Button Joins McLaren for 2010

Yes, it’s an all-star British lineup for McLaren next year. With 2008 F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton racing with Button, this is the first time since Jim Clark and Graham Hill’s stint with Lotus that we’re seeing two British world champs driving for a single team.

News of Button’s move came after much speculation about his future with Brawn. Button, who has been with the same team (Honda, Brawn) since 2003 was expected to stick with his championship team. But as Button puts it:

“It’s always a difficult decision to leave a team when you’ve been there for so long, but life is all about challenges – and, most important of all, it’s about challenging yourself.

“So, although I won the world championship with Brawn GP last year, and I’ll never forget that, I was always adamant that I wanted to continue to set myself fresh challenges. So that’s why I’ve decided to join Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.”

Martin Whitmarsh, team principal of McLaren, was happy to have Button onboard. According to Whitmarsh:

“Everybody at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is absolutely delighted to be able to welcome Jenson to our team. It has always been our policy to employ the two very best possible drivers – and, in Jenson and Lewis, we feel we not only have the fastest pairing on the 2010 grid, but also the two most complete, professional, and dedicated drivers in Formula One.”

Whitmarsh also made it clear that Button’s decision to move to McLaren had little to do with the supposed “very generous offer” given by McLaren.

“I want to make clear that Jenson’s decision to join us was in no way motivated by money. We’ll be paying him no more than he could be getting elsewhere, and the fact is a reflection of not only Jenson’s belief in Vodafone McLaren Mercedes but also his desire and ambition to build on the phenomenal results he achieved during the 2009 season,” Whitmarsh said.

2008 World Champ Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton also had great words to say about Button. According to the 2008 champ:

“I already know Jenson, and we get on very well together… We both really want our team to succeed. Although we’ll be pushing each other hard, I’m sure we’ll very quickly establish a great working relationship. He’s an exceptional driver: very controlled and very smooth, and he has a real depth of knowledge and experience.

“I think we’ll complement each other very well, and our collaboration will make the team stronger as a result. Also, I’m delighted to be racing alongside a fellow British world champion, and I believe we can pull together to make Vodafone McLaren Mercedes the best team on the grid,” Hamilton said.

As for Button, well, the British driver is understandably happy about his decision to join McLaren.

“You can’t help but be affected by this team’s phenomenal history…McLaren is one of the greats of world sport, and its achievements and list of past champions read like a Who’s Who of Formula One – Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and of course my new team mate Lewis Hamilton. I’ve followed the McLaren team ever since I was a small boy, and it feels unbelievable to finally be a part of it.

“It’s also a great pleasure to be joining a fellow British world champion. Lewis has achieved an incredible level of success in a very short period of time, and he’s a wonderfully gifted driver who has earned the respect of every Formula One driver. I’m sure there’s plenty that we can learn from each other, and I’m really looking forward to using our combined knowledge to push forward,” said Jenson.

Good choice on McLaren’s part! And it’s wonderful to see how competitive and yet supportive both drivers can be. Really looking forward to seeing both Button and Hamilton battle it out next year.

Source: Formula1.com

Images: WorldCarFans.com, Mirror.co.uk

Let’s take a look at the Formula One Driver’s World Champions from 1998 to 2004. Seven years. Two champions. Several rivalries and numerous controversies. Yes, the years leading to 2004 definitely proved to be exciting! Once again Schumi dominated, but his back-to-back wins weren’t that easy. Mostly thanks to his greatest rival, who coincidentally is also the first champion on this list!

1998 to 1999 Formula One World Champion

Mika Hakkinen

Name: Mika Pauli Häkkinen (Mika Häkkinen)

Nationality: Finnish

Team: McLaren

Career Highlights:

Championships: 2

Race Wins: 20

Races: 165, with 161 starts

Podium Finishes: 51

Pole Positions: 26

Fastest Laps Set: 25

Brief Bio:

Born: September 28, 1968

Hometown: Vantaa, Finland

Häkkinen is a two-time F1 champion and a Finnish auto racer. He is known as Michael Schumacher’s greatest rival. (Years after the rivalry ended, mostly thanks to Häkkinen’s abrupt exit, his rivalry with Schumi was likened to the rivalry Räikkönen and Alonso had a few years ago—but that was before Hamilton entered the picture.)

According to Schumi, Häkkinen was the one rival that he respected the most throughout his F1 career.

Like almost all the other racers in our list, Häkkinen started his racing career, not with F1 right away, but with smaller sports in karting. By the time the young Finn was 18, he already had five karting victories under his belt. But it was his stint in the British Formula Three that got him noticed by the F1 execs. He was promptly promoted to F1, and started racing under the Lotus team in 1991.

