The downside of Formula One for Button

Twenty-two-year old Jenson Button doesn't have the average life of a lad his age; driving a race-car for a living is a far cry from what most young men would expect. "The best thing about my job," Button told the BAR website, "is that you get to ...

Twenty-two-year old Jenson Button doesn't have the average life of a lad his age; driving a race-car for a living is a far cry from what most young men would expect. "The best thing about my job," Button told the BAR website, "is that you get to drive these mega Formula One cars and race against the best drivers in the world. I'm so lucky. I really enjoy my job."

Jenson Button.

Photo by British American Racing.

Aside from the racing, there's the cars, the houses and the large salary that go with the lifestyle. But there's one thing Button isn't keen on; he spends too much time flying in aeroplanes rather than flying around a race-track.

"Apart from the obvious intrusions into your life, which you have to accept as part of the job, the worst thing about F1 is all the flying around." Button said. "It's not just seventeen races a year but all the promotional work and testing too."

"I guess I get on an aeroplane about three times a week and it gets so boring after a while. I spend a fortune on magazines, but I still run out of things to read! That's probably the worst bit of my job. And doing interviews, of course!"

The fast-paced life style has other drawbacks and while Button hopes it hasn't changed him too much, he admits he finds it difficult to keep himself occupied when he's not racing. "I don't think so," he said when asked if it had all gone to his head. "I certainly hope it hasn't."

"I've definitely changed in some ways though. I've got a shorter temper and I get bored very easily now. I just can't do anything without losing attention! I mean, I go to the movies with my girlfriend and I can't watch a film -- I get bored after twenty minutes and need to do something else, which isn't good really as she gets quite annoyed with me!"

"I suppose it's because of the excitement and buzz you get when you are at the circuit driving F1 cars. Nothing comes close to that. It sounds strange, and my girlfriend will hate me for saying it, but it's very difficult to find something that really interests me away from the track."