The perfect real life fairy tale
Oct. 19th, 2009 02:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwaevalarinI think it's time to look back on those years I spent keeping my fingers crossed for Jenson and believing in him. The good times and the bad times that all ultimately led to this amazing weekend.
It began in 2004...
I started watching formula 1 in 2001 but it took until way into the 2004 season for me to really start supporting Jenson. He caught my attentions a few times before that. The worst of which was Moncao 2003. But also when Renault replaced him with Alonso which I even then thought was unfair because I felt that Jenson had done a better job than Trulli that year.
2004 came, this really amazing season and I almost missed it. I saw Jenson on the podium live at the Nuerburgring and I hardly cared. I can't explain it. I must have been completely blind for years. But it seems like I took something back with me from his race that weekend because I started to pay more attention to him after that. But I think it was the race in Hockenheim that really changed everything. The fantastic job he did there and the picture of him driving one-handed with the other hand on his helmet to keep it together. I can still see that clearly I'm sad that I don't have that race on video any more.
Source: motorsport-total.com
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elenya82 and I started to talk a lot about him after that race and he very soon became our "Knöpfchen"* So I was just able to enjoy a few more great races and podium finishes and Jenson so clearly being "best of the rest" before I went into the winter with high hopes for more of that. Little did I know what I had gotten myself into.
2005 and 2006: Ups and downs
I can't really say that 2005 was a bad year. Not with everything that followed. It started really bad but the second half of the season looked a lot better and I could see Jenson back on the podium at least a few times. And that was really all that mattered. It just felt that, starting with 2005, things good worse every year. 2006 was when it realy felt like things were starting to go wrong. I watched Jenson drive and I could so clearly see the potential. For me, there was never any doubt that he deserved to win and that he deserved to be world champion one day. But It seemed like Jenson was fighting and giving everything but Honda just didn't manage to give him the car he needed. I think it's funny that some critics always said that Jenson wasn't overtaking enough. When I look at my reviews of all those races, there almost always is at least on overtaking manoeuvre I thought was worth mentioning. But somehow it seemed like the car's performance got worse instead of better. And my expectations went down from hoping for a podium finish, to a finish in the points to Jenson to finish the race at all and just a few chances to show some of his potential. I have to say that the 2006 season was pretty hard for me, for a big part because I lost three of my favourite drivers - Juancho, Jacques and Christian - without a single last race to say goodbye. But there were a few highlights, too: The last few races in general; Hockenheim, where I went on Saturday and Jenson qualified 4th. And of course:
Hungary 2006: A dream come true
Source: motorsport-total.com
I don't think I'll ever forget that day. Hungary that year felt a little like the smaller version of the championship this year. I watched that race with no expectations at all. The car had been nowhere just two races earlier, Jenson started from 14th and he won that race. I had waited for that moment for so long and it finally happened. I think I spent days just watching the last few laps and the press conference over and over again.
2006 was a strange season and I was sort of glad when it was over. Had I known what would follow, I'm sure I'd have enjoyed it more.
2007 and 2008: It can always get worse
Those years made me wonder more that once why I was still watching. The answer is quite simple: There never was a snowball's chance in hell that I'd ever stop watching as long as Jenson was driving. No matter how bad things were. But it was hard and frustrating to turn on the tv every race weekend knowing Jenson would be struggling at the back of the grid with a car not even good enough for getting points on a regular basis. And I felt like a clock was ticking. I was afraid that if Jenson didn't win the championship soon he never might. And then, when Super Aguri withdrew from the championship, I lost the 4th driver I really liked in little more than 2 year. Like things weren't bad enough already. What kept me going was Jenson's neverending optimism, every chance to just see him fight on the track and the hope that it might get better one day. But it seemed that whenever I was sure that things couldn't get worse I was proven wrong. Until I gave up on believing that there was any situation that couldn't get worse. But seriously, 3 championship points all season? How could it get much worse than that? The Bad World had an answer even for that:
December 2008: Fighting spirit
When first Juancho, then Jacques, then Christian and finally Ant were more or less forced out of formula 1 my only thought was that I couldn't bear something like that happening to Jenson.
