Would he have been capable of standing up to Hamilton in general and Fernando Alonso specifically this weekend but for that title triumph? Surely not because Button has developed into a vastly stronger driver for his experiences last year, most palpably in his intelligence and maturity. Jenson is F1's Mr Cool. Even his inquiry of "why did they stop after us?" to the pitwall during this Sunday's race immediately after Alonso took his lead was framed with the prefix of "I'm just trying to understand..." He's as polite as he has been smart with strategy and set-up this season - the salient ingredients in his defeats of Hamilton in Monza, Australia and China. He's also savvy enough to always appreciate the big picture. "Do you know the standings?" he demanded of Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali in the moments before the podium celebrations. There isn't a driver in the 2010 field as clever and calculating as Button - and there might not have been in F1 since the retirement of Alain Prost almost twenty years ago.
Jenson isn't the fastest driver in the field - although he had to be very fast this weekend to split the two Ferraris - but if he were to retain his title then it would be a welcome victory for those under-appreciated sporting virtues of intelligence and class."
REST-
2010 Is A Vintage Year
The Championship of a lifetime? Five races remaining, five drivers within a solitary win of the lead. Just fabulous.
No Defence For Very Silly Hamilton
How silly was Lewis to have ditched the f-duct and selected the polar opposite set-up to Button? Very, because not only did it prove to be the slower option, with Jenson half-a-second faster in qualifying, but a golden rule when leading is to limit the number of variables and avoid risk whenever possible. Leave it to the challengers to take the risks.
How silly was Lewis was not to back off as the third car entering a chicane that can only accommodate two at a squeeze? Very, because not only did it result in his elimination from the race, but in gaining a place off the line he had already achieved his pre-race target of leapfrogging Mark Webber.
Small Damage Makes A Big Difference?
Given that Alonso was approximately a tenth of a second further up the road from Button when he rejoined the track after his pit-stop, it's certainly debatable whether the fractional difference in their performances was a result of their collision at the first corner. Martin Whitmarsh made light of the damage caused to Button's rear-wing by Alonso's bump but if it made two-tenths of a second difference over the first hour of the race then it was still the difference between first and second.
Fernando Wins The Race That Ferrari Might, Just Might, Have Wanted To Win Too Much
Justice was done, however, with Fernando securing victory. He was the lead driver throughout the weekend and his pace on Sunday thoroughly deserved first place. Even a faint criticism of a motor racing cathedral such as Monza reeks of disrespect, but it's cause for regret and modest entertainment that overtaking can only be achieved on such a power-imperative circuit with the sort of differential in straight-line speed that only very rarely exists between the top teams. Hence the frequency with which pole-sitters win in Italy and the difficulty Alonso had in usurping Button despite carrying so much additional pace.
Alonso's victory was especially impressive for the additional pressure that driving a red car in Italy also carries and the feeling that the weekend amounted to make-or-break for his title chances.
If there is a fly in the ointment then it is the nagging wonder to what extent Ferrari have focused their development work on their home race and if it was done to the detriment of the work required for the remaining grands prix. Singapore presents an entirely different test to Monza and team boss Domenicali was far from reassuring or forthcoming when asked directly after the race whether the team had an upgrade in the pipeline for the post-Europe leg of the season.
Red Bull Still Slow To Spread Their Wings
This column has said it before but it can't be a repeat when it gains in truth at every race: Red Bull's Achilles heel is in the alleged dubiousness of their front-wing design but their frequent struggles to get off the line. Webber didn't lose out to Vettel because Nico Hulkenberg was permitted to cut corners with impunity, he lost out on a comfortable fourth place because, once again, his clutch failed to engage when the lights went out.
Maybe.
Pete Gill
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