 Button Finds a Renault Easier than a Rental Car Thursday March 14th, 2002 By Alan Baldwin
The 22-year-old Briton, in his third season in Formula One, stayed on for a holiday after the March 3 Australian Grand Prix but found his high-speed glamour job earned no special dispensation when it came to car hire. Under local laws in Australia, he was considered still too young and therefore unable to take the wheel of his rental car. As in Melbourne in 2000, when he had to be driven around the circuit by his father before his first race because he was not allowed to drive a hire car, Button was again a reluctant passenger. "I rented it and then they asked for my licence when I'd paid for it," he told reporters at the Malaysian Grand Prix on Thursday of his attempt to hire a buggy. "I couldn't drive it. I wasn't insured so I wasn't going to drive it. If I crashed it, I'd have had to pay for it." Australian Mark Webber, the Minardi driver who became an instant hero with his fifth place in Melbourne after eight cars went out at the first corner, was with Button on holiday in Port Douglas. "For sure, Jenson wanted to drive the car because I think he's more than capable of driving a buggy," Webber said, adding there had been "a bit of a discussion". "His dad said 'He's a Formula One driver' but it didn't cut any mustard with the Aussies. I think they knew who Jenson was but it's the law and that's it." Instant Celebrity Webber was stunned by the speed with which celebrity status caught up with him after Melbourne, while Button was comparatively untroubled on vacation. "He got off very lightly, I think his dad was probably busier than he was," said Webber. "But he (Button) enjoyed it, he was relaxing. We just had a really good quality professional time. "When we went shopping, people were coming up and congratulating me," he said. "Things have changed for me in Australia for sure, nearly overnight. "I had a little bit of a profile before but, after Melbourne, it has changed. It surprised me a lot up in Port Douglas, a lot of the people up there don't even have televisions," he added. "He's a superstar in Australia now, which he should be," said Button. "It was interesting to see him on the front cover of every magazine you could possibly see in a newsagent's. "It's cool, really good for him. Obviously he's got it tough from now on... but he's a good guy and he deserves it definitely. He's worked really hard over the past few years." Button went out at the first corner in Melbourne after a mass pile-up and, while looking much sharper in testing, knows he still has much to prove after a disappointing 2001. Webber meanwhile is not satisfied with being merely the man who scored Minardi's first points since 1999. "It has been a great start but Mark Webber would like to try and get another point," he said determinedly. "This is a tough old gig to make an impression in."
Published at 13:02:36 GMT
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Jenson Button drives a Renault Formula One racing car flat out but is unable to handle a rented Australian beach buggy because of his youthful age.
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