Button looks forward to looking back

JENSON BUTTON is relishing the opportunity of one day telling his children of the moment he was crowned Formula One world champion.

That is not to say Button is planning on having kids any time soon, despite his romance with model Jessica Michibata continuing to blossom.

Button, though, is convinced he will be a dad at some point, and with it will come a sense of pride as he recounts a never-to-be-forgotten 2009.

In all the mayhem that followed his moment of glory in Brazil 11 days ago, that was something which hit home after receiving a text message from his Brawn GP race engineer Andrew Shovlin.

Being a world champion is a status no-one can ever take away from Button, a point he noted as he said: “That is a nice feeling.

“I will always be a world champion, and that is something my dad stated in an interview. He said, ‘you are a world champion forever’.

“My engineer, Shov, was very excited over the Brazil weekend, but he then sent me a text message two days later, I think after he had a couple of shandies!

“But he said, ‘I’m home with my lovely family and I’ve just realised what we’ve achieved: we’re the best in the world at the moment, the best at what we do.’

“So I cannot wait for my kids to be old enough to be able to tell them what we have achieved.

“That is something that excites me about my future, having a family and telling them daddy was world champion.”

Button is still trying to come to terms with his achievement, although he attempted to allow it to sink in as he has enjoyed a relaxing few days after the chaos that unfolded in Sao Paulo.

“Am I still pinching myself now? It is a very strange situation,” said Button. “After the race in Brazil I headed back to the UK and had a PR day in Bluewater (Shopping Centre) which was a lot of fun.

“Then I headed up to the factory, got into the simulator and spent a few hours with the team, which was really nice.

“We were in an auditorium and the whole factory, all of the people who were working that day, were in there with me.

“I was stood on a little box, doing a little speech, but I spent an hour in there. They were asking questions, and it was such a buzzy atmosphere. It was great.

“Normally we have those meetings and we have either had a bad race or a good race, and you are always looking forward, saying to the guys, we need to improve there, we are good here.

“But it was nice to just reflect on the season and not talk about the future, just enjoy what we had achieved.

“Since then I have been in Dubai for a week, with my girlfriend and with some friends, and a few people who have made it happen.

“So it has been a special few days, and we’ve enjoyed ourselves. It has been very relaxing.

“That is the sort of time when you lie in bed, you think about the season, you think about the previous years, and all those faces of people who have helped you along the way flash through your mind.

“So it has been a special few days, but as I say, a strange feeling because you have achieved what you set out to do in your career.

“For so many years you have been fighting for it, and now you’ve achieved it.”

Speculation persists, though, about Button’s future as he has yet to sign a new deal with Brawn as the two sides are understood to be haggling over his salary for next year.

Button is first determined to enjoy this weekend’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, after which he will put his mind to sorting out his career.

“I’ve started discussions with Brawn, but we are not going to talk seriously until after this weekend,” confirmed Button.

“We can sit down and discuss it then, when we can focus on looking at the future.”