The book combines stories of growing up along with his racing career, right from his karting days and through Formula One, and goes deep into his relationship with his father. Some things that his fans would have liked to know have been left out or glossed over. How and why for example, was he labelled as a ‘playboy’? Why did he want to leave British American Racing (BAR) for Williams in 2004 even as he was enjoying his best season to date? Was the contract misread by his management team or was it BAR’s signing of the contract with Honda to supply the car engines.

This book doesn’t go into too much of the nitty gritty details of things (something I’m sure his other two biographies might do more), and just reading it certainly won’t make you F1 driver ready (you’ll still need the years of karting, junior formula and tens of millions of pounds spent for that), but it is a lot of fun and gives an interesting insight into “formulaoneville”. The writing is very accessible and easy to read - it’s almost conversational in reading. While he is very open about his relationship with his dad, several other relationships are glossed over. He’s obviously decided that this will be a racing autobiography, which is his decision, but it does seem to close off him as a person slightly. Saying that his relationships within F1 do get some attention. His time with Villeneuve and Hamilton comes in for some criticism, and I think it’s fair to say that Flavio won’t be getting Christmas cards from him, however he’s also open enough to admit where he’s at fault. While family and girlfriends are talked about, Button doesn’t go into much detail about his personal life, so if you’re looking for juicy romantic stories, this may not be the book for you! However, a poignant moment is when he covers his girlfriends abortion, and how the press failed him.Button shares some interesting observations on Formula One bosses like Frank Williams, Bernie Eccelstone, Ross Brawn and above all Flavio Briatore who once called him a ‘lazy playboy’. He candidly discusses his relationship with the legends of his time like his compatriot Lewis Hamilton, McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso, and even his frosty relationship with Jacques Villeneuve. The chapter with him talking about his dad's death was truly heartwarming and brought tears to my eyes. Jenson's book lifts the lid on the gilded and often hidden world of Formula 1. He reveals his relationships with some of the biggest names in Formula 1- Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso as well some of the most colourful characters like Bernie Ecclestone, Ron Dennis, Frank Williams and serial winner Ross Brawn. Button, or JB I should say in proper F1 style, has an abundance of amusing stories to tell from his 17 years in Formula 1, and the book hurtles through them in a way that is both informative and hilarious.

Leginkább azt szerettem benne, hogy azok közé tartozott, aki meg tudott tervezni egy versenytávot. Sosem volt elég gyors egy körön, az időmérőkön rendre megverték, de azért az árulkodó tény, hogy amíg csapattársak voltak a McLarennél, addig összességében több pontot gyűjtött, mint a sportág jelenlegi királya, Lewis Hamilton (bár ez a többlet egy szezonban alakult ki igazából). Jenson Button, at 20 years of age, was the youngest British driver to debut in Formula One in 2000 and the tenth to win the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship in 2009. He won his first points in Formula One in only his second race in 2000 with the Williams team. He joined Benneton in 2001 which became Renault in 2002. In 2006 with Honda he took his first Grand Prix win in the Hungarian Grand Prix.Along the way there's all the advice that may be useful to aspiring racers, all the stuff he wished he'd known years ago. From the importance of knowing how the car works to the best way to spray Champagne. Igazából nem nagoyn szeretem ezt a műfajt, mert többnyire úgyis szellemírók írják meg több-kevesebb ügyességgel, ami részben elhitelteleníti a művet, részben pedig érdektelen sztorikkal fújják fel. Akkor már inkább Forma-1 kapcsán is olvasom a külső nézőpontos könyveket, mint például Christopher Hilton klasszikusait a különböző pilótákról. Mais enfait non. Button est visiblement un des pilotes ayant du le plus d'expérience et une des carrières les plus riches de l'histoire, ayant combattu auprès des plus forts et les ayant battu d'ailleurs (même F.Alonso ça me fait mal de l'admettre). Honda’s decision to withdraw from Formula One in 2008 left Button wondering what he would do for the subsequent season if the team didn’t find a buyer. The team management led by the team principal and serial winner Ross Brawn bought the team from Honda for a nominal sum and named the team Brawn GP. With this team in 2009 Button won six of the first seven races and ultimately went on to claim his first and only Formula One World Drivers’ Championship. Brawn GP also won the Constructors Championship.

An enjoyable book in many ways, and one that might just appeal to a whole lot more than afficianados of a selfish sport, I am happy to recommend How To Be An F1 Driver. Where How To Be An F1 Driver scores is in opening up an understanding just how much work ethic is involved in ever getting established in the elite sport. Despite the use of humour and an element of tongue frequently planted cheekside, the underlying message is one of application and cooperation... and not making too many mistakes. The author highlights this early in the book. Retired, but still a contracted driver, he was called in for one last race at Monaco. Frustrated at being in last place and faster than the car ahead, he attempted a passing move that saw the other car tipped over on its side, its driver's head against the armco barriers (but thankfully unhurt). Often referred to by commentators in the past as an Ambassador for Formula I, one time world champion, Jenson Button reveals to the ardent fans a little of what goes on behind the scenes - the rivalry between team mates, the unrealistic expectations of rookie drivers who come in believing that speed is enough, the complexities of the car and changes that have occurred over the past couple of decades since Button first took the F1 car's wheel. In a relaxed conversational style, he talks about his personal drive, his father, his fatherhood to be, the ongoing love for motor sports and 'growing up'. For any F1 fan, this book is a fascinating insight into that racing world. My main worry is that there doesn't seem to be too much detail in the stories. You get a good feel for some of the events, but it doesn't seem like you're getting lots of insight. You get a good-paced walk over Button's life and career, covering a lot about how he became a driver and getting into karting and pushing him into open-wheel racing. From there you get the larger events: signing with Williams, going to Renault and then BAR, the championship year, and then joining McLaren. It's almost a highlights reel with just the big events included. That's a bit of a shame because it gives the impression there almost wasn't too much going on beyond what you'd think of as the usual suspects. Having recently read 'The Mechanic', where I'm getting more of the authors personal insight and inside stories, here I feel more like I've been given a slight addition to events that are fairly well reported.My wife used to imagine she had a crush on Jenson Button, a man with everything a girl could want: Tall, suave, well-spoken, successful and thoroughly cashed up, he was an utter charmer. I never took umbrage. You see, she had me. The first four of her criteria might be moot, but certainly not the last: I admit I never earned tens of millions of dollars by hopping in a car and driving it fast. I learnt a shit ton of new things like the fact that Lewis Hamilton won a championship off one of Jenson's dad's engines and that Jenson was temporary teammates with Max Verstappen's mother. I’ve recently read and reviewed Mark Webber‘s autobiography and Damon Hill‘s and I loved both of them. So when I heard that Jenson’s was coming out, it went straight to the top of my Christmas list. And as it happens, Santa popped it under my tree and before the Boxing Day turkey curry had even been cooked, I’d already started it. I’ve always liked Jenson, he’s very intelligent and great to listen to. He’s fun and likable and I was certainly a bit sad to see him leave Formula 1. But this book captures JB in the most literal sense. It’s so very “Jenson”. Life to the Limit: My Autobiography’ by Jenson Button as a book is a lot like button in an F1 car – fast-paced and smooth, hitting all the apexes. Pedig sosem voltam igazából Button-szurkoló. Először megjegyeztem a nevét, mint egy fiatal tehetségét, aki aztán beleszürkült a mezőnybe. A váratlanul megnyert 2009-es világbajnokság után azt gondoltam, hogy ilyen gyenge világbajnokból sem akadt túl sok, de azóta azért Button megmutatta, hogy össze lehet mérni a legjobbakkal.