Former Formula 1 driver Jenson Button understands all too well how Max Verstappen is feeling at this point in the season. The British driver was also hunted down by competition, in the form of Sebastian Vettel, during the final stages of the 2009 season. Given the choice, Button would now prefer to step into Lando Norris’s McLaren rather than the RB20.
Button clinched the world title in 2009 in a season similar to 2024. He drove for Brawn GP, and the team started the season in a dominant fashion, much like Red Bull in 2024. However, Brawn GP experienced a slump later in the season, allowing Sebastian Vettel to put pressure on the British former driver in the drivers’ championship. Button, therefore, knows exactly what Verstappen is dealing with at the moment.
“I was in the same position as Max, where the car wasn’t performing as well as it had earlier in the season. Someone is chasing you, and it’s tough,” Button reflects in the Sky F1 podcast. “You know, Max is a tough guy. I don’t think the pressure really gets to him, as it does with most drivers, but this is a tricky situation. From what I’ve heard, he’s already got it in his head that he’s not going to win any more races this year.”
More Threats on the Horizon
However, Verstappen doesn’t only have to deal with Lando Norris as his closest competitor in the title fight, other teams can also snatch valuable points from the world champion. “It’s not just that McLaren is fast and Lando Norris, Oscar has also achieved some great results,” Button explains. “Mercedes, of course, and Ferrari are all there. So if they all have a good weekend and the Red Bull doesn’t perform as well as earlier this year, you lose a lot of points in one race.”
Button knows which team he would choose if he could take a seat in a car on the current grid. “That’s easy, the McLaren, definitely, absolutely,” concludes the former driver.
