It's a big year for...Jenson Button
Having seen off Sergio Perez, the 2009 World Champ has it all to prove once again versus the highly-rated and very, very fast Kevin Magnussen
Friday 7 March 2014 10:02, UK
Even in the most technically advanced sport on the planet, there are still some head-to-head contests which hark back to a gladiatorial age.
Which is where Magnussen comes in, first as a replacement for Perez and now a clear and present danger to Button. The young Dane is not just quick; he's reckoned to be phenomenally quick. And outright speed is the one facet which Jenson, even in his younger days, has never boasted in abundance. No wonder there are plenty in the paddock already predicting that Button will be 'blown away' in 2014. Still, this is not virgin territory for Button. He's been written-down and written off on countless occasions during his F1 career - indeed, he readily admits that his lowest period in the sport was the months just before his title-winning year of 2009. Nobody saw that coming and almost as few predicted he'd out-point Lewis Hamilton over their three years together. Yet this is an altogether different challenge and one, it's reasonable to suggest, Jenson will have to win convincingly in order to persuade McLaren to retain his 35-year-old self ahead of Magnussen and the evolving potential of Vandoorne. In a sport driven by numbers, Button's age is the one thing he can't overtake. To qualify for 2015, he'll need to race 2014 to perfection. @skysportspete
