Life to the Limit

As a kid it’s normal to have people who you look up to, heroes even. For me, I didn’t really have any heroes for the majority of my childhood, other than my dad and grandpa. When I started watching Formula 1 in late 2003 I mostly focused on Ferrari being so dominant. However, by 2004 I got past the awe of the sport and the cars and got to understand the driver personalities. In history there have been a few drivers that most people who watch the sport in the past 40 years will have idolized – Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, and Michael Schumacher. I realized that there were a few drivers that I really liked, but only two that I really idolized – Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button. It wasn’t quite ‘poster on the wall’ idolizing, but not far off.

They couldn’t have been any different. Michael was with Ferrari and in the midst of winning his 5th consecutive and 7th overall world championship, whereas Jenson was only in his 5th season in F1 with midfield team BAR, already his 4th team since his F1 debut in 2000. Schumacher was cut throat and did whatever it took to win, doing some questionable moves over the years. Button was basically a nobody who was trying to get noticed by the big teams and was more known for his charm and good looks than his racing abilities.

Even so, Jenson has been one of my favourite racing drivers for most of the past 15 years. I was asked by my partner the other day why I liked him and, to be honest, I had never really thought about it. There was just something about him in the early days of me watching F1 that caught my eye. Maybe it was that he was an up-and-comer who was making waves in F1, maybe it was his charm and charisma in front of the camera or maybe it was nothing at all and I just decided that I liked him. Either way I started to view him as someone who I wanted to emulate.

I think it has a lot to do with what he’s like off the track. I have always enjoyed being active and, while all F1 drivers are fit, Jenson is quite vocal about his love of staying active when he’s not driving. He enjoys triathlons, a lot. While most F1 drivers run or go cycling, Button does Ironmans. His love of triathlons has a lot to do with why I participated in two triathlons in 2016 and have participated in duathlons since then. He has regularly inspired me to keep pushing myself.

Button also has a love of Japan, JDM cars and Japanese culture. I’m not entirely sure where this came from for him but I’ve connected with this as well because of the time I spent in Japan when I was younger. I went on a trip to Japan for about 3 weeks in the summer of 2001 and absolutely fell in love with the country. My love of cars was also growing during that period, especially with JDM cars like the Mk IV Toyota Supra, Nissan Skyline GTR and Mazda RX-7. I felt like Jenson and I had similar interests, which helped me feel more connected to him instead of him just feeling like a celebrity.

His dad, John Button, was a huge part of his life and was an ever present personality in the F1 paddock until his death in 2014. John Button was Jenson’s biggest fan and always supported his racing aspirations. Jenson loved his dad and showed it. I had always wished I could have that kind of relationship with my dad. When Jenson got divorced in 2015 he said that he really wished his dad would have been there to help him get through the tough times. When he won the F1 driver’s championship in 2009 his dad was the one of the first people he hugged. They had a very special relationship.

This past week I’ve started reading his book called Life to the Limit. It has focused on his childhood, how he got into racing and the relationships he’s had with people along the way. Even if you’re not a Formula 1 fan it’s a great read and I highly recommend it. I haven’t finished reading it yet but I can’t wait to start reading his other books.

What sports heroes do you look up to in life? Let me know in the comments below!