And then it looked like that was exactly what was happening. The news that Honda had withdrawn from formula 1 came as a shock. All my hopes and dreams of seeing Jenson as world champion seemed to turn into dust. The first car on which Ross had really had an influence, the car they had been working on most of last season already and it looked like we'd never see it on the track. And I was honestly at the point of turning my back on formula 1 for good. I had reached the limits of what I could take.
But then the team made clear that they wouldn't stop fighting. Ross and Jenson and all the guys in Brackley and that was the moment when I knew it wasn't just Jenson any more but the whole team that owned my heart. As long as they didn't give up it wasn't over. And I was so proud of Jenson when he made clear that he'd stay with the team and fight with them, win or lose with them. And I really believe that fight is part of what made that team so strong.
The next three months were hell. It just felt like an endless line of rumours of another buyer that turned out not to be true. Until finally, the relief: Ross had bought the team and they would be driving. They only had two days of testing and even though the car looked really quick I didn't expect them to be fighting for victories that year. They had had good wintertests before and nothing came of it. But at that point I really didn't care. The team starting at all was a miracle. I would see Jenson drive again and that was all that mattered. Even if that season had been as bad as the season before, I still would have been happy.
2009: The Formula 1 Fairytale
Source: motorsport-total.com
Australia came and I was just happy to see Jenson on the track. I was secretely hoping that he would make it into Q3 but it really wasn't that important. And then Jenson got pole. And won the race on Sunday. And he won the second race and finished the third on the podium. And then he won another three races. And I felt like I was dreaming. Everything I'd been suffering through with them the years before suddenly was worth it because it made those results so much sweeter. And then came Silverstone and yeah, I was a little disappointed that Jenson didn't get a win or at least a podium for his home GP. But it was in Germany when I realised that the tyre problems weren't just a one time issue and I started to worry a little. Because as much as I had tried not to think about the championship it already did feel like it had to be Jenson's at that point. But the way he kept losing points on the Red Bull and later Rubens I was afraid that he'd lose his lead in the championship in a matter of just a few more races. So I tried to remind myself what a miracle had already happened that season. And I went from race to race hoping for the best and trusting in Ross's and Jenson's abilties. But it wasn't easy. After all those years, Jenson was so close and the thought of him losing the championship now was worse than all the bad seasons. Fortunately the car seemed to work better again soon but Jenson suddenly had a clear weakness when it came to the qualifying. It might have been the pressure. I don't know. His races where still really good but that didn't get him anywhere having to start from the midfield. Still, he got points in every single race aside from Spa - but no one can blame him for that - which showed how consistent he was. But now Rubens was closing in on him. And the threat of losing the championship to Vettel in a strong Red Bull was one thing. But the threat of losing it to his own team mate in the same car... as much as I like Rubens, that just would have been a nightmare. It was that part of the season when I would go from believing in the championship to believing he'd lose it and back several times within a single weekend.
Brazil 2009: Jenson Button World Champion
Jenson had his first chance to win the title in Japan but it was Brazil that felt special from the first moment. Somehow I knew that this would be the race that decided the championship, in whichever way. Friday looked good and I was optimistic when the qualifying started. With Vettel's 16th place everything seemed to go in Jenson's favour but then, after more than an hour of waiting and secretely hoping that they wouldn't restart the qualifying because 6th with Rubens being 5th didn't sound bad at all, everything went wrong. Jenson didn't make it through Q2 while Rubens got pole which threw the championship wide open.
I hardly slept that night. The weights made things look slightly better with Mark being a clear threat to Rubens but I still tried to get used to the idea that the championship would be open until the very last race. I was confident that Jenson could get a point or two. But not enough to win the title unless he drove the race of his lifetime.
