Lewis Hamilton vs Jensen Button - Who's top?

Not as Formula 1 racing drivers, cos to be honest I have no idea and it seems to be as a casual watcher of the sport that who is the best, depends really on who has the best car.

I am interested in the difference in the attention they have got from the British media. This year has been a great year for Jensen Button on the Formula 1 circuit. He is leading the F1 championship, like any self-respecting racing driver has a beautiful model girlfriend, and is British. You would think that would generate acres of headlines for him, but it doesn't seemed to have happened, at least not in comparison to the headlines around Lewis Hamilton over the last two years.



Jensen Button and girlfriend Jessica Michibata

Hamilton won the Championship in 2008 and came close as a rookie in 2007, he also has the glamour girlfriend - Nicole Scherzinger, but over those two years he amassed masses of headlines. This year a dip in form (that should really be a dip in the form of his car) has seen him out of contention for the Championship and the coverage of F1 outside the sports pages has up till now dropped across the board.

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Lewis Hamilton and girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger

Then suddenly at today's German Grand Prix, Hamilton is back in contention at least for this race and even on the weather reports there are references to the German Grand Prix and how it would affect Hamilton's chances, no mention of Button.

I understand there is a fascination with Hamilton's back story, the first black British driver to make it in to F1, a profession that is the exclusive preserve of middle-class white males, the dedication of a dad who gave everything to see his son get where he was, and ultimately victory in only his second year on the F1 circuit.

Good back story, but what about Jensen's years toiling away at the rear end of the championship and just when everyone thought all his career would amount to was a footnote in history his upsets all odds as he roars onto a completely unexpected championship, isn't that news worthy?

Richard Branson and Sebastien Vettel share a passion for the ladies.

Sir Richard Branson, billionaire business tycoon and Sebastien Vettel Formula 1 racing driver it seems have a shared passion when it comes to the ladies as Branson has revealed in his blog.

Branson was revelling in another superb outing by the Brawn GP Formula 1 team in which his Virgin brand has invested $30 million. After two victories in Malaysia and Australia, where BrawnGP driver Jensen Button won both races albeit on technicalities. Jensen grabbed another podium finish in Shanghai last weekend coming in third behind Sebatien Vettel (Red Bull) and Mark Webber (Red Bull).

It seems Branson has shook off reports in the British tabloid News of the World of a bust up between Jensen and himself over Branson's alleged over-familiarity with Jensen's girlfriend Jessica Michibata.

In the blog Branson who has given several of his planes fairly saucy names like "Hot Lips", "Mustang Sally", "Pretty Woman" and "Miss Behaving" revealed;

A last word on the winner - Sebastien Vettel - who I read likes to name his cars after women and called his first car of the season Kate. We do the same at Virgin Atlantic - where each plane is given a distinctive female name.

Vettel smashed Kate up at the Australian GP and had to rename the car. He called it “Kate’s Dirty Little Sister” as he said this winning car was “more aggressive and faster!” I am not sure we could get away with that at Atlantic!

Jenson Button : New Kid on the Podium...

Formula 1 is all about speed and it comes as no suprise the speed with which you can go from zero to hero, take the case of Jenson Button. He debuted in Formula 1 in 2000 and over the next eight years he only managed one race win out of the 157 he took part in, not a sterling record by any stretch of the imagination.

While his record on the racing circuit over those years was nothing spectacular, his performance on the party circuit was earning him a lot of attention. Over the years he has been linked with string of beautiful young women including pop singer Louise Griffiths, actresses Florence Brudenell-Bruce and Rose McGowan and most recently lingerie Model Jessica Michibata.

All that changed this year, well at least the racing bit seems to have. As is the case with formula 1 it does not really matter how good or crap you are at driving, get the right car and you are up there battling for glory, and it seems the car lottery came good for Mr Button this year. His Brawn GP car has blitzed the opposition and seen him win the first two grand prix races of the season, effectively trebling his win record.

It also means their may be a change at the top of racing royalty, last year it was all about Lewis Hamilton and Nicole Scherzinger, this year maybe all about the new formual 1 power couple Jenson Button and Jessica Michibata.