Jenson Button reckons: Fernando Alonso will carry on racing for Aston Martin!

From time to time, Jenson Button, as a brand ambassador for Aston Martin, puts pen to paper for his ‘Jenson’s Journal’. In the latest instalment, the 15-time Grand Prix winner and 2009 Formula 1 champion writes at length about Fernando Alonso’s future.

Jenson begins: “Fernando’s future is currently a hotly debated topic. Ultimately, I have no idea whether he’ll decide to stay in the sport for another year, but I do know that, whenever he does decide to retire, he’ll rightly be regarded as one of the true greats of Formula 1 – even though I personally hope he’ll stick around a little longer. Whilst we wait to see what he decides, I simply had to put pen to paper and, in my latest diary entry, reminisce about the time I raced against him.”

“The greatest compliment I can pay Fernando is that racing against him was very similar to racing against Michael Schumacher. In my experience with both of them, it was tough but fair – it went right to the limit every time, and I loved that. That was part of the challenge.”

“When I won my first Grand Prix in Hungary in 2006, I was locked in a duel with them, and that’s exactly what you want as a driver. You want to compete against the best, against the greats, to see how you measure up against them.”

“During my career, I’ve had the privilege of competing against drivers like Fernando and Michael, as well as Mika Häkkinen, Kimi Räikkönen, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have raced against some of the true legends of the sport.”

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“What sets Fernando apart is his driving style. If you painted all the cars the same colour and sent every driver out onto the track, you’d hardly notice any difference. But when Fernando drives past, you know straight away that it’s him. That’s down to what he does behind the wheel.”

“Fernando drives like no one else. He’s aggressive, he adapts brilliantly, and that’s been the case throughout his entire career.”

“I remember the early 2000s, when we were both at Renault: the car required really aggressive steering; otherwise, you’d put too much load on the front axle and end up oversteering. He found a way to deal with it. It didn’t look particularly pretty, but he made it work.”

“He’s always managed to do that with every car he’s driven; I find that incredibly impressive. I couldn’t do that. If you gave me a car set up the way I like it, I don’t think anyone could drive it any faster. But Fernando can adapt to whatever you give him. That’s a special talent.”

“We were also team-mates at McLaren and got on well, but we didn’t actually spend much time together. People assume that drivers, especially team-mates, are always together – perhaps because of the impression this sport currently gives – but that isn’t necessarily the case.”

“In fact, my wife met Fernando in Monaco earlier this year and had to introduce herself to him, because I’d never done so when she was still my girlfriend back in 2016!”

“Your team-mate is one of the first people you’d introduce someone to in the paddock, but back then, racing in Formula 1 was a bit different. There was a lot of respect between us, but it wasn’t as though we were best mates racing together. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the time we spent together.”

“I think the sport has changed quite a bit in terms of the closeness that some drivers seem to have today. Many of them grew up together, and I also think they almost have to be more sociable these days, given how much the sport is in the spotlight.”

“We see a lot more behind the scenes than we did back when I was still racing. Everything’s filmed, and there’s always a microphone hanging over your head in the paddock. I have to admit, it would take me a while to get used to that. I’m not that sort of person, especially when I’m concentrating on the race. I like to be on my own and not surrounded by people who catch every word I say.”

“I knew when it was time for me to retire from Formula 1. I ended my career at the age of 36 – I was nine years younger than Fernando is today – but I was ready for it. I struggled with racing for a few years because, in truth, I didn’t really want to be there any more. I felt there was nothing new left for me to achieve, and when you reach that point, you know it’s time to stop.”

“But I think the difference with Fernando is that he still has an exciting challenge ahead of him. Of course, this year has been tough, but it’s still an exciting time to be at Aston Martin and to work with people like Adrian Newey. Any F1 driver would love to drive a car he’s designed and see first-hand how he’s driving this team forward.”

“I know how difficult it is to decide on your own future, and he’s been through this before. He left the sport and came back – clearly he left too soon back then. Now he’ll make sure he’s 100 per cent certain he no longer wants to be in this sport before he leaves.”

“Fernando still has so much more to offer in Formula 1. I’d love to see him in an Aston Martin, fighting for victories. That’s where he belongs, and that’s exactly where this team is heading. He hasn’t won as often as he deserves to. He’s found himself in a few unfortunate situations, but the talent and the hunger are still there – and that’s the key to staying in the sport and remaining competitive.”