Sunday came and I spent all day looking for things to do to keep my mind off the race. But I was getting more nervous by the hour and by the time the cars arrived on the starting grid I was shaking. The race started and right from the start it became clear that Jenson was driving the race of his lifetime. I've seen him drive great races but that was a completely different league. With all the chaos in the first lap Jenson was 9th when the SC came out. And then he started overtaking: Grosjean, Nakajima, Kobayashi gave him a bit of a hard time but he got the rookie as well. Then Grosjean again after the pit stop. Every single manoeuvre was just amazing even though they had me hold my breath for a moment. But it's Jenson we're talking about, so I trusted that he can do it without kicking himself out of the race. By that time it was clear that it could work out after all. That Jenson might win the championship by doing exactly what he had to do. I was sorry about Rubens's puncture. He would have deserved a podium finish. The only thing that gave a small fright was Ross telling Jenson about possible rain. But it stayed dry and I started counting down the laps and the dream came true. Jenson won the championship with a fantastic race that didn't leave any doubt that he deserved it. And another win for Mark was just a nice bonus.
The moment I saw him smile and celebrate all those frustrating years were forgotten. And it was so great to see Rubens celebrate with him. I honestly wish that he will be able to stay with BrawnGP after all. He and Jenson are such a perfect team. &hearts
Source: motorsport-total.com
I was so happy and relieved but it took until today for it to really sink in. I'm not entirely sure it has even now. I lay in bed last night repeating the words "Jenson is world champion" in my head over and over trying to convince myself that it was real and not just a dream. I just stared at the front page of our local newspaper for about 10 minutes this morning. And later when I listened to the press conference, listened to Jenson being so happy and overwhelmed repeating "I'm world champion. I'm gonna keep saying that all night." over and over again it really hit me. And I'm sure it's going to be quite a while before I stop grinning like a cheshire cat.
And I can't help but think back to that Sunday more than two years ago when I watched the race in a pub in Frome and people there kept telling me that Jenson's time was over. I never stopped believing they were wrong. And they were.
I'll just let Jenson speak for himself now, because nothing can describe that moment. You have to see it for yourself:
Credit for this video goes to the BBC - I think - and the person that was so nice as to put that interview on youtube
So, Jenson Button, World Champion and Brawn GP, Constructors Champion. You really just can't say it often enough. This is a dream and a fairy tale come true.
* For everyone who doesn't speak German: "Knöpfchen" has, from the start, been our nickname for Jenson. It's based on the German translation of his last name.
It began in 2004...
I started watching formula 1 in 2001 but it took until way into the 2004 season for me to really start supporting Jenson. He caught my attentions a few times before that. The worst of which was Moncao 2003. But also when Renault replaced him with Alonso which I even then thought was unfair because I felt that Jenson had done a better job than Trulli that year.
2004 came, this really amazing season and I almost missed it. I saw Jenson on the podium live at the Nuerburgring and I hardly cared. I can't explain it. I must have been completely blind for years. But it seems like I took something back with me from his race that weekend because I started to pay more attention to him after that. But I think it was the race in Hockenheim that really changed everything. The fantastic job he did there and the picture of him driving one-handed with the other hand on his helmet to keep it together. I can still see that clearly I'm sad that I don't have that race on video any more.
Source: motorsport-total.com
elenya82 and I started to talk a lot about him after that race and he very soon became our "Knöpfchen"* So I was just able to enjoy a few more great races and podium finishes and Jenson so clearly being "best of the rest" before I went into the winter with high hopes for more of that. Little did I know what I had gotten myself into. 2005 and 2006: Ups and downs
I can't really say that 2005 was a bad year. Not with everything that followed. It started really bad but the second half of the season looked a lot better and I could see Jenson back on the podium at least a few times. And that was really all that mattered. It just felt that, starting with 2005, things good worse every year. 2006 was when it realy felt like things were starting to go wrong. I watched Jenson drive and I could so clearly see the potential. For me, there was never any doubt that he deserved to win and that he deserved to be world champion one day. But It seemed like Jenson was fighting and giving everything but Honda just didn't manage to give him the car he needed. I think it's funny that some critics always said that Jenson wasn't overtaking enough. When I look at my reviews of all those races, there almost always is at least on overtaking manoeuvre I thought was worth mentioning. But somehow it seemed like the car's performance got worse instead of better. And my expectations went down from hoping for a podium finish, to a finish in the points to Jenson to finish the race at all and just a few chances to show some of his potential. I have to say that the 2006 season was pretty hard for me, for a big part because I lost three of my favourite drivers - Juancho, Jacques and Christian - without a single last race to say goodbye. But there were a few highlights, too: The last few races in general; Hockenheim, where I went on Saturday and Jenson qualified 4th. And of course:
Hungary 2006: A dream come true
Source: motorsport-total.com
I don't think I'll ever forget that day. Hungary that year felt a little like the smaller version of the championship this year. I watched that race with no expectations at all. The car had been nowhere just two races earlier, Jenson started from 14th and he won that race. I had waited for that moment for so long and it finally happened. I think I spent days just watching the last few laps and the press conference over and over again.
