Button Fitness over Singapore

Just to make button more heroic

Jenson Button battled sickness to claim Singapore podium
Page last updated at 14:42 GMT, Monday, 26 September 2011 15:42 UK
E-mail this to a friendPrintable version Button buoyant after second
Jenson Button says he feels proud after finishing second in Singapore despite falling ill on the morning of the race.

The McLaren driver is now the only man who can mathematically stop Sebastian Vettel winning the championship.

"I was a kilo and a half lighter than I normally am in the morning," revealed Button, who had to take medication.

"I was good by the race, I managed to get my weight back up, and got through it. I feel very proud I stopped Seb from winning the championship."

Singapore's street track is considered to be one of the toughest on the calendar because high temperatures and humidity coincide with a 61-lap race, which comes close to the two-hour race limit.

Button's run of podiumsContinue reading the main story
•Hungarian GP - Winner
•Belgian GP - 3rd
•Italy - 2nd
•Singapore - 2nd
A stomach upset made the challenge even harder for Button, who also had to use an ice bag to ease swelling on his left knee after the race.

"I was ill yesterday morning," Button told the Press Association. "I don't know where it came from, but when you do have it you're massively dehydrated.

"So I [took medication], ate a lot of pasta because carbohydrates help you soak up liquid and drank a lot of special drinks from Aki (McLaren team doctor Aki Hintsa), his salty water drinks."

Despite the illness, Button made an attacking start, moving up to second behind Vettel's Red Bull from third on the grid.

Singapore GP in 90 seconds
The 2009 champion held on to this position through three rounds of pit stops to ensure Vettel cannot clinch a second successive world title until the Japanese Grand Prix on 9 October.

"I feel very proud I stopped Seb from winning the championship in Singapore, that he was unable to celebrate it here, so I'm very happy - but we all know it's going to happen at the next race," Button added.

"I had a goal, from Hungary onwards over the second part of the season, to beat Seb in the points. It's going to be tricky.

"I'm the second highest points scorer so far, and that has to be the aim for the season - to score more points than the others - and hopefully score more points than Seb in the second half.

"But the main aim is to win races. We tried it yesterday, it didn't quite work, but at least I was the closest driver to doing that."

Source : BBC F1

Bonjourno!

Critical Mass, I agree with you 110% about Jenson Button MBE in that race!

The guy comes through what all the drivers call the toughest race of the year and takes an impressive 2nd place. His race craft was splendid and tyre management was only matched by Vettel.

Plus the fact he did that at only 50%? surely at 100% he would of won the race. But how did he cope so well? How was he able to dig in with a performance like that?

Well, Jenson Button MBE is a very highly regarded triathlete and this requires stamina and dedication. His fitness levels make him the fittest driver on the grid and it's that stamina that he was able to dig into that allowed him to complete an amazing race and continue that run of consecutive podiums.

His attitude and commitment to triathlon has been applied to preparation in F1. He realises that a race is a marathon and not a sprint which makes him such an excellent man when it comes to in race tactics. He knows a race can't be won in the first corner, only lost. To call him a tactical genius would be quite accurate.

But yes, Critical Mass, you are right, Jenson Button MBE was heroic at the weekend.

Forza Alonso!

Well this is a shock isnt it? unsuprisingly the BBC have done it again, praising the 'racing god' that is Jenson Button stating how poorly he was all weekend and then achieving a quite brilliant 2nd place. In my opinion JB hardly looked poorly when laughing and joking with Martin Brundle on the grid walk. The Beeb is an embarrassment when it comes to their favouritism for Button instead of Hamilton, seriously it is these stories that makes a smile appear on my face not only because of the stupidity of the story but because Sky have next years coverage. We also had to read from the BBC about how Jenson Button closes his eyes when overtaking people and that his move on the outside of Schumacher at Ascari was, 'one of my bravest and greatest moves in f1'. Seriously?

Your so called 'heroic' MBE driver was complaining like a baby all weekend at how long the race is and the physical demands to which Nico Rosberg replied, 'If Jenson is struggling then he can pull over with 5 laps to go, it doesnt bother me'. To call him the 'fittest driver' on the grid is quite frankly insulting to the other drivers as car performance has nothing to do with the drivers physical capabilities. You also state that his tyre management was only matched by Vettel, well that is not suprising seeing as Vettel & Button were in clean air throughout the race and were not involved in wheel to wheel racing compared to their rivals e.g. Alonso/Hamilton.

Firstly, I didn't realise drivers got weighed on the morning of the race and secondly, I'm surprised he apparently lost the weight so quickly and was able to put it back on in the space of a few hours.

Still, well done Jense!

Thought Lewis was pretty heroic too, in his own way. Despite messing up his (and Felipe's) race by hitting Massa, he was able to come back through the grid twice (one after pitting for a new nose, then again for his penalty) to finish 5th, after being 16th at one point.

Strange how his "illness" was only mentioned after his 2nd place finish.... its almost if they said "ooh what can we say to make him look even better and brave" lol

They'll be putting him on £20 notes next and mentioning him the bible.

Critical_mass wrote:They'll be putting him on £20 notes next and mentioning him the bible.

Don't tempt fate about the money cos it will happen and it will cause John to be suicidal having to look at jenson's face every time he'd get his wallet out.

lol

fernando wrote:

Critical_mass wrote:They'll be putting him on £20 notes next and mentioning him the bible.

Don't tempt fate about the money cos it will happen and it will cause John to be suicidal having to look at jenson's face every time he'd get his wallet out.

I SOOOO want that to happen now!