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Jenson Button looks forward rather than back

ESPNF1 Staff
July 5, 2011 « Jacques Villeneuve left bored by modern F1 | »
Jenson Button in the cockpit of the McLaren MP4-12C at the Festival of Speed last weekend © Getty Images
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As Jenson Button prepares for the 200th grand prix weekend of his career, he is as determined to look forward to what the future holds as he is to reflect on what he has achieved since his debut in 2000.

He is still three races short of his 200th start - a crash in practice at Monaco in 2003 and the infamous Indianapolis boycott in 2005 are the reasons for that - and he admitted that the last 12 years have flown by.

"It's still crazy, and I think every driver would say the same as this is my twelfth year in Formula One and it's flown by, it really has," he told the Times. "I've a lot of good memories, and there are a lot of bad ones too which I think I've learned from, which is good."

He said that he was surprised that he is increasingly asked how much longer he will stay in the sport. "Everything I do now, people ask me about how many more years I might be racing, when I'm retiring. I'm only 31 years old, so there is a lot of life left in me yet, and hopefully quite a few more British Grands Prix. I have a lot of good memories still to come as well.

"Having achieved what I have in 200 races I'm very happy, but I still want to achieve more. I want to win more races, I want to challenge for more world championships."

Button explained his outstanding victory in Canada last month had acted as a real boost. "That will definitely keep me going for quite a bit longer in the sport in terms of excitement and really wanting to get back to that. Winning becomes very addictive, and you really miss it when you haven't done it."

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