Former F1 champ Jenson Button has revealed that amongst the many unique and one-of-a-kind cars that you’d expect to find in a professional motorsport driver’s garage, is a car not exactly known for its competitive racing edge. However, according to Button, it’s the fastest of the lot.
When you think of the classic car collection of one of Formula 1’s most notable names, you’d be forgiven for reeling off some of the biggest and most sought-after cars ever made; Jaguar. Lotus, Ferrari.
Personally, if I was to wonder what machines took pride of place inside Button’s garage, my thoughts would invariably drift toward McLaren, the British racing team that Jenson Button drove with between 2010-2017.
Button’s time with McLaren witnessed some spectacular moments on the track, from thrilling victories to intense battles with his competitors, all etching his name into the upper echelons of Formula 1 history. It’s here Button became a truly world-class competitor, arriving at the team as a World Champion, securing the Drivers’ Championship with Braun in 2009.
The British driver was known for a smooth and precision-oriented racing style; his race management was second to none and the British driver frequently managed his tyre and fuel with immense efficiency.
It’s no wonder then, that when speaking at The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, during Monterey Car Week last week, Button revealed the many unique pieces in his collection, and there was one such model that stuck out like a sore EV thumb.
“I have a Tesla — and everyone laughs when I say that, ‘a Tesla?’ — but it’s just great,” the 2009 Formula 1 World Champion told Gear Patrol.
“It’s the quickest car I’ve ever had from A to B. It’s $50,000… and I hate it. I hate to like it; you look at the build quality, it’s terrible. But it’s just easy; it’s just a tool. And it’s quicker than most of the cars I have; it’s faster than most of the cars here, 0 to 60, [or] in the lanes.”
He’s certainly not the first of Formula 1’s favourite drivers to get behind the wheel of an electric vehicle, with Mark Webber, one of Australia’s most popular drivers cruising across the many diverse terrains of Australia in Porsche’s new fully electric Taycan 4S Cross Turismo.
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Button did, however, admit he hasn’t fully switched to the EV revolution, revealing that he still has a “lot of Jags right now, for some reason,” preferring to invest in classic cars that he’s able to fix and modify.
Alongside his Tesla, is a fully restored Jaguar E-Type Series 1.5 convertible, Sir Stirling Moss’ aluminium-bodied Jaguar XK 120 that raced in Le Mans and a classic Jaguar C-Type.
A bit more respectable, then.