In 1993, after a relatively successful stay with Lotus, the Finn decided to join McLaren—a team he stayed with until his retirement in 2001. While he started out as a McLaren test driver, his dreams of racing was quickly realized when that same year, Michael Andretti left F1 after getting disappointing season results.

1998 F1 Season:

1998, Häkkinen finally tasted F1 victory. He had the fastest car in the strip, and he had the speed and talent needed to be number one that year. The Finn started the season great. He was the top driver for several races… that was until he encountered various car problems and bad luck. Michael Schumacher, who by that time had already won a couple of championships in the past, was quick to jump on this opportunity. Demonstrating what can only be described as “inspired driving”, the German caught up with the Finn, and by the last two races, the two drivers were level in points! With two races to go, Häkkinen showed nerves of steel. Instead of folding under pressure, he actually excelled. He managed to beat Schumacher in the Luxembourg Grand Prix as they went neck-and-neck in a straight line. Schumi’s car stalled, and Häkkinen went on to win the 1998 Formula One World Championship.

1999 F1 Season:

Defending his title in 1999 proved to be a tougher job for the Finn. This time around, his McLaren car was no longer as reliable as the 1998 version. Early in the season, the Finn saw himself sliding down the ranks in driver’s points. But his luck changed when right before Schumi’s Silverstone leg-breaking accident, he managed to overtake Schumacher in driver’s standings. While Schumi was out, Eddie Irvine, Ferrari’s number two driver that year, assumed the team lead driver’s position.

Reliability problems with the McLaren car and Häkkinen’s own driving mistakes allowed Irvine to swiftly catch up with the Finn in driver’s standings. During the latter parts of the season, Häkkinen continued to make mistakes. Some of his biggest errors are said to have happened at Monza and Imola. During both times, Mika crashed out in spite of starting with a strong lead. The pressure to stay on top must have been so hard on Häkkinen. According to reports, after his crash in Monza, Mika was so overwhelmed by his major mistake that he actually started crying in front of the cameras, and later ran away from his stalled car to hide. These events led some people to think that perhaps Häkkinen could not handle the stress of being number one.

Needless to say, Irvine caught up. And the deciding race (for the championship title), ended up as the final race that season—the Japanese Grand Prix. But by that time, Häkkinen was back and in prime form. He won the race and won the 2009 F1 championship with Irvine an entire lap behind him, and Schumi a close second.

Häkkinen stayed with F1 until 2001. Initially, this was supposed to be a sabbatical for the Finn, but by mid-2002, his mini-vacation had turned into permanent retirement.

Post F1:

In 2004, Mika Häkkinen announced that he was planning on returning to F1. After talks with the F1 team Williams, no deal was reached. So instead, Häkkinen joined another racing league, the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM). He raced with Mercedes Benz that year. Häkkinen was pretty successful in DTM. He even had a win at a race in Spa.

2006 saw another comeback for Häkkinen—this time with DTM again. In his second season in DTM, the Finn wasn’t as successful as he was during his rookie year. His best results that year were a couple of second place finishes. Some critics say that Häkkinen’s driving style just isn’t suited for DTM.

The Finnish driver also raced for McLaren-Mercedes in the Goodwood Festival of Speed. He was more successful in Goodwood than he was in DTM.

Where is He Now?

On November 4, 2007, Mika Häkkinen announced that he was retiring from competitive motorsport for good. A year after that statement, Häkkinen announced that he was focusing on starting a new career in driver management.

2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 Formula One World Champion

Michael Schumacher

Name: Michael Schumacher

Nationality: German

Team: Ferrari

<click HERE for Schumi’s stats>

An "Aww" Moment for Rivals Schumacher & Hakkinen

2000 F1 Season:

After losing the title to Mika Häkkinen the previous year, Michael Schumacher managed an amazing start in the 2000 F1 season. The German racer managed to win the first three races that season. By the eight race, Schumi had already won five. But bad luck came in the middle of the year, when Schumacher was forced to retire early in three races. This allowed his biggest rival, Häkkinen to catch up in points. Mika Häkkinen secured two more wins before Schumacher finally won another race at the Italian Grand Prix. During the post race press conference that day, Schumacher broke down in tears after he managed to equal the total number of Grand Prix Wins (41) won by his racing idol, the late Ayrton Senna. The championship fight between Häkkinen and Schumi ended in the penultimate race of that season—the Japanese Grand Prix. While most fans thought it was going to be a relatively easy win for Schumi, after all, he was in pole position, he lost his early lead to Häkkinen. But after his second pit stop, in a demonstration of skill powered by will, Schumi managed to overtake the Finnish driver and he proceeded to win the race and the 2000 F1 championship.

