Editing Jenson Button (section)

===Williams (2000)===
[[File:Williams FW22 - Donington Park.JPG|thumb|left|upright|Button's [[Williams FW22]] at the [[Donington Grand Prix Exhibition]].]]

In November 1999, Button had his McLaren test prize at the Silverstone club circuit in a [[McLaren MP4/13|MP4/13]] car and impressed team owner [[Ron Dennis]]. He also tested for the [[Prost Grand Prix|Prost]] team at the [[Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya|Circuit de Catalunya]] after the team owner Alain Prost was impressed by Button's ability and asked him to test.<ref name="InterviewTimes03">{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/the-big-interview-jenson-button-mx875hrjh3b|title=The big interview: Jenson Button|last1=Naughton|first1=Philippe|date=26 January 2003|work=[[The Times]]|access-date=30 December 2010|last2=Fleming|first2=Sam|last3=Hipwell|first3=Deirdre|url-access=subscription|archive-date=15 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115201100/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-big-interview-jenson-button-mx875hrjh3b|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Indy2000" />{{Sfn|Couldwell|2010|pp=206–208}} Prost offered Button a drive at his F3000 squad before becoming his F1 team's [[test driver]] for one season to prepare for competitive driving. He did not commit because Prost had not prepared to fulfill the promise of a F1 seat.{{Sfn|Button|2017|pp=110–111}} Huysman and Robertson declined Dennis' offer for Button to join the McLaren team and a seat from [[Jaguar Racing|Jaguar]] chairman [[Jackie Stewart]].<ref name=GuardianApr00>{{cite news|last=Henry|first=Alan|title=Button warned against the Spice world|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/259516164/|work=The Guardian|date=20 April 2000|access-date=14 May 2020|url-status=live|via=Newspapers.com|page=32|archive-date=2 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802033702/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/259516164/}}</ref>

A vacant race seat became available at the [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]] team following the departure of two-time [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART]] champion [[Alex Zanardi|Alessandro Zanardi]].  Other contenders for the seat included sports car driver [[Jörg Müller]] and [[Japanese Formula 3 Championship|Japanese Formula Three]] champion [[Darren Manning]].<ref name=Autosport11Aug16/> On 24 December 1999, team founder and principal [[Frank Williams (Formula One)|Frank Williams]] telephoned Button,{{Sfn|Button|2017|pp=113–117}} who first thought it a joke,<ref name=Autosport11Aug16/> and asked whether he was ready to drive in F1 to which he said no. Button's father instructed him to tell Williams he was indeed ready.{{Sfn|Button|2017|pp=113–117}} Button talked with Williams and BMW motorsport director [[Gerhard Berger]] and a 'shoot-out' test was arranged between Button and F3000 racer and test driver [[Bruno Junqueira]] at Jerez in a [[Williams FW21|Williams FW21B]] car modified by being fitted with a BMW engine.{{sfn|Button|Tremayne|2002|pp=7–10}}{{Sfn|Button|Tremayne|2002|pp=7–10}}{{Sfn|Button|2017|pp=113–117}} with Button securing the drive, even though the majority of the team's engineers preferred Junqueira.<ref name=Autosport11Aug16/>{{Sfn|Couldwell|2010|pp=206–208}} This made him Britain's youngest ever F1 driver, beating the previous record held by [[Stirling Moss]].{{sfn|Button|Tremayne|2002|p=120}}{{sfn|Chicane|2015|p=168}} Button did not hold a [[FIA Super Licence]] and the FIA president [[Max Mosley]] required him to complete {{Convert|300|km|mi|abbr=on}} on two consecutive days of testing and support from 18 of the 26 members of the F1 Commission.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.atlasf1.com/news/2000/feb/2012.htm|title=Mosley Says Button Must Pass Superlicence Test|date=14 February 2000|publisher=Atlas F1|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229095710/http://www.atlasf1.com/news/2000/feb/2012.htm|archive-date=29 February 2020|access-date=29 February 2020}}</ref> The FIA chose to issue him with a super licence regardless.{{Sfn|Button|2017|p=127}} Button worked with a physiotherapist to help build his strength to drive an F1 car.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Atkin|first=Ronald|date=23 April 2000|title=Old head on the boy racer|work=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing/old-head-on-the-boy-racer-280461.html|access-date=14 May 2020|archive-date=15 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115201107/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing/old-head-on-the-boy-racer-280461.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

A sixth-place finish at the season's second race in [[2000 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazil]] made him the [[List of Formula One driver records#Youngest drivers to score points|youngest driver in history to score a point]].{{efn|The current holder of this record is [[Max Verstappen]] who finished seventh at the {{F1GP||2015 Malaysian}} when he was 17 years, 180 days old.<ref>{{cite news|title=F1 wonderkids: How does Max Verstappen compare?|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/formula-1/2016/05/19/max-verstappen-and-the-f1-wonderkids/|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=19 May 2016|access-date=13 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160522001934/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/formula-1/2016/05/19/max-verstappen-and-the-f1-wonderkids/|archive-date=22 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>}}{{Sfn|Hill|2005|p=21}} In his first six races, he qualified higher than his teammate [[Ralf Schumacher]] twice, and was consistently close in pace.<ref name="FFFF2000" /><ref name="Results" /> However, Williams had intended to use Button only until they could exercise their option to buy the highly rated [[Juan Pablo Montoya]] out of his contract at [[Chip Ganassi Racing]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/936263.stm |title=Williams admits Montoya is the man |publisher=[[BBC Sport]] |date=21 September 2000 |access-date=29 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030418152844/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/936263.stm |archive-date=18 April 2003 |url-status=live }}</ref> A dip in Button's form, combined with Montoya's victory in the [[2000 Indianapolis 500]], led to Montoya being announced as his replacement midway through the season. Williams chose not to sell Button's contract, keeping the right to recall him in 2003. He went to [[Benetton Formula]] on a two-year loan.<ref>{{cite news |title=Button's two-year move to Benetton |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing/buttons-twoyear-move-to-benetton-695945.html |date=17 August 2000 |first=Derick |last=Allsop |work=The Independent |access-date=29 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130903052532/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing/buttons-twoyear-move-to-benetton-695945.html |archive-date=3 September 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Button's best qualification of the season was third place in the {{F1GP|2000|Belgian}} at [[Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps|Spa-Francorchamps]]; and his best result was fourth in the {{F1GP|2000|German}}.<ref name=MMagBio>{{Cite web|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/drivers/jenson-button|title=Jenson Button|website=Motor Sport|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406232421/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/drivers/jenson-button|archive-date=6 April 2019|access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref> After concerns about his inexperience, he made a few errors during the season, the most notable coming in the {{F1 GP|2000|Italian}} at [[Autodromo Nazionale Monza|Monza]]. Under [[safety car]] conditions Button swerved to avoid the pack which had bunched up, and crashed into a barrier.<ref name=Autosport11Aug16>{{Cite journal|last=Anderson|first=Ben|date=11 August 2016|title=Button's Big Break|journal=[[Autosport]]|pages=17–19}}</ref> Button finished his debut season in eighth place with 12 points.{{Sfn|Hill|2005|p=21}}