I can’t actually think of a particularly justifiable reason for including a picture Tamara Ecclestone in this post, but she was helping Jenson raise funds for the Make a Wish foundation during the Silverstone weekend, and frankly that’s all the excuse one needs.
As Christine pointed out in her F1 Digest show earlier, during yesterday’s race in Canada, Jenson Button entered the pit lane whilst it was closed under safety car conditions, and then exited without receiving a penalty.
Despite much due-diligence I’ve yet to find a single explanation for this anywhere. However, I have a vague idea that Button’s stop may have been a stroke of genius on Honda’s part, or at least, they may have found a way of exploiting a loophole in the regulations.
Let’s take a quick look at the early part of Jenson Button’s Canadian Grand Prix.
Honda recently announced that they have achieved ISO 14001 certification, something that the entire Honda brand is working towards. ISO’s have always been a bit of a mystery to me. I can see the hard work that goes into them, but I’ve never really understood the concept. I did some introductory work on ISOs for a small business, and from what I could tell it was all about putting systems in place, and not really about achieving anything. As long as you’ve got a flow chart, it doesn’t really matter what happens afterwards.
I may be completely wrong on this, but the official ISO 14001 site can’t even clarify. It says [emphasis mine]:
ISO 14001:2004 does not specify levels of environmental performance. If it specified levels of environmental performance, they would have to be specific to each business activity and this would require a specific EMS standard for each business. That is not the intention.
I can understand the logic, of course, but if you’re not setting specific targets, I don’t see how you can measure the environmental efforts of a company. What this says to me is that Honda have managed to make themselves an officially green team (although they did that with the shorts!) without actually having to meet any green targets.
It’s been around for a while, but when Jenson revamped his website, a new feature appeared. The Design-a-Helmet section. The idea is you get to play around with a helmet designer, submit your fabulous piece of art, and then a winner will be chosen. The winning design will be on JB’s helmet for Silverstone.
I absolutely adore this idea, and I checked it out when Lou first talked about it in the comments, and promptly forgot. Now, I’ve just discovered it again, and thought it worthy of a mention.
I’m not an artist. I always find I can picture things in my head but they never come out. Therefore, when I play with the helmet designer, it appears as horrible splotches of colour. Some of the people, however, are really doing an amazing job.
Wow.
I’m not entirely sure how it happened, but the comments on this thread descended into a popularity contest, with us ranking the drivers by their “cool” factor.
My opinion has been sought, and whilst I am no authority on the subject, I’m always happy to compile lists.
There’s speculation as to who will top my list, whether it will be Jenson or Franck, but I have to clear something up before I start. My “cool” list is far removed from my “iHeart” list. It’s safe to say that if I find someone attractive, that doesn’t automatically make them cool. Trust me on this.
Also, there are apparently a couple of rules, in that they need to be current F1 drivers or reserve drivers, and it should be a top ten list.
So, here goes.
As a quick recap of the tale we all know so well, Alex Wurz used to be a racer, then he was pushed aside in favour of Jenson Button and became a test driver.
For many, many years.
2007 saw his return to driving in anger, but he called it a day one race before the end of the season. So where does that leave us now? With Wurz returning to the safety of test driving with perennial grid-struggler’s Honda.
An outside broadcast from Autosport International, Episode 47 takes you behind the scenes at the UK’s biggest motorsport show from the comforts of the restaurant at the NEC.
Where we are, what we’re eating and why we’re absolutely exhausted.
This week has been good for drivers and personnel getting jobs and signing contracts, whilst others are being left behind as time advances towards the start of the season.
Alex Wurz joins Honda? Who’d have thought that would happen. We discuss why he’s settling for a test role again, and what is in store for the team now. We also share our first impressions from the McLaren and Toyota launch - is Honest Ron not living up to his name, and why do Toyota seem to lack passion in every single department?
Show notes for Episode 42.
A few weeks away from the Formula 1 news means there is plenty to talk about this time around, including:
Theme music: Rich Reich, Keeping Up With The Race. Download the show transcript for full text.
Jenson Button has finally come right out and admitted that the season last year, well, it basically sucked. He uses different words, obviously, but the point is the same.
“I remember after Hungary this year wanting to hit something. I’d won that same race 12 months previously and now I was there sitting in something which was undriveable.”
He goes on to say that his contract does state that he can sit down and discuss with the team how they are letting him down terribly and he doesn’t have to put up with it. It seems slightly out of character, but Jenson has said he won’t be.
“If things don’t work out, that’s exactly what I’ll be doing.”
Personally, I can’t believe it’s taken this long for JB to announce his frustrations. He and Barrichello have clearly been struggling all year, and just as clearly, keeping schtum as to how they really feel about it. I’m all for sticking with your team during the ups and downs, but last year was a new low for the Brackley-based team.
I can’t imagine someone like Hamilton or Raikkonen giving their team this much grace if underperformance was the name of the game, and we’ve all seen that Jense isn’t afraid of backing out of a contract. What is keeping him there?
Is it because of the appearance of the aforementioned Hamilton, that Button now has less options for the future and believes staying in a rubbish team is worth it if it’s your only way to stay in Formula 1? I hope that’s not the case, because even though I am seriously biased, he is a good driver and needs the opportunity to prove it on track. You’ve got to think that Barrichello stays with the team because he has very few other opportunities.
If or when Jenson decides enough is enough, where is he going to go? Is this piece of news just a callout to other teams that he’s not signed up with Honda forever? That he might be available if the right deal came along? There’s a spare seat at McLaren, I wonder if he thinks he would fit in nicely there. Two British drivers in the same team would be something to see these days.
So I guess the question is: Is Ron listening?
I don’t know if any of you have ever tried recording a podcast when the rest of the country is celebrating Bonfire Night? It is not easy or fun.
To amuse myself whilst I wait for a break in the bangs, crackles and fizzes, I thought I would sign up for the JensonButton.com newsletter. What? Wait, what? Come on, don’t look at me like that.
Anyway, from one festive activity to another, apparently Jenson has come up with a brilliant idea for a competition:
“Seasons Greetings”. Yawn. “Happy Christmas!” Snore. If you’re anything like Jenson, chances are those tired old holiday cards you send and receive each year don’t get your engines revving.
Think you can do better? Jenson does, and he thought up a competition to give you the chance to be the designer of his official Christmas card this year.
Whether you scribble it freehand, paint it like Picasso or digitally design it, he wants to see it. Make a masterpiece to do Father Christmas proud, and you could have your work selected by JB himself!
You know that Jenson stayed awake all last night coming up with that one, don’t you?
Whilst I would usually turn my nose up at such patronising offers for activities - like I don’t have enough to do - these fireworks are driving me crazy, and a bit of soothing Photoshopping might work.
Do you think Jenson would mind his Christmas Card having Franck on the cover?
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