If Horseracing is the sport of kings then Formula 1 must be the game of the filthy rich. World Champion Jenson Button’s tyres have barely cooled and he is already holding to ransom the team that not only saved his career but also delivered him the richest prize in motor sport.
For so long the monopoly of the sport was controlled by money alone then Team Brawn, born from the ashes of now defunct Honda, came alone and, aided by regulations introduced to stop titles being bought, won the championship with the best car on the circuit and arguably the best driver. Button, so long seen as a compulsive under-achiever, teamed with the controversial double diffuser, secured the crown in Barcelona and celebrated duly at the finale in Brazil.
Frome born Button is without doubt a dedicated and talented individual, the 29-year-old son of a former rally driver started competing behind the wheel at just eight, his early career was littered with triumphs however his winning streak dried up considerably when he reached F1. Button took to the playboy lifestyle, so associated with the daredevil life of an F1 driver, with eyebrow raising ease. It took 113 races and seven seasons before his first victory yet Button had already decamped to the principality of Monaco, filled his little black book with a series of glamorous women and developed a keen palette for champagne, it is fare to say that, at one point, he was more famous for his frivolous social life than for his ability behind the wheel.
If the gross winless patch Button endured sounds like his lowest point in sport that’s because it almost was however worst was to come when Honda, Button’s team at the time, withdrew from the sport due to financial limitations, Button was looking like missing the start of the season. Enter Ross Brawn, engineering genius and pioneer of Button’s imminent success, Button is given a £3 million salary, admittedly almost a third of his previous contract but acceptable when the alternative is the dole queue. First places were soon piling up and Button’s lack of vertigo came in handy with the amount of time he was spending up on the podium. Before the playboy’s place in history was secured however Team Button were already speculating as to the stars value and the options that Brawns success had left on his doorstep. Advisor Richard Goddard had been constantly vocal in his critiques of Brawn and suggestions of Button’s possible suitors, as any agent Goddard is keen for his client to earn as much as possible to fill the udders of the cow he is so thirstily milking. Agents and advisers are expected to focus on financial gain and personal promotion, they may invest some initial capital but it is the lifetime of sacrifice that Button should hold up against a few extra million. Button could head to McLaren or Ferrari and annually earn an eight-figure sum, He could stay loyal, at a cost, to Brawn ensuring his value as a sportsman and not a commodity, and more on track success would ensure numerous lucrative sponsorship deals. It is a dilemma that Button is entitled to battle with but the most respectable and commendable choice is clear.
It is interesting to compare a pair of Button’s quotes; the first, after an early in the season win, refers to his union with Brawn, the second after his world title was confirmed,
“It was the best decision I’ve made in my life. I am now paid a lot, lot less but I didn’t think twice about it.”
A humble and refreshing outlook from a man back in love with his sport and grateful to the team that help make it possible, a few months later his success seems to have affective his modesty,
“I am it. I am world champion, and I am going to keep saying it, especially after a race that, for me, was the best I’ve driven in my life.”
The first quote comes from a man, part of a team, focused on his future and content with the £3 million he is getting paid to fulfil every young boys dream, the second is clearly from an egotistical individual hell bent on getting the £12 million a year people on his payroll tell him he’s worth.
Should Button return to his modest manner and repay Team Brawn’s faith I would be the first to cheer on a fellow Englishman, a fine sportsman and a gentleman. Should he jump ship into the arms of the highest bidder I would be less than sympathetic if he returned to his previous, unsuccessful ways.
