John Button had been a guiding force and a stalwart of support from his son’s
early days karting in Frome, Somerset, through to his Fomula One world
championship victory in 2009.
The Button family said they were “devastated” after he was found
dead in his home on the French Riviera by a friend on Sunday.
Tributes came from around the paddock, where he was affectionately known as
Papa Smurf.
Lewis Hamilton, who was team-mates with Button for three years at McLaren,
tweeted: “Deeply saddened by the passing of John Button. I’m so sorry.
John was such a great man and will be missed by so many. God bless.”
Sir Jackie drove in an era when safety in Formula One was extremely poor
Sir Jackie, who ran his own Formula One team in the late 1990s, lost many
friends and drivers when he was racing, including his team-mate Francois
Cevert, in 1973.
” Look at all the death we had, and yet, for whatever reason, we all raced”,
Sir Jackie said. “Yes [it’s a big change for Jenson], but racing
drivers are a peculiar animal.”
“It was very sad. I was in Switzerland at the time and Mark my son
called.
“John lived the fullest of lives, and he had a heart attack, and he was
70 years of age. There wasn’t much life that he’d missed.”
The Motor Sport Hall of Fame auction for the GP Mechanics Trust is on January
29 at the Royal Opera House.