2006 was a strange season and I was sort of glad when it was over. Had I known what would follow, I'm sure I'd have enjoyed it more.
2007 and 2008: It can always get worse
Those years made me wonder more that once why I was still watching. The answer is quite simple: There never was a snowball's chance in hell that I'd ever stop watching as long as Jenson was driving. No matter how bad things were. But it was hard and frustrating to turn on the tv every race weekend knowing Jenson would be struggling at the back of the grid with a car not even good enough for getting points on a regular basis. And I felt like a clock was ticking. I was afraid that if Jenson didn't win the championship soon he never might. And then, when Super Aguri withdrew from the championship, I lost the 4th driver I really liked in little more than 2 year. Like things weren't bad enough already. What kept me going was Jenson's neverending optimism, every chance to just see him fight on the track and the hope that it might get better one day. But it seemed that whenever I was sure that things couldn't get worse I was proven wrong. Until I gave up on believing that there was any situation that couldn't get worse. But seriously, 3 championship points all season? How could it get much worse than that? The Bad World had an answer even for that:
December 2008: Fighting spirit
When first Juancho, then Jacques, then Christian and finally Ant were more or less forced out of formula 1 my only thought was that I couldn't bear something like that happening to Jenson.
And then it looked like that was exactly what was happening. The news that Honda had withdrawn from formula 1 came as a shock. All my hopes and dreams of seeing Jenson as world champion seemed to turn into dust. The first car on which Ross had really had an influence, the car they had been working on most of last season already and it looked like we'd never see it on the track. And I was honestly at the point of turning my back on formula 1 for good. I had reached the limits of what I could take.
But then the team made clear that they wouldn't stop fighting. Ross and Jenson and all the guys in Brackley and that was the moment when I knew it wasn't just Jenson any more but the whole team that owned my heart. As long as they didn't give up it wasn't over. And I was so proud of Jenson when he made clear that he'd stay with the team and fight with them, win or lose with them. And I really believe that fight is part of what made that team so strong.
The next three months were hell. It just felt like an endless line of rumours of another buyer that turned out not to be true. Until finally, the relief: Ross had bought the team and they would be driving. They only had two days of testing and even though the car looked really quick I didn't expect them to be fighting for victories that year. They had had good wintertests before and nothing came of it. But at that point I really didn't care. The team starting at all was a miracle. I would see Jenson drive again and that was all that mattered. Even if that season had been as bad as the season before, I still would have been happy.
2009: The Formula 1 Fairytale
Source: motorsport-total.com
Australia came and I was just happy to see Jenson on the track. I was secretely hoping that he would make it into Q3 but it really wasn't that important. And then Jenson got pole. And won the race on Sunday. And he won the second race and finished the third on the podium. And then he won another three races. And I felt like I was dreaming. Everything I'd been suffering through with them the years before suddenly was worth it because it made those results so much sweeter. And then came Silverstone and yeah, I was a little disappointed that Jenson didn't get a win or at least a podium for his home GP. But it was in Germany when I realised that the tyre problems weren't just a one time issue and I started to worry a little. Because as much as I had tried not to think about the championship it already did feel like it had to be Jenson's at that point. But the way he kept losing points on the Red Bull and later Rubens I was afraid that he'd lose his lead in the championship in a matter of just a few more races. So I tried to remind myself what a miracle had already happened that season. And I went from race to race hoping for the best and trusting in Ross's and Jenson's abilties. But it wasn't easy. After all those years, Jenson was so close and the thought of him losing the championship now was worse than all the bad seasons. Fortunately the car seemed to work better again soon but Jenson suddenly had a clear weakness when it came to the qualifying. It might have been the pressure. I don't know. His races where still really good but that didn't get him anywhere having to start from the midfield. Still, he got points in every single race aside from Spa - but no one can blame him for that - which showed how consistent he was. But now Rubens was closing in on him. And the threat of losing the championship to Vettel in a strong Red Bull was one thing. But the threat of losing it to his own team mate in the same car... as much as I like Rubens, that just would have been a nightmare. It was that part of the season when I would go from believing in the championship to believing he'd lose it and back several times within a single weekend.
