Villeneuve: Button Is the Best F1 Driver in Wet

Jacques Villeneuve admitted his excitement over seeing his former teammate at BAR, Jenson Button, dominate the championship in consecutive years. After becoming world champion in 2009, the 30-year old Brit emerged as leader of the drivers' classification after the first 4 rounds of 2010, with a couple of wins in Australia and China.

What Villeneuve pointed out, however, was how his teammate has improved over the years in terms of wet racing. Both his wins this season came in rainy conditions, and the Canadian driver believes Button detached himself as overall champion of wet races.

“Jenson was always quick in the rain but now he's becoming increasingly recognised as the best in the field. Michael always had that reputation in the past but I think Jenson has passed him now in the minds of observers,” said Villeneuve in an interview with Canada's Rue Frontenac.

Additionally, the 1997 world champion did not forget to mention Fernando Alonso among the wet-race champions, admitting that he was impressed with how the Spaniard conducted himself in China.

“But I also don't forget about Alonso, who did an exceptional race on the wet track of Shanghai,” added the former Williams, BAR and BMW racer.

Jenson Button's outstanding performances in rainy conditions are no news to anyone, especially since the Brit scored his first ever Formula One win back in 2006 in similar conditions. It happened in the chaotic Hungarian Grand Prix, where Button topped the field by more than half of minute.

In the 2010 overall classification, Button's double win performance has gotten him 10 points clear of second place Nico Rosberg, and 11 points ahead of fomer champions Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.