JENSON BUTTON: We've only been able to choose our race
numbers for the last two years.
Before that, it was basically where the team
finished in the championship.
Number 22, the main reason is because I
won the world championships with that number in 2009.
So obviously it's some pretty amazing memories
from those days.
When I was growing up, I watched Formula One.
And I used to watch Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost.
Funny enough, they're actually racing for McLaren right then.
And it was probably one of the best eras to grow up
and being a big kid and to watch Formula One,
massive inspiration.
So they were, sort of, heroes, but not as much as my dad was.
My dad made my career basically.
I started racing at eight and my dad used
to stand out on the circuit and tell me where to drive,
which racing lines to take.
In those days we didn't have enough money
to go professional racing.
But he worked hard so that we could go racing every weekend.
And he's the guy that went out and found the sponsors
and the manager that took me through to Formula One.
Pressure doesn't really affect me in that way
because I started at such an early age.
You learn things a lot quicker at an early age.
I am confident in my ability.
And you understand your surroundings at speed,
at 8 years old.
It's my 16th year in Formula One this year
which is scary because it feels like I started yesterday.
Some people were like you're starting driving?
I was 1.
I, for example, loved Alain Prost, the way he went racing.
Ayrton Senna, I knew he was passionate about the sport.
He was a very aggressive driver, and was probably quicker
than Alain Prost.
But Alain Prost could still beat him.
They called him the scientist, the professor.
He was a very intelligent driver.
It's so interesting to hear the stories
and see how you compare to that individual
that you really looked up to as a kid.
I really do think I based myself on him as a kid
growing up, driving stuff.
He was a really inspirational individual.
My most special win was winning in Suzuka, in Japan.
Because it's a circular I watched Ayrton and then
Alain racing on in the '80s, fighting for a win.
And I was able to win there, just
in front of two other world champions.
Formula One is all about aerodynamics.
Soon as you've got these big wings on the car,
pushing the car into the road, they
work at different positions.
It's so technical.
And that's a part of the job that I've
learned over the years and I've loved-- love that when
you talk to the engineers and their analysis
about aerodynamics.
An aerodynamicist would look at that now and go,
are you kidding me?
First of all, the driver can't see anything.
And that's not really doing much because this
went in a wind tunnel.
It was a lot of engineers thinking,
well this probably would work.
The technology's come so far.
Every year they limit us on what we can do.
There's a limit of how far we can push down force.
Most circuits have long straights.
So we need an efficient car, something
that's slippery in the wind.
And that's exactly what you need on a bike.
It's all about efficiency.
So getting in that correct position
where you're at your strongest.
And it's about the frame, the wheels, the helmet,
all working together as one to fight through the air.
When I watch the old footage [INAUDIBLE]
years ago of the tour and when they do time trials
It's hilarious, the positions they're in,
handle bars up here.
And it's amazing that we didn't realize back then
how important it was to be tiny to get through the air as
quick as possible.
People say what scares you the most in life.
I think for a lot of sports, it's failure.
It's not succeeding at what you think you're good at.
I really went through some difficult times
to get into a good place [INAUDIBLE].
Took me 8 years before I found a car
that I could then race with.
You need lightning reactions, the stop
you reacting to the lights going out and it's 0.18 of a second.
That's what gives you the buzz, the adrenaline rush
with a Formula One car and that's just you on your own.
Then you got to throw the other cars around you.
It's an absolute mess.
Your brain is just firing in every single way possible.
In that period of time, that's when you realize
what sort of person you are.
When I crossed the finish line in Brazil
and I won the world championship,
everything was going through my mind.
You think back to hundreds of races that you've done
and you think of what you've gone through,
the good times, and bad times.
Things that just flashing up in your mind of what's
happened to you in your career.
It's amazing how much can go through your mind in a split
second.