments? Frankly, we don’t see how Lewis would have done any worse than Jens, who had a pretty poor season - only Force India’s drivers finished below him in the drivers’ standings.
We concede that Jenson might well have won the title if he was driving for McLaren - but the fact is, there’s a very good reason why he’s not driving for McLaren: he’s not good enough, at least in the eyes of Ron Dennis and co.
Crasher bonus! Watch Jenson rip up Melbourne in 2006:
Judging by the opinion of Honda F1 boss Nick Fry, it looks like Jenson Button will be with the team next season. In an interview with the Beeb, Fry bigged up Button, saying: “Jenson is an immensely talented driver. “I am absolutely convinced that if we, at Honda, give him the car that can do the job he can compete with Lewis.”
A couple of things:
1) Jenson is a very good driver - however, he’s not in the same league as Lewis.
2) Honda surely can’t improve their car enough to compete with McLaren next season. Yes, we know that Honda started development on the 2009 car before any other team, and we do excpect a significant improvement from them - but you don’t go from backmarker to podium challenger in the course of one off-season.
3) It now looks more likely that Rubens Barrichello will be released by Honda, with Button keeping his seat. Our tip to replace Rubens? Bruno Senna, who is set to test for them in Barcelona at the end of November.
Do you think Honda and Button can compete with the big boys next year? Vote below or leave us a comment:
