Internet's been down in Asia

Sorry if I haven't been able to post these past few days. Internet access has been really really bad here in Asia (I live in the Philippines), and websites have been taking forever to load, if they even do at all. Things are starting to look up though, and hopefully we'll have full internet access restored in a few days.

Here's an excerpt from Yahoo! Asia:

Asia Internet slowly comes back online

HONG KONG (AFP) - Millions of frustrated Internet users across Asia slowly regained access to overseas websites on Friday, three days after an earthquake off the coast of Taiwan snapped several vital undersea cables.

Telecoms operators across the region re-routed Internet links to circumvent the ruptured lines off the southern part of the island, as engineers donned diving suits to assess the damage and begin repairs.

But customers in the Philippines have been asked to play their part too -- by limiting overseas calls to family and friends over the New Year.

Martin Brundle's Driver Review

Martin Brundle's driver review continues with Kimi and Jenson. Here's an excerpt:

This was the year when Britain finally made it back to the top step of the podium with Jenson Button's brilliant win in Hungary.

But did the Honda ace really break through into the top flight in 2006, or is there still more to come?

In the latest part of ITV Sport commentator Martin Brundle's driver review, he gives you his thoughts on 'Our Jens'.

ITV-F1.com: Though Jenson won a grand prix, it was in extraordinary circumstances, so is there still a lot to prove?

Martin: There is, I mean as Jenson said recently, he scored more points in the last eight races than anybody else, and though there is an element of kidology there, it also says that the Honda team is on an upward curve.

And he definitely drove well and looked back in his old form in the second half of the season.

The team lost designer Geoff Willis early on and they lost some momentum.

They won the 'winter grand prix' in testing and then were off the pace at Melbourne. And then they just seemed to lose their way.

It came back again but even so you weren't always convinced that Jenson had the chance to win a race.

It was interesting to watch the TV figures after Jenson won, because the public didn't think he was going to keep on winning either.

To get the British public on board as Nigel [Mansell] and Damon [Hill] did, you've got to keep winning or at least look like you're going to win.

And Honda and Jenson didn't do that. In fact they played it down a little bit didn't they? They warned people that it wasn't going to happen every weekend.

You can read the rest at ITV.com here. The review starts with Kimi, and progresses on to Jenson (bottom half contains Martin's thoughts on Jenson). Happy reading!

Christmas Wishes from Jenson

Sorry, got around to it just now. :P

Here's Jenson's message for his fans this holiday season. You'll have to be a member to access the videos, but membership is free and easy. :)


And here's his bit from F1.com's Formula One drivers' Christmas list:

Jenson Button, Honda:
"I've got everything I want. I have my whole family joining me for Christmas and spending time with family and friends is all I need. You can't ask Santa for a podium or a win. You've got to do that yourself."

Hope you all had a good Christmas! :)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all! :)

Jenson the Jolly Green Giant

Lol. Some nice and funny news on Honda saving the planet, from ITV.com. May we indeed perhaps see a touch of green in honda's new livery? :P

According to the latest issue of Marketing Week magazine, the Honda F1 squad are all set to embrace the current trend for everything green, with a raft of environmentally friendly ideas.

The story (accompanied by a nice picture of a 2002 Jordan) tells how the team are keen on the use of solar power and renewable energy, and that the team may adopt an all-green livery.

However the ideas have not found favour in all quarters.

Fashion expert Lucy Bing said: “Saving the planet and a few polar bears is all well and good, but Honda fail to realise that green is like sooo last season’s colour.

“With his height and fluffy beard, Jenson Button could end up looking like the Jolly Green Giant while poor little Rubens may adopt the appearance of a leprechaun.”

A source close to the team dismissed Miss Bing’s comments, insisting that being environmentally aware far outweighed any fashion issues.

Year-end Recaps

First off from Formula One's official site, a 2006 race by race recap, part 5 featuring the the Hungarian, Turkish and Italian Grands Prix. I'd never noticed Nick Fry's expression before (he's the one behind Jenson in the pictures). Both of them look kinda funny... hahaha. That must've been such a fun feeling having all that elation surging through your body though... hence the funny faces... hahaha. :)

Here's a short excerpt:

As the title rivals struggled, the Hungaroring meeting belonged to Honda’s Jenson Button, who came from 14th on the grid to score his maiden Formula One win. The changeable weather played a huge part in the race, but Button’s victory was totally deserved, the Briton keeping his cool in tricky conditions to finally triumph on his 113th attempt.

Also, from ITV.com, an in-depth discussion of Honda's first full season at the helm, featuring all the ups and downs of 2006. The article's title, Finishing with a Flourish" sums it up quite well though. ;)

Here's an excerpt:

The highlight, of course, was Jenson Button’s long-overdue maiden grand prix victory in Hungary, Honda’s first as a constructor since the 1960s.

Although that watershed signalled that the team had shrugged off its mid-season blues, it was above all a supreme personal achievement from Button.

In tricky wet-but-drying weather conditions that turned the race into a lottery, Jenson’s delicacy of touch came to the fore and he thoroughly earned his place on the top step of the podium.

At a stroke, the 26-year-old from Frome silenced those increasingly prevalent voices that doubted he would ever shake off his ‘nearly man’ status.

Lastly, here's a feature, again by ITV.com, of their picks for pictures of the year. Jenson Button's in there of course. :P

Rubens says Jenson needs to complain more

Seriously, Rubens wants Jenson to complain a bit more. Hahaha.

Taken in the right context though, he was talking about complacency that may have settled in with Jenson about the way things work around Honda. Rubens was simply encouraging Jenson to be a bit more assertive in asking for changes for him to be able to craft a better, race-winning car. I think Jenson has already started to do so, really making the team his and getting them behind him and getting that race pace back, specially after that win. It never hurts for your number two to give a bit more of a push. Rubens wants Honda to improve just as much, and I bet everyone at Honda will be on the same page too. :)

Anyhow, here's an excerpt from the article of Barrichello talking about Honda still having more work to do, from Autosport.com:

Jenson Button and Honda Racing still have work to do if they are to make the steps forward needed to fight for regular race wins, claims Rubens Barrichello.

Although Button finished off the season as the highest points-scorer from the Hungarian Grand Prix onward, Barrichello is under no illusions about the progress that it still needed ahead of 2007.

"I think that this team has a huge amount of potential, but still has some work to do if we are to become consistent winners," said Barrichello, who joined the team at the start of this year.

Happy reading!

Does Jenson play Batracer?

Any chance Jenson, or any Formula One driver for that matter, plays Batracer? Maybe he's been playing over the offseason?:P Batracer's a fun strategy game to play, although it can also get very frustrating at times. The real thing must be a million more times of both (fun and frustration :P).

By the way, for those interested, one of the forumers has started up a new private game. This one's based on the 1986 carset, and you're all welcome to join. :)

Here's the link:
http://batracer.com/-cj?&D&9568. :) Password is "Andretti". Hope to see you all there! :)

Driving Styles Explained

Ever wonder what exactly people are talking about when they call Jenson Button's driving style smooth, or Fernando Alonso's style aggressive? Want an insider look at how the top drivers handle their cars today?

Here's a great video of Martin Brundle explaining driving styles by taking a look (and testing for himself, giving you an even closer perspective) at the different ways Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher/Kimi Raikkonen drive their cars around the track.

16-1

16-1. Those are the odds on Jenson Button winning next year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award next year. Imagine that. The last one's just wrapped up and someone's already got odds on Jenson for next year. Haha. Lewis Hamilton's right up there as well, with 25-1 odds on his potential to win. I say we all keep our fingers crossed and hope that Jenson does well enough, and the awards will come along with a fine season.

As for this year's edition, I'll have one last go at it. It's always nice to see other people rooting for Jenson, so Shaun gets a "good on ya" from Button fans like me for sharing some positive words on Jense regarding his BBC nomination. Nice of him to acknowledge that Jense had a year good enough to have warranted consideration. :)

I suppose the season is still too far ahead to be writing about much else at this point. Maybe I should take a break for the holidays too. Hahaha. Been terribly busy these days, and I haven't even gotten myself into the holiday season just yet. Looking forward to the peace and quiet comfort that comes with it though. :)

Hope you're all having good days leading up to Christmas thus far. News might be slow coming over the next few days, but I'll try to dig up as much stuff as I can to share this holiday season. Happy Holidays everyone!

Young Jenson Button karting at Clay Pigeon

Testing's just wrapped up, and teams are now looking forward to 2007. Here's a look the other way though, and a look back at where it all started for Jenson. :)

Defending Jenson Button

Jenson's been coming under a lot of heavy criticism lately for his nomination in BBC's Sports Personality of the Year Awards. I say lay off the guy. It's not his fault he got nominated. It's a recognition of excellence, and that he has been.

People keep referring to the fact that he's only got one win, blah blah blah. That's one win more than he started the season isn't it? Look at the way he won it, and look at the way he's been driving since! Absolutely driven and competitive. He scored more points than anyone, even both Schumi and Fernando, during that time period. He's at the pinnacle of motorsports, and he's been driving well. Really well. That deserves some recognition, doesn't it? And the simple fact is that there were at least some people out there that saw that. That's why he got into the final nomination list.

I can't wait for 2007 season to start. I really, really hope Jenson does well. He's poised for big things, and as much as I wouldn't want to put any more pressure on Jenson (as if I could actually do that), I'm really hoping he gets to silence even more critics this year. He's one of the best drivers in the world right now. I hope he really gets to showcase those talents in the RA107.

Jenson gets some love from Big Fry

Some nice words from his boss, quoted from BBC Sport:

Button in F1 elite, says boss Fry

Honda boss Nick Fry believes Jenson Button has now joined the ranks of Formula One's top drivers.

The Briton won his first Grand Prix in Hungary last August, and Fry is expecting more success next season.

"I believe that Jenson is up there with both Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen in the top three," he said.

"There are others that will do well from time to time, but in terms of consistently high performance, he's in the top three."

It's nice to see Nick boosting Jense's confidence even more.

Jenson, you're definitely tops to us fans. Make us proud! :)

Honda to keep new livery a secret... for now

This should get very interesting...

Honda’s Formula One CEO Nick Fry has hinted at an exciting new livery for the team’s 2007 car, as part of an innovative marketing strategy designed to fill the void left by departing title sponsors British American Tobacco.

“We have a marketing plan, which will surprise a lot of people and get them interested by our approach for next year,” Fry told Formula1.com. “. You will not see a car covered in Honda logos, it will be something very different.”

Honda’s 2007 car, expected to be called the RA107, is scheduled to make its track debut late next month. However, its livery is unlikely to be revealed until shortly before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 18.

I wonder what the new car's livery will look like? There have been some really... uhm... creative ideas at the official forum's livery thread. :) Feel free to participate in discussions there too!

The way I see it, Honda's got a chance to put on a fresh splash of colors to go along with their impending championship run. Something stlyish to highlight all those sleek contours in the car I hope. Ooh... maybe they can carry special fan-voted liveries! Haha. Just a thought. Anyway, whatever they end up deciding on, I just want them to do all of it right and proper. :)

In the meantime, we can expect to see more of those striking black cars to run until the livery launch mentioned above. You can read more of it at the link to F1.com's official site above, or at Crash.net They're also carrying an interview with team CEO Nick Fry, in which he mentions the livery plans as well. :)

Jenson misses out on fourth award, set to miss ROC and Jerez tests as well

I'm sorry that I hadn't been able to post the past two days. Got sick and had to take some time out to rest. Anyhow, on to some Jenson news. :)

Jenson Button was in the running for a fourth award of the offseason, making it into the final ten nominees of this year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award. The award, however, went to Zara Phillips, with Jenson earlier being tagged as "fourth favorite" to win the award. You can read more about the official list of winners here, and more on the award from Wikipedia here.

Meanwhile, there's now apparently been confirmation that Jenson will indeed miss this week's final tests at Jerez, as well as the Race of Champions, which takes place in just 4 days' time. I'm awaiting official word from either Honda or ROC's site, but I suppose that's as good as certain already. Maybe next year then. For now, I hope Jenson spends his holidays wisely and heals those ribs up properly. Can't wait to see Jenson in the new RA107 when it comes out. :)

Honda tops timesheets at Jerez testing

Good sign for Honda, as they've topped the timesheets 1-2 at Jerez on Friday. Despite a rain-soaked morning, the track dried up well enough in the afternoon, and the Hondas were able to take advantage with some quick runs. Rubens Barichello set the fastest lap of the day with a time 1:20.008, with tester James Rossiter a close second with a time of 1:20.171. Rossiter was also able to complete 108 laps, good for second most on the day.

Not sure if Jenson was on hand for the day, but it must be encouraging to see your team at the top of the timesheets, even if it is just testing.

Go Honda!

Jenson Button site searching

I thought I'd use Yahoo!'s search engine (I'm a Googler, and I even carry a search bar on this blog right here) for a change and check out what they've got listed on Jenson Button.

Interestingly enough, there were two websites carrying Jenson's name that had no content whatsoever, www.jensonbutton.co.uk and www.jenson-button.co.uk (sorry, I won't link to sites with no content). I wonder who the domains are registered to? Maybe Jenson's people bought it just to make sure it stays with them. Ooh, or maybe Honda F1's web team is getting to work on a new Jenson homepage for us fans, after all the input and feedback that they've received from their recent survey (see race suit contest).

In any case, seeing those blank sites reminded me that Jenson's current official site is in need of some updates/makeovers. Even the forums could use some updates from the main admins. I mean, Honda F1's website is being kept current. I know it's the offseason and all, but even without any news, they've at least added a simple holiday "season's greetings" theme to it. Little things like that let the people that drop by know that the site's being maintained and looked after. And that keeps people coming back. Anyway, I'm sure Jenson's site will be much busier once the season gets underway. It'd just be nice to see updates and/or changes, especially in the offseason when there isn't much else to sustain interest in the site. Oh well.

Speaking of updates and back to the topic at hand, there seem to be a whole bunch of Jenson sites out there, but none that are really updated much. :( I featured some a few weeks back, and I'll feature one again, just for all of you that want to see Jenson over time. :)

This one, fly.to/jenson-button,, I'm thinking is from his Williams days. Great pictures from a few years back, if only for the rarity of seeing pictures such as those nowadays. :P

I'd really like to be able to feature more current sites though, so if you've got a Jenson site that you'd like even more fellow fans to drop by at, you're welcome to leave a comment and a link to your site here. I'd be more than happy to help spread the word even further. :)

Happy web-browsing everyone!

Oh Jenson's ribs!

Here's how the news on Jenson seems to have gone these past few days: Ribs, Award, Ribs, Award, Ribs, Award, Ribs.

Funniest take I've seen on it so far was by Kay_zee at the forums right here.

Newsflash!

Jenson has further strained his ribs this week, even though he's been told to play it safe for a few weeks.

It's believed the strain was caused by carrying all his awards home.

Hahaha. Not that Jenson's ribs are a laughing matter at all, it's just funny given the media coverage he's been getting for the combination of both.

I do hope he just heals up in peace. I want to see a healthy Button for 2007. And I don't think he's at much of a disadvantage at all. Despite getting the holidays off like Fernando and Kimi both have, Jenson has the advantage of already knowing who's who in his team. And he's able to attending testing sessions to monitor progress and obtain feedback from Rossiter and Klein. If anything, the rest should do Jenson some good and keep him fresh for his run at the title. :)

There's been talk of how Jenson's time out might negatively affect Honda's chances. Jenson's a pretty resilient driver though, and he's one of the best at adjusting at changing conditions (I read that somewhere, but I've forgotten where), so he should bounce back just fine.

He'll do well in 2007. And we'll all be happily cheering him on. Less ribs, more awards next year aye? :)

Jenson gets more rest

Jenson will be sitting out this week's tests at Jerez, and possibly next week's as well.

A team spokeswoman said: "The doctors took the view today that they would rather let it heal. We will think again later this week about the final test."

Senior Honda sources suggest that they would actually be happier for Button to sit out the final Jerez test next week, so that he is fully fit for the first running of Honda's 2007 challenger in the next year.

"It is better for him to rest and recover fully in time for the new car," said one source.

I think it'd better for him to rest it out, too. I wonder how this'll affect his ROC entry though. Surely it'd be better for him to sit that one out too. Maybe he can have more time to push for that book of his to get finished up and published. :)

Anyhow, that means that three of the top contenders for next year's championship, Jenson, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, will all be getting extra rest this holiday season. Think it'll do the three of them good? Well, I hope it does for Jenson. :)

Jenson's keeping it real for 2007

Looks like Jense is keeping it real this time around. Here's an exerpt from Autosport.com:

Jenson Button is trying hard to keep a lid on expectations for 2007, after Honda Racing failed to live up to the high target they had set themselves for this season.

Button and Honda had gone into 2006 predicting that they would be challenging for wins at every event.

Although that did not happen, the team did recover from a poor start to the campaign to post their maiden victory in Hungary, while Button was the highest points scorer in the final segment of the championship.

The lessons of last year, when the failure to deliver early in the season left the team facing a barrage of questions from the media, have been learned - and Button is keen not to hype things up too much this time around.

I think it's great that Jenson and his team aren't putting too much pressure on themselves like they did last year. They've got reasonably better chances at a more wide-open 2007, and with less pressure on themselves, they (and us fans) should be able to enjoy success that comes their way to start the season.

Awards galore for Jenson

In what fans like myself are hoping to be a sign of things to come, Jenson Button is winning a lot of stuff these days. Despite being unable to participate in testing while nursing a rib injury, Jenson has surely been kept busy collecting awards.


After winning F1 Racing magazine's "drive of the year" award last week, Jenson was presented with the British Competition Driver of the Year award at the prestigious Autosport Awards yesterday.

Commenting on the award, Jenson thanked the fans who had voted for him: “Having the support behind you makes the big difference. I have had a lot of support, even in the bad years, but to get the win this year was spectacular.”

Not long after that, Jense was likewise honoured at the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Annual Awards with the very prestigious Graham Hill Trophy.

The Graham Hill Trophy is awarded for the ‘Most Meritorious Performance by a British Driver in Single-Seater Racing’ and was given to Jenson in recognition of his performance at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix.

“It’s been an exciting couple of weeks for me,” said the British star. “It’s great to know that there’s so much support out there and to get an award from the BRDC is an enormous privilege.”

That's just great stuff, isn't it? Jenson's getting 'round to winning more and more these days. Jense had been coming under heavy criticism for being unable to win a GP prior to his Hungaroring win, so the Autosport Award must've been really sweet for him, as he finally gets some love from those critics. If memory serves me right, Jense also won an award from BRDC in 2004, but I think this marks the first time that he's picked up the Graham Hill trophy. Hey, maybe he can do more of a Graham Hill and win the 2007 WDC. Hahahaha. Here's to hoping and wishing and praying he does, aye?

You can read more by clicking on the links above, or dropping by the Jenson Button forum.

Ho hum... more consumerism.

Jenson fans might find this site useful.

It's got some pictures of Jense from early on in his f1 career. What makes it worth mentioning though is that it's got this ebay tracker thing at the bottom. I'm not sure what exactly is called, but it does keep track of Jenson-related things up for auction, like autographed prints and even minichamps model cars.

Meanwhile, F1Fanatic.co.uk has featured a DVD covering the 2006 season. Might make a nice christmas present for fellow formula one fans. :)

Not much else new in the news today, as Jenson's currently healing up from his rib injury. Happy weekend to everyone out there!

Barcelona testing wraps up; Button spotted

Barcelona testing has officially wrapped up, with the Toyotas having the track all to themselves on Friday. Is this something of an unfair advantage? The Toyotas were able to pull of the only sub-01:16:000 laps of the week. Then again, they were probably just running with even more revs given the clear track. Oh well.

Anyway, despite his karting injury, Jenson was still on hand for the testing period. Possibly to monitor progress and obtain feedback from the test drivers. Too bad he hasn't been able to drive yet though. I hope his ribs heal up soon, and properly at that. Honda has a full report of how their testing week went here.

Interestingly enough, ButtonGod mentioned in the forums that Hill and Mansell were both recovering from injuries during the winter prior to their championships runs. Is this a sign of good things to come? Lets hope so!

Get well soon Jense!

Oh, and before I forget, here's a picture of Honda's black car:


Nice, isn't it? I think it's started to grow on me. Hahaha. They'll still be running whites though. I wonder when Honda'll be unveiling their car for the 2007 season?

A lap with Jenson? How about two?

Just wanted to share one of my fave YouTube vids, Jenson Button driving 'round the Melbourne track without any commentary.

Awesome stuff to just watch him drive. He makes it look so easy, doesn't he?