Brazil 2009: Jenson Button World Champion
Jenson had his first chance to win the title in Japan but it was Brazil that felt special from the first moment. Somehow I knew that this would be the race that decided the championship, in whichever way. Friday looked good and I was optimistic when the qualifying started. With Vettel's 16th place everything seemed to go in Jenson's favour but then, after more than an hour of waiting and secretely hoping that they wouldn't restart the qualifying because 6th with Rubens being 5th didn't sound bad at all, everything went wrong. Jenson didn't make it through Q2 while Rubens got pole which threw the championship wide open.
I hardly slept that night. The weights made things look slightly better with Mark being a clear threat to Rubens but I still tried to get used to the idea that the championship would be open until the very last race. I was confident that Jenson could get a point or two. But not enough to win the title unless he drove the race of his lifetime.
Sunday came and I spent all day looking for things to do to keep my mind off the race. But I was getting more nervous by the hour and by the time the cars arrived on the starting grid I was shaking. The race started and right from the start it became clear that Jenson was driving the race of his lifetime. I've seen him drive great races but that was a completely different league. With all the chaos in the first lap Jenson was 9th when the SC came out. And then he started overtaking: Grosjean, Nakajima, Kobayashi gave him a bit of a hard time but he got the rookie as well. Then Grosjean again after the pit stop. Every single manoeuvre was just amazing even though they had me hold my breath for a moment. But it's Jenson we're talking about, so I trusted that he can do it without kicking himself out of the race. By that time it was clear that it could work out after all. That Jenson might win the championship by doing exactly what he had to do. I was sorry about Rubens's puncture. He would have deserved a podium finish. The only thing that gave a small fright was Ross telling Jenson about possible rain. But it stayed dry and I started counting down the laps and the dream came true. Jenson won the championship with a fantastic race that didn't leave any doubt that he deserved it. And another win for Mark was just a nice bonus.
The moment I saw him smile and celebrate all those frustrating years were forgotten. And it was so great to see Rubens celebrate with him. I honestly wish that he will be able to stay with BrawnGP after all. He and Jenson are such a perfect team. &hearts
Source: motorsport-total.com
I was so happy and relieved but it took until today for it to really sink in. I'm not entirely sure it has even now. I lay in bed last night repeating the words "Jenson is world champion" in my head over and over trying to convince myself that it was real and not just a dream. I just stared at the front page of our local newspaper for about 10 minutes this morning. And later when I listened to the press conference, listened to Jenson being so happy and overwhelmed repeating "I'm world champion. I'm gonna keep saying that all night." over and over again it really hit me. And I'm sure it's going to be quite a while before I stop grinning like a cheshire cat.
And I can't help but think back to that Sunday more than two years ago when I watched the race in a pub in Frome and people there kept telling me that Jenson's time was over. I never stopped believing they were wrong. And they were.
I'll just let Jenson speak for himself now, because nothing can describe that moment. You have to see it for yourself:
Credit for this video goes to the BBC - I think - and the person that was so nice as to put that interview on youtube
So, Jenson Button, World Champion and Brawn GP, Constructors Champion. You really just can't say it often enough. This is a dream and a fairy tale come true.
* For everyone who doesn't speak German: "Knöpfchen" has, from the start, been our nickname for Jenson. It's based on the German translation of his last name.
