Jenson Button may have won four of the five races this season to emerge as a runaway championship leader but he is confident of not winning this race. Not a Formula One Grand Prix, but the London triathlon that Button would be participating in, for charity purposes.
The Brawn GP driver is hoping for a top 10 finish in the August 1 event that includes a 1500 m swim, 40 km bike ride and 10 km run. “I am aiming to finish in the top 10 so no pressure,” Button wrote on the event-related website.
The 29-year-old, one of the fittest drivers, has been regularly participating in many triathlons.
However, he said that this year he has had to cut down on the events. “I’ve been taking part in triathlons over the past couple of years as a way of keeping fit for my racing. As we are so busy this year, I won’t be able to do as many triathlons as I would like but thought that I would give the London Triathlon a go. It’s the biggest triathlon in the world,” he wrote.
Last year too, Button participated in Windsor triathlon, an Olympic distance event. Button’s participation in such gruelling events is reflective of the extraordinary levels of fitness Formula One drivers achieve. This is done in order to survive the massive G forces that are produced due to rapid deceleration and high speed corners.
The result of the G forces is clearly manifested in the phenomenal stresses that the body gets subjected to — especially the heart and the neck. While the average pulse rate of a F1 driver during a race is 170 beats per minute, it peaks to as high as 190 beats per minute.
Meanwhile, Button has managed to persuade his two race engineers Shov and Bono to take part. “They will be competing in the half distance event,” he wrote.
Button who is patron of the ‘Make A Wish Foundation’ is hoping to raise enough money so as to help fulfil dreams of those children and young people who are fighting life-threatening illnesses.
