Don’t be surprised if Button steals the title

Jenson Button is in with a chance of notching up back-to-back F1 World Championship titles

Sep.23 (Daniel Chalmers) With five races to go, Button may be the outsider for the title and in truth possesses less raw pace than the other challengers. However there are plenty of reasons why he could usurp everyone and emerge as a surprise world champion.

Jenson has scored points regularly and remains in strong contention with five races to go

Despite the fact that Button has been beaten in qualifying by Lewis Hamilton 9-5, he is only 17 points behind him (22 behind Mark Webber). That is testament to Jenson’s abilities as a driver that more than make up for his lack of pure one lap speed.

Button’s wins in Australia and China were both built on the foundation of his great decision making and feel for the wet conditions. In Melbourne he switched to dries before anybody else, and in China he stayed on dries when many panicked and changed to wets too soon.

Jenson is the only driver out of the title protagonists not to make a driver error this season. His only two retirements were no fault of his own.  In Spa he was taken out of the race by Vettel whilst in second place. His Monaco exit was caused by a blunder by his mechanics on the grid.

Button’s main issue is his qualifying pace. He hasn’t made it to the top 10 shootout three times this season. However he makes up for this with his other strength which is race pace and good race craft. When he qualified 14^th in Silverstone he drove a strong race to fourth.

Jenson in the cockpit of the MP4/25

Overall Button has been very consistent throughout the season. Although the new points system was designed to reward victories more, consistency has been rewarded more too, which has definitely benefited Button.

There has also been a change in Button’s demeanour and attitude in 2010. He is far more relaxed than he was this time last year when he was leading the championship at Brawn GP.

He may have struggled to match Hamilton’s pace most of the time but he has persevered and stuck to his strengths. He has never let the extraordinary feats, which Lewis can achieve in a Formula 1 car phase him, and bring him down.

This can’t be said for Hamilton’s previous team mates Fernando Alonso and Heikki Kovalainen who both seemed adversely affected by being paired with him.

The situation in 2009 was very different in that Jenson was the firm favourite with a massive points lead. It was his first championship battle and it was very clear the pressure was getting to him. He would have faced dreadful criticism had he thrown away the huge points lead he had and lost the title.

That championship is in the bag, and he has the experience of that title battle to draw back on. With Mark Webber and Hamilton leading the championship most of the attention and focus will naturally be centred on them as we head to Singapore.

Jenson's consistency has paid off

Button told the Guardian: “When you’ve actually won a championship you don’t sit back and wait; you take the risks. It’s more exciting. Last year I was in a position where I couldn’t take risks and I had to be consistent and just get points.”

He added: “This year it’s completely different. First of all I’m chasing but I’ve won a championship. I want to win another one obviously. I want to go out there and be aggressive and that’s exactly what I’m going to be.”

The Italian GP was massively important for Button. A bad result there for him and it was probably all over. However he raised his game when it mattered most by gambling on a different setup from his team mate and made it pay off.

He drove brilliantly to keep Alonso who had 14kph more straight line speed behind him. One mistake in any of the corners and he would have been a sitting duck on any of Monza’s notorious long straights. Only a slow pit stop prevented Button from achieving what could well have been his best victory to date.

Jenson pursued by the reds at Monza

Similarly, last year in Interlagos, he delivered a great performance when it really mattered. Will that trend continue between now and the end of 2010?

Right from the start, Lewis has always been the firm favourite in the inter-team rivalry at McLaren. If Lewis does end up winning the battle it will be the result everyone expected.

Button’s stock will go up as he has delivered some strong performances throughout the year, and performed admirably against Lewis. Probably much better than the majority of fans and media anticipated.

On the other hand, if Button comes out on top he will earn huge praise and his status as a driver will be elevated greatly. Button is now in a situation where he can’t really lose out.

2010’s critical final five races and the challenges that come with it could suit his strengths.

His ability to not make mistakes will stand him in great stead, at a time when it’s common for the title contenders to let nerves get the better of them and make a fatal mistake.

Jenson has slotted in comfortably to the McLaren way of operating

He could put himself in a great position if he can keep his car on the track, and take advantage from errors his rivals make, which will make a huge difference to the points table.

Button could also benefit if F1’s monsoon season lives up to its name (Korea, Japan and Brazil all carry the strong risk of rain). Button has been great in the wet this season.

Wet races always mix up the order. If Button can repeat his recent wet weather performances, and his rivals end up further down the order, the complexion of the championship could change completely in his favour.

In a title deciding race where a brave 50/50 decision is needed, it’s Button you would put your money on to make the right call on recent form in these kinds of races.

Fellow title rival Alonso said after his Monza victory: “We need to find some consistency because this was a good weekend but Spa (two weeks ago) was bad and we cannot afford to have these bad weekends, we need to be on the podium at all the races.”

Jenson with three of his four title rivals

The bit about being on the podium at every race from now on is definitely true. There is a strong chance that the driver who scores five podiums from the last five races will do enough to be champion.

Again you would probably bet your money on Button being the man to get those five podiums, with his ability to be consistent and avoid silly errors, being worth more in the business end of the season.

It’s worth looking back at recent championship battles with more than two drivers. It’s often been the case that the driver(s) leading the battle most of the way eventually loses out.

This was very apparent in 2007 when Kimi Raikkonen sneaked past Hamilton and Alonso for the title.

In the three-way title finale in 1986 Nigel Mansell went into the race leading the title, but ended up losing the title to Alain Prost.

Jenson celebrates clinching the 2009 title in Brazil

These examples could prove to be a good omen for Jenson.

In conclusion, Button may be the driver that is overlooked by everyone. However, he is currently on strong form and is as cool as a cucumber.

If he remains consistent and keeps his head when others no doubt lose theirs at some point, the title could be his.

Whatever happens, he will be able to look back on 2010 with his head held high and his reputation enhanced.