Jenson Button competed in over 300 Formula 1 races, won a championship and turned to a career in punditry with Sky Sports.
He is one of few teammates to have challenged Lewis Hamilton after spending three years alongside the seven-time champion at McLaren between 2010 and 2012.
Button also helped to lead one of the most remarkable stories in Formula 1 history by claiming the 2009 title with a Brawn outfit purchased from Honda for £1 in the off-season prior.
Button was also banned for two races in 2005, something which few drivers ever achieve during their careers after BAR Honda were found foul of the rules.
The 44-year-old was one of the most popular British drivers of all time and his performances on track were always something special.
Winning the world championship wasn’t what Button dreamt of but it did help to earn him a drive with McLaren, who he stayed with for the remainder of his F1 journey.
Jenson Button earned Williams F1 drive through ‘strange’ circumstances
After skipping Formula 3000 (Formula 2 in modern terms), Button faced a duel with F3000 champion Bruno Junqueira for a full-time race seat at Williams in 2000.
Testing showed that he was slightly quicker, but it was a peculiar written engineering test taken in a car park which left him feeling like he had missed out after Junqueira had a little more experience in setting cars up.
Despite the commercial incentives, Williams opted to go with Button after deciding to go with who they believed to be the best driver at the time.
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Speaking to The Race, Williams insider Jim Wright admitted that it was a long road of circumstances for the future champion to earn his drive.
“BMW were quite keen on Jorg Muller, he’d been testing but hadn’t set the world on fire. Then by a strange set of coincidences and I would say by happen chance,” he said.
“Jenson Button emerged, and he emerged to be a really strong contender and as we saw, gave a very good account of himself.”
Why Jenson Button left Williams after the 2002 F1 season
Button’s first season saw him achieve a best result of fourth place at the German Grand Prix on his way to eighth in the Drivers’ Championship.
In 2001 he was loaned to Benetton on a two-year deal, and after spending 2002 with the rebadged Renault outfit he joined BAR Honda after his Williams contract concluded.
He remained there for the next six seasons until the end of 2008 when they fell into financial trouble and were saved by ex-Ferrari boss Ross Brawn.
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When they became Brawn GP he seized an incredible opportunity with a terrific 2009 car to win six of the first seven races, hanging on to win the title ahead of Sebastian Vettel.
The rest of his career was spent with a McLaren team just entering a dip in form and he never got the chance to properly fight for the title again – a shame considering his talent levels.
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