Jenson Button reveals the ‘awesome’ paddock privilege that only F1 world champions receive

Winning a Formula 1 world title puts you into a highly exclusive club that only 35 people in the world have membership to. As well as your name in the history books, Jenson Button has revealed another ‘awesome’ perk of being a title-winner.

Since the very first official F1 world championship was won by Giuseppe Farina in 1950, there have been 34 more winners of the most coveted title in single-seater motorsport.

17 of those drivers hold more than one championship to their name, with Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher sharing the moniker of being the most successful drivers ever, with seven titles apiece.

However, once you become a world champion in F1, no one can take that away from you. You’ll always be remembered as the man who conquered the world in your respective world-title-winning year, and you’ll also get some sweet privileges to boot.

Jenson Button reveals the ‘awesome’ paddock privilege he receives as an F1 world champion

In a recent Q+A video on Sky Sports F1’s official YouTube channel, Jenson Button was asked whether he receives any special privileges from F1 due to his status as a world champion.

The 2009 title-winner with Brawn GP revealed that he, and the rest of his peers who won at least one world championship during their career, receive a special pass that allows them to access every single area that you could think of on an F1 race weekend.

He said, “I’ve got a red pass for life, which is awesome. A red pass is basically all access. You can go on the grid, pit lane, and media areas.

“So yeah, you have to have won a world championship to have that for life, which is kind of cool.”

The F1 grid is usually littered with a multitude of legends before the beginning of every Grand Prix, which is evident through Martin Brundle’s iconic grid walks.

On more than one occasion, Sir Jackie Stewart has used his muscle as a three-time world champion to bypass security and secure an interview with some of the biggest stars in the world for Brundle, much to the amusement of viewers.

Jenson Button also opened up on the pressure that comes with being in an F1 title fight

The former McLaren driver was also asked about the pressure that comes with being in the midst of a title fight in F1, and the necessary mindset to secure the championship.

He said, “If I were to do it again, I would be much better under pressure. But when you’re fighting for a world championship, and you think this might be your only opportunity, there’s a lot of pressure on your shoulders.

“It’s very, very easy to make a mistake. And when you start thinking about mistakes, that’s when they normally happen. Also, there’s the issue of, ‘I’m not going to drive it 100% because I might have an accident,’ but then, as soon as you start driving at 90%, that’s when you have the accidents.

“So, you shouldn’t change your way of thinking through an F1 season fighting for the world championship. You should always give it your all. Never hold back because that’s when problems arise.”