XLR8-ing with Jenson Button

"Absolutely crazy!" says Jenson Button. The tall and lanky Formula One driver isn’t talking about his 2002 season with the Mild Seven Renault team, much less his career so far. He’s replying to a query about what he thinks of Philippine traffic. Assembled members of the press laugh and take it as a compliment because he is, after all, talking about the way we drive. This from someone who drives horribly fast for a living, but who also failed his first driving test.

"In Europe, driving around (in a road car) is boring. Basically if I drive here on the road, I’d find it pretty exciting. You always have to be thinking. You can’t just get into a rhythm like we do in Europe and drive at a certain speed. You’ve got cars coming at you from every angle!" remarks the baby-blue shirted lady killer. There you have it: affirmation from one of the best racecar drivers in the world that, truly, driving in the Philippines and surviving on a daily basis is a world-class art we should be proud of.

As part of his obligations to the team that gave him a ride this year and the last, as well as millions of dollars in team support and salary, the 22-year-old Brit is here to grace the Mild 7 F1 XLR8 event, a high profile celebration of the team’s achievement in the recently concluded Formula One 2002 season: 4th in the Constructors’ Championship, and 7th in the Drivers’ Championship courtesy of Jenson Button.

F1 fans know that the 2002 season got boring the moment it became apparent that, a few dark horses notwithstanding, the boys and girls from Maranello were just irresistibly outstanding this year. Stellar drivers. Practically bulletproof cars. A team of mechanics that could change a full set of tires and give you a full tank of gas in less time than it would take you to switch off your engine, pull the gas flap lever, and reach for your credit card at a gas station. Or read that last sentence.

The urgency of catching every lap of every race on Star Sports had faded. Surely, others totally tuned out and watched something with "more" excitement like the 2002 Grass Growing Tournament. Nevertheless, F1 is tops among people who love to drive. The hair-raising sound of V10 engines in full song, the brightly colored cars and uniforms, the leggy umbrella girls, the exotic technologies, the high society look of all the hangers-on, the leggy umbrella gir…, this is the modern version of the classic circus concept.

Elements of prestige, drama, adrenaline, sex and death-defying lap times in a globetrotting series of fantastical races the average person can only dream of being part of. The well-off spend a small fortune to watch the races in the flesh. Most content themselves with the capabilities of modern technology to bring them F1 live on cable TV and in depth over the Internet or in glossy magazines. Or the circus could stop over here for a while, which is exactly what XLR8 is about.

Besides the star attraction of Jenson Button (rumored to have almost canceled the trip because of the recent bombings), F1 fans were also treated to fun, factoids and games at The Fort Global City. Several lucky contestants competed in a time-trial run on go-karts versus local pro racer JP Tuason of Tuason Racing Project Team Oxygen, the young and talented female racer Gabby de la Merced, and, of course, Mr. Jenson "I honestly haven’t driven a go-kart in years" Button.

Inside a specially prepared tent was a sort of Mild Seven Renault F1 Team history hall, F1 arcade games and Playstation consoles. Sorry Sony and all you proud armchair racers out there, but "...these games are good if you want to get to know the tracks, but the adrenaline just isn’t there," says Jenson.

Also garnering plenty of appreciation was the R202 F1 car of the team, the 600-kilogram, 800-plus brake horsepower track rocket that Jenson drove to a best-ever personal finish for the year. Pity we couldn’t sit in the car or open it up to see whether it was the real million-dollar McCoy or just a (still expensive) mockup.

During the presscon, Jenson talked candidly about his achievements, about the new rules for 2003 meant to enliven the sport (like 1-flying lap qualifying sessions) and his prospects for next year when he moves on to BAR Honda.

The guy made a stir back in 2000 when he first raced in F1 with the Williams team. After a lackluster 1999 season for the then-named Mild Seven Benetton Playlife team, it surged back to a 4th overall in the Constructors’ Championship in 2000. But Renault bought the team from Benetton in 2001 and Jenson Button hopped on board. That year he only managed to win 2 points for a somewhere-back-in-the-pack Drivers’ Championship ranking of 17th place.

This year he finished 7th overall with the help of an improved car, more experience under his belt, and a little bit of good luck. But, contracts end and loyalties shift in the world of blue chip sports. He’ll be driving next year alongside Jacques Villeneuve for BAR Honda. Hopefully, he won’t have as many DNFs as the Canadian has with the still struggling team.

Now that the season’s over, he’s just making the rounds, answering standard questions about F1 issues, signing autographs for hundreds of star-struck girls, toodling around in his Renault Clio V6, and preparing for the next season when he’ll strap a Honda to his back and aim once more for the podium.