Qualifying
Jenson was hoping to finish the season with Williams on a high. However, Jenson found the car difficult to set up for the Sepang circuit and he finished the day down in a lowly 16th place and with lots to do to get his first podium
Race
Jenson started the race very well and had moved up to 10th from 16th on the first lap. He came under pressure from Jos Verstappen who was able to get past and dropped Jenson down to 11th. However, Jenson retired on lap 19 with a blown engine. It was a disappointing finish to the season. Let's hope we see a superfast Benetton next year, and with Jenson behind the wheel I'm sure we will.
Retired
Qualifying
Jenson Button was one of the stars of an exciting qualifying session. Jenson was able to be the best of the rest and claim an excellent 5th spot on the grid behind the two McLaren and Ferrari.
Race
Jenson didn't make a very good start and dropped down from 5th to 7th when Eddie Irvine and Ralf Schumacher got past. However, he pushed hard and was able to take Eddie Irvine at the first round of pit stops. Jenson stayed in 6th until just after the 2nd stops when he was able to pass Ralf Schumacher when he developed a problem. Ralf Schumacher retired soon after. Jenson stayed in 5th as he was too far behind Rubens Barrichello to catch him, despite finishing only 6 seconds behind.
Finished 5th
Qualifying
Well US GP was always going to be a race that Jenson would do well at as all drivers haven't driven on the circuit before and so Jenson was not disadvantaged. Jenson was fast in all the sessions and managed to get an excellent 6th on the grid.
Race
Jenson's race didn't last very long though. Jenson made a good start and was soon harrying Trulli for 5th place in tricky damp conditions. On lap 2 Jenson tried to overtake Trulli but the pair ended up coming together and suffering punctures. Jenson came in and opted for slick tyres as the circuit was drying. This would have been a great decision however, Jenson's engine gave up the following lap and he was out.
Retired
Qualifying
After Jenson's good qualifying performance in Spa, a top 6 position at Monza looked on the cards. Jenson was once again showing good form in the practice sessions, but failed to hook it up when it mattered in the qualifying hour. Jenson was down in a disappointing 12th place
Race
Jenson Button was one of the few drivers to come through the mayhem at the first two chicanes unscathed. Jenson moved up to 6th on the first lap and was looking good for some more points. Jenson was also left holding the hopes of the British fans as Coulthard, Irvine, and Herbert had all gone out. However, after 10 laps behind the safety car Jenson was caught out by Michael Schumacher accelerating and braking to warm his brakes. Jenson had to take avoiding action and ended up clipping the barriers and damaging the car to put him out of the race.
Retired
Qualifying
Jenson was the sensation of qualifying setting the 3rd fastest time and narrowly missing out on 2nd on the grid by two one-hundreths of a second. It was a brilliant effort and it looked good for a great race result.
Race
The race started under the safety car but Jenson was soon pushing Trulli. He tried to take him on lap 3 but went wide letting the Jordan back through. He then tried again coming into the bus stop but was unable to make anything stick and unfortunately let Michael Schumacher though. Jenson again tried at La Source hairpin but nudged the Jordan from behind. Jenson was able to avoid the spinning Jordan but slipped down to 5th in the process. Jenson pushed on hard for the remainder of the race but wasn't able to press the front runners and had to settle for a fine 5th place.
Finished 5th
Qualifying
Jenson Button was able to qualify in a brilliant 8th position after quickly getting to grips with the Hungaroriing circuit. Jenson was looking good for a points finish.
Race
Jenson started fairly well but was unable to make up any places at the start. However he was closely following Fisichella in 7th. Fisichella was suffering brake problems and Jenson was lucky to avoid him when he went into a spin early in the race. Jenson had to take avoiding action which let Eddie Irvine past. However, a very good pit stop from Williams saw Jenson close to within 2 seconds of 6th place man Frentzen. Unfortunately his Williams developed a power loss and he dropped back letting Irvine and Trullie past. He finished a creditable 9th place still.
Finished 9th
Qualifying
Jenson's weekend started very badly. It appeared that the Williams was struggling in a low downforce set up. The rain hit qualifying also caused some problems with Jenson only managing 16th on the grid due to traffic problems when the track was at it's best. There would be a lot to do in the race.
