• Monaco Grand Prix

Monaco the ultimate, says Button

Jenson Button celebrates winning the 2009 Monaco Grand Prix © Getty Images

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Jenson Button says that winning the Monaco Grand Prix is the ultimate ambition for any racing driver.

"I think every driver will agree with me that it's the first race you would love to win in a Formula One car," said Button on the eve of the 2010 race weekend. "Winning last year was one of the highlights of my season, and also of my entire racing career. It's a race you grow up watching, so you know the circuit, every corner, by heart before you've ever driven there."

After conducting his victory lap last year, Button parked his Brawn GP in parc ferme, the customary holding area for cars after a race. But in Monaco, the top three are meant to drive up and park at the finish line, where the podium ceremony is conducted.

"After winning last year, I actually parked in the wrong place and had to run about 300 metres down the start-finish straight to get to the podium," recalls Button. "A little bit embarrassing, you could say, but also the best 300-metre run of my life because all the teams were hanging over the pit wall clapping me in.

"The grandstand erupted when I went past and it was just such an emotional moment, a moment I will never forget. As Prince Albert handed me the trophy and I lifted it above my head, it really dawned on me what I had achieved."

For Button, the challenge of driving around the tight and twisty confines is the ultimate experience in Formula One.

"To hammer a car around the Monaco circuit, in between those walls, the Armco barriers, it's like driving a go-kart around your living room. Every lap throughout the race gets more and more difficult because the barriers seem to get closer and closer. Mentally it is so, so draining.

"So the relief, and the feeling when I got onto the podium and I lifted that trophy above me was very special. There was so much cheering, but everything became so silent in my mind and in my head when I could see the mechanics, it was like I had pushed the mute button."

Button lives only a short walk away from the Loews hairpin, and even though he knows the place like the back of his hand, he says that the experience of driving the circuit is one he is never quite prepared for.

"Even though I've been racing there for many years, the sensation of speed you experience when you first drive a Formula One car out of the pits and up the hill is something you can never fully anticipate. The acceleration is incredible, and the walls are so, so close."

And asked whether he could become the first Briton since Graham Hill to win back-to-back Monaco victories, Button remained philosophical.

"I think the result is extremely tough to call this year because there are a lot of very competitive drivers in the field. So I'd like to think there's a good chance of a slightly unpredictable race this weekend."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.