Jenson Button back for Canada GP

Button's back
By pitpass.com (02/06/2003)
June 2 2003

Following his high-speed accident on Saturday Jenson Button was forced to 'sit out' yesterday's Grand Prix, a decision that the English youngster found highly frustrating, yet understandable.

Button is already looking forward to the next round of the 2003 world Championship, which takes place in Canada in two weeks, in the mean time there's the little matter of testing at Monza.

The Brackley outfit heads to the legendary Autodromo Nazionale at Monza this week the fastest track on the F1 calendar, and the perfect opportunity to try out aerodynamic solutions, new tyre compounds, and to put maximum pressure on engines.

The team has yet to issue a statement but it's hoped that Button will be able to attend at least one day of the test.

When the BAR hit the barriers on Saturday, in a frightening repeat of Karl Wendlinger's crash in 1994 - which in turn came two weeks after the nightmare of Imola - there was a stunned silence around the track as Jenson remained in his car motionless. However once the medical crew - led by Professor Sid Watkins - arrived on the scene it was clear that the improvements in lateral cockpit protection that came in the wake of '94, had done their work, the youngster was OK.

"I've never really had a big accident in F1," he told The Guardian, "but it doesn't scare me at all, which is great. You never know if it will but it didn't scare me at all in this one.

"I'm looking forward to getting back in the car," he adds, "but I also don't want to be silly about it. I want to go through all the training regime first and make sure everything's good. I don't want to get back into the car and hurt myself. We have to make sure everything's OK before I do that."

Button is unclear as to exactly what happened, however he does know that he was on course to post a good time: "What makes it so frustrating is that it was a bloody good lap," he told his father John, later in the day.

"After I hit the wall I was unconscious, I don't know for how long. I sort of came round and they had already cut (through the seat) up to my arm. I might have been awake but I can't really remember," he said.

"I was speaking to Sid Watkins and he was saying I was talking but I wasn't making any sense," laughs Button, "I said, what's different? I mean, that's me all over. I didn't have a clue where I was. I was just looking down and my legs were hurting."

This article was written by pitpass.com and is used with permission.