Race
Jenson stalled the Williams on the grid and was forced to start from the back. Once the race got underway it appeared that Jenson could do very little about moving up the field spending most of the first part of the race sandwiched between two Minardi's. However, when the pace car came out Jenson was able to leap frog up the field as the team responded quickly and brought Jenson in. Then the rain came and once again the Williams team performed brilliantly. Jeson suddenly found himself in 6th spot, and was able to get overtake Salo and and Rosa to get 4th, his highest finish so far. Quite outstanding.
Finished 4th
Qualifying
The Austrain GP race weekend started badly for Jenson. The Williams team were having trouble finding any pace at the circuit and qualified badly. Jenson was 18th on the grid with his team mate behind in 19th. It didn't look like any points were likely for the race.
Race
The race start was crucial for Jenson and he couldn't have hoped for better luck. Michael Schumacher spun at the front of the field and caused a significant road block. However, Jenson was able to follow Johnny Herbert through the field and move up 11 places to 7th. Now this was a position where Jenson could fight for the points. And fight he did. A brilliantly timed pit stop from the Williams team saw Jenson leap frog both Herbert and Mika Salo to take up position in 5th place, just behind Villeneuve. Jenson tried to get past Villeneuve but had an excursion off the circuit forcing him to settle for 5th place. Nevertheless it was a fine 2 more championship points for our Jenson.
Finished 5th
Qualifying
Jenson Button was looking for a turn around in fortune at the French GP and it started off quite well for him. He was able to qualify the Williams in 10th spot but was disappointed to learn that Ralf Schumacher had stuck his Williams on the grid in 5th. However, a top 10 start was a good result after recent races.
Race
Jenson initially dropped a place at the start but was quickly able to start moving up the field. Firstly, he got past Eddie Irvine and the following lap Mika Salo for 9th place. From here he had the two Jordan's and his team mate to get past. He had a good battle with these three but was unable to find a way past the Jordan of Frentzen, despite having a faster car and was forced to finish the race in a respectable 8th place. Let's hope he's back in the points at the next race.
Finished 8th
Qualifying
Jenson Button was struggling to find good pace on his Williams throughout the weekend. Technical problems with the car prevented him putting in a good performance and he was only able to secure 18th spot on the grid.
Race
The race didn't go well for Jenson either. He dropped a place at the start and was having to battle with the Minardi of Gaston Mazzacane. When rain came half way through the race it was clear the Williams was struggling. However Jenson was fortunate to make places up through retirements and spins to take 11th.
Finished 11th
Qualifying
It was Jenson's first race at Monaco and he had a lot of learning to do to get up to speed. He drove very well all weekend continuing to improve his times in each session. However he suffered a little bit from traffic in qualifying and was only in 14th spot, but still very creditable in his first outing.
Race
In the 2nd of race starts at Monaco, Jenson got away well but ended up tapping Pedro de la Rosa's Arrows at the Lowes hairpun. Jenson could have done very little to avoid him but the Arrows blocked the race track and about 8 cars were unable to get past. This brought out the red flags and Jenson was forced to run back to the pits to get in the spare car. By the time the car had been made ready the pit lane was closed and Jenson knew he would have to start from the pit lane. When he eventually got going he went round for 17 laps behind Mazzacane failing to find a way past but his car gave out on him and he was forced to retire. So Jenson goes away from Monaco without too fond memories.
Retired.
Qualifying
After topping the times during Friday's practice Jenson was looking forward to qualifying the Williams well on a circuit he hasn't been to before. However in a tricky session with the weather the Williams team were unable to get Jenson out at the right time and he could only manage 11th place due to traffic and rain.
Race
Jenson didn't start the race too well dropping down as far as 14th place. However he improved after pitting for wets. Jenson set about moving up the field and towards the end of the race he was fighting for 7th place just behind Johnny Hebert. Unfortunately Jenson lost out when the McLaren's and Ferrari's came through to lap him and he dropped down into 9th behind Wurz. Wurz however, tried to get past Herbert but end up putting both cars out and promoting Jenson back up to 7th. It wasn't to last though as the following lap Jenson's engine cut out due to an electrical problem, with only 3 laps to go.
