Betting on Jenson Button

Jenson ButtonJenson Button is a very experienced driver. 2015 marks his sixteenth years as a starter and his sixth year with the F1 McLaren team. While he has won 15 career races, and also the World Drivers’ Championship (WDC) in 2009, it has been a while since he has been considered a season long threat. Over the previous 2 seasons he didn’t win any poles nor races, and made only a single podium.

The preseason odds on Jenson Button winning the 2015 World Drivers’ Championship sit about 25/1. This has him tied with Sebastian Vettel of Team Ferrari as the fifth/sixth favourites. They are behind team Mercedes AMG teammates Lewis Hamilton (4/6) and Nico Rosberg (11/4), Button’s McLaren-Honda teammate Fernando Alonso (10/1) and Daniel Ricciardo (16/1) of Team Red Bull.

In this article I discuss the best ways to bet on Jenson Button preseason and for the races that make up the 2015 F1 calendar. This includes his recent racing stats, information about his racing style, tips for finding smart bets, and of course a brief bio.

Jenson Button Bio

Born: 19th January 1980. Frome, Somerset, United Kingdom
Residence: Monaco
Team: McLaren-Mercedes
World Drivers Championships: 1 (2009)

Button F1 Racing Stats

*Through the end of 2014.

Races Started: 266
Career Poles: 8
Career Poles/Starts: 3.0%
Career Wins: 15
Career Wins/Starts: 5.6%
Career Podiums: 50
Career Podiums/Starts: 18.8%

Racing Style

Jenson Button is often compared to Alain Prost in his smooth driving style. This style suits circuits with longer straights, smoother curves, and warmer days where high tyre heat isn’t required. His smooth driving creates less wear on tyres, and less friction to slow him down. On circuits where more grip is required, Button has a more difficult time getting his tyres up to the proper heat levels. The same can be said for cold days.

Despite being the 2009 World Drivers’ Champion, when Button made the move to team McLaren in 2010, many thought it was a bad move. Current and previous Formula One drivers didn’t feel Button had the talent to compete with his then teammate Lewis Hamilton. From 2010-2012 in those three seasons Button did quiet his critics, with a competitive 8 wins and 25 podiums versus 10 wins and 22 Podiums for Hamilton. In 2013 Hamilton left the team for Mercedes and Button hasn’t had the same teammate for multiple seasons since. In 2013 his teammate was Sergio Pérez, in 2014 Kevin Magnussen. Button led his team in both years but it was a couple rough seasons for McLaren.

In 2015 McLaren has changed engine suppliers and is now McLaren-Honda. Button’s teammate is fellow former World Drivers’ Champion Fernando Alonso. This gives McLaren the most experienced team but what happens on the season will largely have to do with how well their constructor does in providing them with competitive cars.

Jenson Button Betting Tips

Throughout his career, Jenson Button has had problems claiming the pole position. He has 7 more wins than poles in his career. When he had a competitive car in 2010-2012 he had a high 50% podiums/races started. These stats tell us a few things. First, Button is one of those guys who saves it for race day. Capable of winning or finishing on the podium from lower starting positions, Button can often surprise us.

This makes him an ideal choice for podium finisher (top 3) bets, especially when we can get attractive odds on him when he starts in the 3rd-5th positions. He can also be a good choice to win when he starts in the top 5 and the odds are juicy. While the 3 most recent races he won he was P1 and P2 and P2, the 5 previous saw him win 3 of those from lower on the starting grid. This included wins from P4 (Australia), P5 (China), and P7 (Canada). Button can be a good choice in the 8/1 or better range in races he is starting in the top 5. This is especially true on warmer days.

Past 5 F1 Season Results

2014:

  • Team: McLaren
  • Races: 19
  • Poles: 0
  • Wins: 0
  • Podiums: 1
  • WDC Points/Standings: 126, 8th

2013:

  • Team: McLaren
  • Races: 19
  • Poles: 0
  • Wins: 0
  • Podiums: 0
  • WDC Points/Standings: 73, 9th

2012:

  • Team: McLaren-Mercedes
  • Races: 20
  • Poles: 1
  • Wins: 3 (Australian Grand Prix, Belgian Grand Prix, Brazilian Grand Prix)
  • Podiums: 6
  • WDC Points/Standings: 188, 5th

2011:

  • Team: McLaren-Mercedes
  • Races: 19
  • Poles: 0
  • Wins: 3 (Canadian Grand Prix, Hungarian Grand Prix, Japanese Grand Prix)
  • Podiums: 12
  • WDC Points/Standings: 270, 2nd

2010:

  • Team: McLaren-Mercedes
  • Races: 19
  • Poles: 0
  • Wins: 2 (Australian Grand Prix, Chinese Grand Prix)
  • Podiums: 7
  • WDC Points/Standings: 214, 5th