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This is an archive article published on October 20, 2009

This was the best Ive ever driven

With a British flag proclaiming Great Button draped over his shoulders,Jenson Button stood and repeated over and over again four...

With a British flag proclaiming Great Button draped over his shoulders,Jenson Button stood and repeated over and over again four of the sweetest-sounding words in the English language. I am the champion, the 29-year-old said after making a lifelong dream come true in the Brazilian Grand Prix with a fifth-place finish which he said felt like a victory. I am the world champion,baby,and Im not going to stop saying it. This race for me was the best race Ive driven in my life,probably.

A day after the disappointment of qualifying 14th,Button was reduced to tears of joy and utter relief at the circuit where he scored his very first point as a 20-year-old. He bawled We Are The Champions over the team radio on his slowing down lap,leaped from the car after parking up and sprinted to the pits to hug his father.

The sleepless nights and inner torment,with critics accusing him of allowing the crown to slip through his fingers while others questioned whether he would be a worthy champion,were swept away. Its more than relief. You dont win the world championship and feel relief, said the Briton,who less than a year ago had wondered whether he had a future in Formula One after Honda pulled out. This is the end of the fairytale, he said. Button revealed that he had felt physically sick after Saturdays setback,sitting in his room as Rubens Barrichello took pole position. His girlfriend Jessica Michibata had not accompanied him to Brazil and he had to face his demons alone. Without Jessica here,I was all on my own, he grinned. I did actually ask the boys if they would come and stay in my room last night,but they didnt.

I dreamed on Friday that qualifying was going to be terrible and it was. I also dreamed that night that I was going to win the world championship this weekend,so maybe there is some truth in dreams. I am going to enjoy this moment like you would not believe. You can do that when youve won,cant you?

 

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