Classified 10th
Qualifying
Jenson qualified his Williams in a respectable 11th place, but predicted that he could do better in the race. Following Pedro de la Rosa's move to the back of the grid Jenson, found himself in 10th place come the start on Sunday.
Race
Jenson made a brilliant start moving past the Jaguar of Eddie Irvine to take up station behind the two Jordan's in 9th spot. He stayed with the Jordan's but was unable to do much about getting past. However an excellent pit stop by the Williams team saw him leap frog the Jordans and get into position in 6th place ready for another championship point. The Jordan's had held Jenson up and by now any improvement on 6th was looking difficult. However it was not to be as the BMW gave up with only 4 laps to go, dropping Jenson out of the picture.
Retired, classified 17th.
Qualifying
Jenson Button was the star of his first home Grand Prix. Despite missing out on the morning's warm up for qualifying, Jenson was able to put in a brilliant lap to take 6th spot on the grid, alongside Michael Schumacher who was 5th. Jenson was looking good for some points.
Race
Jenson made a sensational start, taking MIchael Schumacher and taking up position behind Mika Hakkinen in 5th place. It was so close between the top 6 it looked like nothing between them. However, a slightly poor pit stop saw Jenson pushed back to 6th, when Ralf Schumacher moved ahead to 5th. If Jenson had been place on 1 stopper at this point the story may have been quite different. However, he eventually finished the race in brilliant 5th spot and some well deserved championship points. It can't be too long before Jenson hit's the podium.
Finished 5th
Qualifying
Jenson found it hard at Imola. He was badly hampered by car troubles to get in valuable track time to find out where you needed to attack the kerbs. He struggled in qualifying only reaching 17th spot on the grid.
Race
The race didn't last very long for Jenson. He made a good start getting past Johnny Herbert, but 6 laps into the race he retired with an engine problem. Marc Gene was also a casualty spinning on the oil of Jenson's BMW. Imola will have given Jenson another lesson in Formula One and let's hope he continues his good form at his first home GP at Silverstone.
Retired lap 6, engine blow out
Qualifying
Brazil was Jenson's 2nd race weekend and he couldn't really have had much of a better one. Qualifying was sensational when Jenson placed the car 9th on the grid ahead of his team mate Ralf Schumacher. Quite outstanding.
Race
The start would be important for Jenson, being so high up the field the pressure would on from the big boys. However, he kept himself composed and made a careful start staying out of trouble but losing a couple of places. However, he wasn't out the race and made a good solid drive from 12th. He was under pressure from both Arrows and Johnny Herbert but he kept it cool and raced around behind his team mate, taking care not to over do it and take him out. He finished the race in a brilliant 7th place. However, he was later to find out that he would be a points finisher, when David Coulthard was disqualified for front wing irregularites. McLaren are appealing the decsion but even so Jenson does deserve his point for driving so well in Brazil. Roll on San Marino.
Finished 7th, promoted to 6th after DC was disqualified.
Qualifying
Jenson Button had a disasterous debut qualifying session in his Williams. At the start of the session his race car developed a fuel problem and he had to switch to the spare that had been set up for team-mate Ralf Schumacher. He was then forced to abandon quick laps under yellow flags. His final lap was ruined when the session was stopped after David Coulthard went off. The Williams team thought the final lap would have been good for 13th spot.
Race
Well Jenson had a fantastic debut race. He started from 21st but he was up to 15th at the end of lap 1. From here he set about getting to grips with F1 racing and began pushing to move up the field. He had a fantastic first pit stop which allowed him to get ahead of the BAR of Zonta and the Benetton of Wurz. Salo had a problem and Jenson was soon in a points scoring position just behind Fisichella who was in 5th. However 12 laps from the end of the race the BMW engine gave out and he was out. Nevertheless this was a great performance and he has silenced his critics who said he was not ready for F1. Jenson can also take comfort in that his team-mate Ralf Schumacher was on the podium proving that the BMW Williams outfit will be a force to be reckoned with during 2000.
Retired lap 47, engine blow out
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Design & Coding Mark Durham
© 2003