Button, Brawn win Laureus awards
Date published : 11 Mar 2010 - 14:16:29
Jenson Button and his former Brawn GP team have had their achievements in winning the 2009 Formula 1 championship titles recognised on the global sporting stage, with both being awarded Laureus Sports Awards.
Drivers' world champion Button won the Breakthrough of the Year title at the awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, while his former Brackley-based employer beat off stiff competition to be named Team of the Year.
Button, who turned 30 in January, joked when collecting the award that he wasn't sure the judges realised he was now in his fourth decade before adding that he was thrilled to have won the prestigious honour and hoped to be up for nomination in a category again next year following his first season at McLaren.
"Wow, I think somebody forgot to tell Laureus I'm 30-years-old. Breakthrough Sportsman! he said.
"In fact, 2009 was a very special year of my life.
When I started the season I didn't think I'd actually be racing in Formula 1. So to clinch the title with Brawn GP in our first year was a very emotional experience for me, and the team deserve some of the credit for this trophy. I would also like to thank the Laureus Academy for putting me forward for this award.
"This is perfect for wrapping up my 2009 championship. Tomorrow I start my 2010 season, which presents a brand new challenge for me, racing with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team
"Hopefully I can come back and get close to holding one of these Awards again."
With Ross Brawn unable to attend the ceremony due to the fact he was picking up his OBE from the Queen at Buckingham Palace, Nick Fry collected the World Team award which the Brackley squad won ahead of the treble-winning Barcelona football squad and baseball champions the New York Yankees for the team which has now been rebranded as Mercedes GP.
"It's a huge honour to be collecting this Award, the Mercedes GP CEO said.
Unfortunately, Ross Brawn, my partner in crime, has to send his apologies. He had an equally important trophy to pick up (an OBE) from the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
"A year ago we had a team owner that needed to get out of Formula 1. We had no sponsors and things looked fairly grim. Our 719 employees decided to build the car regardless, even though they may not have had jobs and the car may not have got on the grid. The two drivers also continued training, despite the fact that they might have had to watch the races on television.
"We all decided to fight. We had no engine, but Mercedes-Benz came to our rescue and provided us with the best engine in Formula 1.
Sponsors then came on board people showed faith in us. We ended up winning six of the first seven races and winning the constructors' and drivers' championships.
Brawn becomes just the second F1 winner of the World Team award, after Renault in 2006, while Button joins new team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Juan Pablo Montoya in receiving the Breakthrough prize.
Mercedes GP's Michael Schumacher has twice won the overall World Sportsman gong, which this time went to sprinting sensation Usain Bolt for the second successive year.
