Jenson Button is back on the island once again this week. It’s a stark contrast to his last visit, when the news that his then employers Honda had withdrawn from Formula 1 hit the press, leaving Jenson without a drive for 2009. As we all know, Ross Brawn took on the team, Jenson took a sizable pay cut, and they went on to dominate the season, earning both the driver’s and constructor’s world championships. In a further twist, JB has recently announced that he will be leaving Brawn (Now called Mercedes Benz motorsport) at the end of this year, and joining fellow Brit Lewis Hamilton at McLaren next year.
Jenson on the left before setting out On the road – Button P3
from La Santa
The boys on the beach at La Santa Famara Cliffs
Jenson has been coming to the island for winter training since 2001 when he was brought to Lanzarote as part of a Benetton team trip. It has become a regular part of his training and he is often accompanied by other drivers, and always by his personal trainer Mike Collier.
He’s a driver renowned for his dedication to fitness, and who can forget him running the full length of the main straight at Monaco, still in overalls and helmet, and after a grueling Grand Prix, when he mistakenly parked in the pits after winning the race? He regularly enters triathlon and marathon events, and generally enjoys his sport.
He always stays at Club La Santa while here, and cites the excellent food and sports facilities as the main reasons, and he really gets stick into the atmosphere while there, joining in as many competitions as he can. On this trip he has already covered 180KM on the bike, 18KM running and 7Km of swimming – all that in three days! He also loves the way that he can concentrate on fitness while he is at La Santa – no press, no family and no distractions!
We’d like to extend our congratulations to the new world champion for a fantastic job last season, and we’re already looking forward to seeing him next season going up against both his new team mate, and Fernando Alonso, who will be driving for Ferrari.
Post to Twitter