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Whitmarsh: "Button Is Already Champion"

Although he hasn't won a race since the Turkish Grand Prix and scored only one podium in the last 7 races, Jenson Button is clearly the favorite for winning this year's Formula One title. No matter if you're a bookmaker working with odds or simply an F1 fan, you have to admit 15 points of advantage with 3 races to go is quite a comfortable situation to be in at the moment.

Of course, one has seen this type of situations reversing in the late stages of the season – with Lewis Hamilton being the best example – but the way in which Button handled the pressure and maintained full control over the title fight throughout the 2009 season makes us think this is not the case.

And not only us, but also Button's rivals, as McLaren are the first to acknowledge that Button is almost 100 percent the new champion of Formula One. Team principal of the Woking based team, Martin Whitmarsh believes the Brawn GP driver did a great job limiting the point damage in the second half of the season, caused by a not-so-performing BGP 001 – as compared to the first 7 races however.

It is not the most exciting way to win the championship, but I think you have got to score the points. Jenson is under a lot of pressure and when you have not won a world championship there is enormous pressure there, especially if it is your team-mate who is challenging you,” said Whitmarsh after the Singapore Grand Prix.

I think he did a solid job here and one has to say, I don't think it is mathematically done yet, but it looks like he has got the championship, which is a fantastic achievement. It is not easy to win a championship, whatever advantage you start with by way of a car. He obviously had a decent flying start to the season, but he did a real solid job to make sure he was in a position to take that championship,” added the British official.
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