Jenson Button might be the 2009 World Champion, but even a man with a permanent seat in the pantheon of greats can’t help but look over the fence with a green eye.
The British F1 legend has traded his Williams blazer for Aston Martin’s team kit this year, and while the Silverstone-based squad is currently enduring a mechanical meltdown of epic proportions, Button is surprisingly envious of the men stuck in the cockpit.
His jealousy isn't aimed at the results – considering Aston Martin has yet to see a checkered flag in 2026 – but at the man holding the notebook and pencil in the garage: Adrian Newey.
The Newey enigma
For decades, Newey has been the grim reaper for the rest of the grid, his designs systematically dismantling the competition to the tune of 26 world titles.
Button spent much of his career trying to outrun Newey’s aerodynamic masterpieces; now, he’s relegated to watching from inside the garage as an ambassador to Team Silverstone.
“I'd love to drive one of these new-generation cars, especially one designed by Adrian Newey,” Button wrote in Jenson’s Journal for Aston Martin.
“I’ve raced against a lot of his cars over the years and always wondered what it would be like to work with him. I guess you could say I'm a little bit jealous of Lance and Fernando in this respect.”
©Aston Martin
Even as an elder statesman of the sport, the 46-year-old remains a fanboy of Newey’s analog brilliance in a digital age.
“Seeing Adrian operate up close is fascinating. He's very old school – notebook in hand, sketching ideas on a drawing board – but that's part of what makes him such a master. He really is,” Button noted, before admitting to a bit of corporate espionage.
“And yes, I may have tried to sneak a peek at his notebook... he noticed.”
Adaptation or annihilation
Button’s self-proclaimed “jealousy” is particularly biting because he knows he’s missing out on a brand-new technical frontier. The 2026 regulations have arrived with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, bringing complex hybrid systems that have, so far, left Aston Martin vibrating into oblivion thanks to Honda power unit woes.
Despite the team's disastrous start – including the embarrassment of Lance Stroll missing qualifying in Australia – Button remains the consummate professional.
He hasn't uttered a single syllable of public criticism toward the team's current "nightmare" form, instead focusing on the intellectual challenge the new cars present to Alonso and Stroll.
“This year is particularly interesting because we're stepping into another new technical era. But some things never change: Formula One is still the pinnacle of motorsport,” Button explained.
“Nothing really compares to the feeling of driving an F1 car: the power, the braking, the way the car moves underneath you when you're right on the limit. It never gets old. These cars are out-of-this-world fast.”
However, the 2009 champ warned that this era isn't just about heavy right feet; it's about mental gymnastics.
“But the way these cars work is evolving. The power units now behave quite differently to what drivers have been used to,” he added.
“In the past, you'd exit a corner and know exactly how much power you had. Now, it depends on things like brake pressure in the previous corner and how the hybrid system deploys energy.
“It means drivers need to think on their feet more than ever. Those who can do this well are going to stand out for the right reasons – and those who can't are going to stand out for the wrong ones.”
It’s a subtle warning – and perhaps a hint at why Button is so intrigued by those currently in the cockpit.
Because while Aston Martin’s present may look bleak, its future – crafted by Newey and navigated by Alonso and Stroll – remains a puzzle worth solving.
And from the outside looking in, Button can’t help but wish he were the one holding the steering wheel.
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