In the “Beyond The Grid” podcast, Jenson Button explains how top athletes cope with the mental strain of competition
Jenson Button speaks candidly on the “Beyond The Grid” podcast about how mentally taxing Formula 1 is on its drivers. After all, the win rate for the world’s best drivers is comparatively low.
“I’ve competed in 300 Grand Prix races in Formula 1, and I’ve won 15 of them,” says the 2009 world champion. “That means I lost 285 races.”
Such win rates pale in comparison to the string of victories that drivers like Verstappen, Leclerc, or Hamilton have grown up with since their karting days.
Juan Manuel Fangio holds the highest win rate in Formula 1 history. After all, the five-time champion managed to win around 47 percent of the races he entered in the Formula 1 World Championship.
In the podcast, Button explains that Ross Brawn’s calm demeanor helped him immensely: “I think his calm nature was really important on bad days,” said the former Brawn driver.
“I don’t think anyone can make you a better driver. It’s entirely up to you to conquer your demons. People can listen, and I think as a boss, you have to do that too. Listen to your driver, but don’t be too opinionated.”
The Briton’s world championship title is a prime example of the psychological pitfalls of Formula 1. Button won six of the first seven races of the season, while the second half of the season nearly turned into a fiasco. Constant
speculation about whether the future McLaren driver could really handle the pressure didn’t make things any easier for Button. Nevertheless, the 2009 title ultimately went to the current Sky analyst.
“In the end, it’s about losing more than you win. I spoke with Roger Federer last year about sports and the mental strain involved. He said to me, ‘Well, you’d think I’m the most successful tennis player of all time. But I’ve lost 75 percent of my matches, and that’s actually a really good record.’“
The same rule applies, as Button points out, to the seven-time champion at Ferrari: ”What Lewis Hamilton has achieved is extraordinary, but he’s still lost more than he’s won. And that’s why, in any sport where you lose more than you win, it’s mentally damn difficult.”
By the way, the Briton’s estimate isn’t quite right. Instead of 300, Button has driven in 309 Formula 1 races in his career. Accordingly, he hasn’t lost 285 races, but 294.