Jenson Button has detailed the mental challenges of driving in Formula 1.
The 2009 F1 champion said that the extreme ratio of race wins to losses makes the series incredibly tough mentally. Over his 18 years in the championship, he entered 309 grands prix and won 15. While that is an impressive number of wins and he has a drivers’ championship title to his name, he noted that he had to go through losing a race far more often than winning one.
While reflecting on his career during an appearance on the F1 Beyond The Grid podcast, Button noted that his former boss Ross Brawn’s calm attitude helped on rough days, but that it was down to himself to ‘sort out his demons’.
“I think his calm attitude was great on tough days,” he said. “I don’t really think that anyone can make you a better racing driver. It’s down to yourself to sort out your demons.
Race winner Jenson Button, McLaren
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
“I think people can listen, and I think that’s what you need to do as a leader. Listen to your driver’s problems, but don’t be too opinionated.”
He added of the insecurities that drivers have, especially when they are comparing themselves to their team-mates: “And it comes down to you lose more than you win. I spoke to Roger Federer last year about sport and the mental side of it, and he said, ‘Yeah, you’ve got to think I’m the most successful tennis player ever. And I lost 75% of my matches, and that’s a great record.’
“In F1, I raced 300 grands prix, and I won 15. So, I lost 285 races. Lewis Hamilton, extraordinary what he’s achieved, but he’s still lost a lot more than he’s won. And that is mentally why it’s tough in any sport because you lose more than you win.”
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