2001 F1 Season:

This year, Schumi experienced his fourth championship win. While there were about four other racers who were able to secure race wins that season, Schumi was the only driver to have ever managed to keep other racers at bay in defending his F1 championship title. Schumacher managed to score a record-tying nine wins that season! By the latter part of the season, with four more Grands Prix on the F1 schedule, Michael Schumacher secured his fourth championship title. By the end of the 2001 season, Schumi had 123 points under his name. That’s 58 points ahead of the second placer, David Coulthard.

2001 was monumental for the Schumacher family. During the 2001 Canadian Grand Prix, Ralf Schumacher (Michael’s brother) managed to win the race. Schumi placed second. That’s the first 1-2 finish by brothers in the whole F1 history. In the Belgian Grand Prix, Schumi also secured his 52^nd race win, letting him break Alain Prost’s record for the most number of race wins in F1.

Schumi Demonstrates Fine Aerodynamic Features

2002 F1 Season:

In his decade-long career in F1, Schumacher has been involved in various controversies. But during the 2002 season, Schumi faced a very public controversy where he ended up being booed by fans as he stood on the top step of the podium.

During the Austrian Grand Prix in 2002, Schumacher was lagging behind his teammate, Rubens Barrichello. In the last few meters of the final lap, fans were astonished to see Barrichello slow down to let Schumacher pass so that he could win the race. According to Barrichello, he was under Ferrari orders to slow down and let Michael take the win. The fans were outraged. They booed and kept booing even as Schumacher and Barrichello stood on the podium steps. An embarrassed Schumacher attempted to make amends by trying to push Barrichello onto the top step of the podium.

The United States Grand Prix later that year, also ended in a very strange note. This time around it was Schumi leading the race, and Barrichello lagging behind him. But as Schumi slowed down near the finish line, the German racer apparently hit the brakes too much that Ferrari’s number two driver found himself in first place. That year, Barrichello and Schumacher managed to finish 9 of the season’s 17 races in the first two places.

By the end of the season, Schumacher had broken the record he shared with Nigel Mansell for the most races won in a single season (9) by winning 11 times that year. Schumi also tied Juan Manuel Fangio’s record for the most championship wins (5).

In 2002, Ferrari won 15 out of the 17 races that season. Schumacher clinched the World Driver’s Championship (F1 WDC) title with six races remaining that year. And he also became the only F1 racer to finish every race in that season on the podium.

Schumi finished with 144 points. That’s a record-breaking 67 more points than that season’s second-placer—Rubens Barrichello.

Seven-Time F1 World Champion

2003 F1 Season:

With six F1 championship titles under his belt, Schumacher managed to break Juan Manuel Fangio’s record for the most F1 championship wins. In 2003, Schumi’s biggest competitor was another Finnish driver—this time it was Kimi Räikkönen.

To say that Schumi was unlucky during the first few races would be an understatement. On that season’s first race, the German driver drove off track, causing him to lose crucial points. The next two races, he found himself on the sidelines, after getting caught in on-track collisions. After just a few races, Schumi was lagging by 16 points behind Räikkönen.

In a true demonstration of skill and expertise, Schumi managed to make an amazing comeback. He zoomed to first place in the 2003 San Marino Grand Prix and finished the next two races on top. This allowed him to close the gap between him and Räikkönen to just two points. After a win in the Canadian Grand Prix, Schumi was number one again.

Then, another title rival emerged. Juan Pablo Montoya managed to put himself between Räikkönen and Schumacher. Schumi’s lead was cut down to a point between him and Montoya, and two points between him and Räikkönen.

After the Hungarian Grand Prix, the FIA announced a slight change in rules. This time around, tire width was going to be measured. This meant that Michelin, the tire-provider for teams like Williams and McLaren would have to make changes to its tire design before the next race—the Italian Grand Prix. Schumacher who was running on Bridgestone had no problems with this news. In fact, it worked to his advantage. He ended up securing two more race wins. During the United States Grand Prix, Montoya was penalized—leaving Räikkönen as Schumi’s closest rival for the title. At the last race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix, Schumi only needed one point to win the championship, while Räikkönen needed to win the entire race. Schumacher finished in 8^th place, earning him the only point he needed to win the championship, and Räikkönen lost the title by just two points.

2004 F1 Season:

Schumacher was incredibly dominant in 2004. He managed to win the twelve races out of the first thirteen races that season! Read: 12 race wins in 13 races. The only time he wasn’t able to finish a race was in Monaco after he locked his brakes too much during a safety car lap. That year, he won 13 out of 18 races, breaking his old F1 record for the most race wins in 2002. He also became the only seven-time World Champion in F1 history.

Sources: More and more and more Wikipedia!