Button worth his title, say former F1 champions

Published on Friday 30 October 2009 22:20

FORMULA 1's three previous world champions have hailed Jenson Button as a worthy winner of this year's title.

Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton are all of the opinion that Button is deserving of joining a club that includes just 32 members, despite his second-half-of-the-season slump.

Following his dominant start to the year when he won six of the first seven races for Brawn GP, Button has since been on the podium just once.

In the last seven grands prix Hamilton has scored more points than any other driver, 40, while Button has managed just 21. But despite that, Alonso feels Button fully deserves his new-found status, clinching the crown with a race to spare in Abu Dhabi tomorrow.

"I think he's a good champion for Formula One and he deserved it," confirmed Renault's 2005 and 2006 title-holder.

"It's true that in the second half he maybe didn't score the points people expected. But it was very difficult to maintain the same average of points as he won in the first half when he won all the races. For that reason, you have the feeling he stepped back a little, but I think he did a very good job this season.

"If you look at the overall view of the championship from race one to the final race, he was the best of us, so he deserves it. It's good for him, good for Brawn, and good for the sport."

Hamilton, who has supported Button all the way through the season, tried to be one of the first to congratulate the 29-year-old on his success in Brazil after they stepped out of their cars. But Hamilton went unnoticed as Button was in his own world at the time, something the McLaren driver can fully appreciate.

"I don't know if you saw, but as soon as I got out of the car I went to see Rubens first, and I waited whilst he and Jenson were hugging," said last year's winner of the moment when he had just passed on his crown.

"I went to see Jenson, but he was so excited. He blitzed past me and he didn't even notice I was there. That's normal. It was to be expected, but then I saw him later on in the press conference, and I was so happy for him. He did an incredible job this year."

Raikkonen, the 2007 champion, agreed with Alonso and Hamilton, even if it was in his own typically under-stated style. "He had the most points, and whoever gets the most points deserves it," said Ferrari's Finn. "So he's definitely the right man."

Hamilton would gladly welcome Button to McLaren if the rumours of an all-British "dream team" come to fruition.

"I've heard the rumours but the team haven't decided anything and they haven't told me anything," Hamilton said. "So I'm sitting back and waiting to see what happens. I don't have any preference, if I'm honest."