Editing Jenson Button (section)

== Junior car career ==
Aged 18, Button moved into [[Open-wheel car|single seater car racing]] after his mentor Paul Lemmens spoke to racing manager and former driver [[Harald Huysman]] about him.<ref name="CIKBio">{{Cite web|url=https://www.fiakarting.com/person/jenson-button|title=Jenson Button: Hall of Fame|publisher=[[Commission Internationale de Karting]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215183826/https://www.fiakarting.com/person/jenson-button|archive-date=15 December 2019|access-date=15 December 2019}}</ref> He was signed to businessman David Robertson and Huysman's managerial stable, who found him sponsorship to continue driving.{{Efn|Huysman and Roberston agreed to finance Button's career on the condition he paid 35 per cent of his future income to both men.<ref name=KartingChamps>{{cite web|last=G|first=Yogesh|title=The Champions!|url=http://www.kartingmagazine.com/features/champions/|work=Karting Magazine|date=18 February 2015|access-date=13 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503015234/http://www.kartingmagazine.com/features/champions/|archive-date=3 May 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>|name=|group=}}<ref name=Indy2000>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing/baby-faced-button-a-hero-in-the-making-5372370.html|title=Baby-faced Button: a hero in the making|last=Williams|first=Richard|date=22 January 2000|work=The Independent|access-date=16 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216081155/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing/baby-faced-button-a-hero-in-the-making-5372370.html|archive-date=16 December 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Robertson wanted Button to test a [[Carlin Motorsport]] [[Dallara]] F3 [[Mugen Motorsports|Mugen-Honda]] car at the [[Pembrey Circuit]] and quickly became acclimated with a more powerful vehicle and extra [[downforce]]. Huysman and Robertson wanted Button to enter [[Formula Three]] (F3) but Button said he could not do so with his inexperience in car racing and did not want to enter the category for fear of immediately being uncompetitive. Button instead moved to [[Formula Ford]] for the 1998 season.{{Sfn|Button|2017|pp=96–98}} He took the [[British Formula Ford Championship]] in a Haywood Racing Mygale SJ98 car with nine victories and won the season-ending [[Formula Ford Festival]] at [[Brands Hatch]].<ref name="Indy1998" /><ref name="MMagBio" /> Button also finished runner-up in the [[Formula Ford EuroCup|European Formula Ford Championship]] with one victory from four races.<ref name="driverdb">{{cite news|url=https://www.driverdb.com/drivers/jenson-button|title=Jenson Button|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601064205/https://driverdb.com/drivers/jenson-button|access-date=3 January 2024|archive-date=1 June 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

At the end of 1998, Button won the annual [[Autosport BRDC Award]], which included a test in a [[McLaren MP4/14]] F1 car that he received in November 1999.{{Sfn|Couldwell|2010|pp=206–208}}<ref name=AutosportMagJan2000/> Huysman and Robertson sought a seat for him in F3 and spoke to [[OAK Racing|Promatecme]] team owner Serge Saulnier, who did not want to sign Button because he was not part of [[Renault]]'s driver academy. Additional lobbying from Mygale and Lemmens convinced Saulnier to give Button a test at the [[Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours]] in France. He impressed Saulnier and accepted his offer to drive at Promatecme. Saulnier taught Button on the downforce of F3 cars and how to maintain it.{{Sfn|Button|2017|pp=100–101}}

Button drove in the [[British Formula 3 International Series]] in [[1999 British Formula Three Championship|1999]] in a slightly underpowered Renault-Dallara F399 car compared to the Mugen-Honda engine,<ref name=KartingChamps/><ref name="MMagBio" />{{Sfn|Couldwell|2010|pp=206–208}} with guidance from trainer-physiotherapist Josef Leberer.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Allsop|first=Derick|date=23 April 1999|title=Motor racing: Teenage prodigy hailed as Owen of the race track|work=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing-teenage-prodigy-hailed-as-owen-of-the-race-track-1089039.html|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=15 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115201109/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing-teenage-prodigy-hailed-as-owen-of-the-race-track-1089039.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Amongst more experienced racers,{{Sfn|Hill|2005|p=21}} he won three times—at [[Thruxton Circuit|Thruxton]], Pembrey and [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone]]—to finish the season as the top rookie driver, and third overall.{{Sfn|Couldwell|2010|pp=206–208}}{{sfn|Henry|2009|pp=27–33}} He finished fifth and second respectively in the [[Masters of Formula 3|Marlboro Masters]] and [[Macau Grand Prix]],{{efn|He declined offers from two F3 teams to race in the [[1998 Macau Grand Prix]] because he thought it an overly optimistic move to make early in his career.{{sfn|Henry|2009|pp=27–33}}}} losing out by 0.035 seconds to [[Darren Manning]] in Macau.<ref name="RFBio">{{Cite web|title=Jenson Button biography|url=https://www.racefans.net/jenson-button/|publisher=RaceFans|access-date=5 May 2020|archive-date=15 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115201059/https://www.racefans.net/jenson-button/|url-status=live}}</ref> Button was required to decide on his future post-season. He did not want another year in F3 and twice tested a higher-tier [[Formula 3000]] (F3000) car with both the [[Super Nova Racing]] and [[Fortec Motorsport]] teams at the [[Circuito de Jerez|Jerez circuit]] in Spain, which he disliked because its [[Sequential manual transmission|sequential gearbox]] forced him to drive aggressively,<ref name=AutosportMagJan2000>{{cite journal|last=Tremayne|first=David|title=Fast-forward Button: Jenson Button Diary|url=https://porschecarshistory.com/wp-content/old/lib/magazines/autosport/2000/AS27.01.00.pdf|journal=Autosport|volume=158|number=4|date=27 January 2000|access-date=28 November 2020|page=45|archive-date=8 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208191205/https://porschecarshistory.com/wp-content/old/lib/magazines/autosport/2000/AS27.01.00.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Sfn|Button|2017|p=102}} and found the cars somewhat heavy.{{sfn|Henry|2009|p=34}}