Jenson Button's Miracle Drive: The Unforgettable 2011 Canadian Grand Prix

The Brit's performance in the rain is regarded as one of his career highlights.

The 2011 Canadian Grand Prix will forever be etched in Formula 1 history as one of the most remarkable and thrilling races of all time. Held at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, this race witnessed a breathtaking display of skill, determination, and strategic brilliance from McLaren-Mercedes driver Jenson Button.

Overcoming adverse conditions and employing an unprecedented six pit stops, Button orchestrated a miracle drive that showcased his unwavering resolve and cemented his place among the sport's greatest drivers.

A bonkers race in a soaked Montreal track

The 2009 Drivers’ Champion, Button went on to win the race despite heavy rain on the track, a crash with McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton, serving penalties and dealing with punctured tyres and spending a total of 2 minutes and 21 seconds in the pitlane for his six pit stops. The average speed on that day turned out to be just 74 km/h and saw the race lasted for four hours because of red flags and treacherous track conditions.

Button pitted six times during the race for tyre changes and penalties, comparing this to the fifth-place finisher, Vitaly Petrov managed to complete the race with just two pit stops. During the race, there was a particular lap when Button returned to the pits after a collision with Alonso's Ferrari for tyre change and damaged front wing repairs. Adding to the astonishing turn of events, between laps 37 and 40, he was in the last position and classified as 21st. Despite these setbacks, somehow he still won the race…

The 2011 season saw the domination of Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull’s alliance. He took the pole position for round seven at the Canadian GP whereas Button started from P7. As the lights went out to commence the race, dark clouds loomed overhead, foreshadowing the torrential downpour that was to follow. The Circuit de Gilles-Villeneuve became a wet and treacherous battlefield, demanding utmost concentration and adaptability from the drivers.

The rain-soaked track challenged even the most seasoned racers, as grip levels drastically reduced and visibility became severely limited. The race began under the safety car, and as the track went green, a collision between Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber unfolded right in front of Button. Seizing the opportunity, Button managed to overtake Webber but lost a position to Michael Schumacher, leaving him in seventh place after the first racing lap.

Button's relentless pursuit continued on the next lap when Hamilton made a mistake, allowing Button to gain another position. Hungry for redemption, Hamilton attempted a maneuver on his teammate on the main straight. Hamilton tucked into Button's slipstream as they came across the main straight, he pulled out of the slipstream to pass Button but an unsighted Button squeezed him, causing a collision.

Button had to make a whopping 6 pit stops

LAP 8 PIT STOP 1: This collision resulted in Button suffering a puncture, forcing him to make an unscheduled pit stop. McLaren, in a bid to turn the situation around and convert this disaster into an advantage, opted to switch Button to intermediate tyres. As a consequence, he found himself trailing the race leader Sebastian Vettel by approximately 30 seconds and re-entered the race in 12th place. However, the deployment of the safety car to recover Hamilton's immobilized car helped narrow the gap between Button and the frontrunners.

LAP 13 PIT STOP 2: Button managed to escape a penalty for his collision with Hamilton. However, he encountered another setback as he was caught exceeding the speed limit under yellow flags, leading to a drive-through penalty. Due to the safety car being deployed at that time, Button was unable to serve the penalty immediately and had to wait until the first lap after the race resumed.

Consequently, he slipped from 12th to 15th position, widening the gap to Vettel back to 20 seconds. Nevertheless, the intermediate tyres briefly proved advantageous, enabling Button to fight his way back up to 8th place.

LAP 19 PIT STOP 3: As the rainfall intensified, it became evident to those using intermediate tyres that their grip was rapidly diminishing, putting them at a significant disadvantage. Consequently, drivers started making the switch back to wet tyres. Button, recognizing the urgency of the situation, made his pit stop on lap 19, coinciding with the deployment of the safety car due to the worsening track conditions. After joining the safety car queue, Button dropped to 11th.

However, his fortunes quickly improved when Schumacher made a pit stop for wet tyres, allowing Button to regain one position. Despite battling with the increasingly heavy rain for several unproductive laps, the race was eventually halted with a red flag, leading to a prolonged period of waiting and uncertainty.

RED FLAG: During the red flag period, Button took advantage of the break to seek out Hamilton and express his apologies for their earlier collision that led to Hamilton's retirement. Additionally, Button opted to change to a fresh set of wet tyres in preparation for the race restart, while some of his competitors chose to stick with their used tyres.

After a prolonged nine laps of following the safety car, the field was finally released at the conclusion of lap 34. Seizing the opportunity at the restart, Button managed to overtake de la Rosa, who then made contact with the rear of Button's McLaren, resulting in the loss of his Sauber's front wing. Fortunately for Button, luck was on his side this time, and he emerged unscathed from the incident, avoiding any damage to his own car.

LAP 35 PIT STOP 4: Mclaren decided to reinstall the previously used intermediate tyres, which had been scrubbed, onto Button's car. As a result of this pit stop, he dropped to the 15th position on the track. However, as other drivers made their way into the pits, Button swiftly regained ground and climbed back up to 11th place. Alonso, who had completed his pit stop one lap later, rejoined the race just ahead of Button.

With his tyres already warmed up and his focus dialed in, Button immediately launched an attack on the Ferrari. Unfortunately, contact between the two cars occurred, causing Alonso to spin off the track. Tragically, Button's car suffered a puncture as a consequence of the incident, forcing him to cautiously navigate an entire lap before reaching the pits.

LAP 37 PIT STOP 5: Button made his way into the pits to obtain a fresh set of intermediate tyres. However, the appearance of the safety car due to Alonso's stranded Ferrari on the curbs limited the amount of time lost during the pit stop.

At this point, Button found himself in a daunting position, now sitting in 21st place, essentially the last position in the race. He had the challenging task of catching up to the back of the safety car queue, but unfortunately, he couldn't quite accomplish this feat. As the green flag waved at the conclusion of lap 40, Button crossed the line with a gap of approximately 2.4 seconds behind Tonio Liuzzi's HRT, rather than being directly on his tail.

Nevertheless, Button's determination propelled him forward as he swiftly overtook Liuzzi and proceeded to pass several other drivers in the subsequent laps, including Narain Karthikeyan, Jarno Trulli, Jerome D'Ambrosio, Timo Glock, de la Rosa, and Buemi.

Further stops made by di Resta and Sutil granted Button a couple more advantageous positions, elevating him to 12th place by lap 45. After maintaining his position for a brief period on lap 49, Button successfully surpassed both Maldonado and Jaime Alguersuari, securing even higher placements in the race.

As the conditions on the track started to favor slick tyres, it became evident that a pit stop for a tyre change was in order. Among the cars ahead of Button, Webber and Barrichello were the first to recognize this opportunity and made their stops on lap 50. Shortly after, Button received the call to come into the pits, making his tyre change on the following lap.

LAP 51 PIT STOP 6: Button made his sixth pit stop as planned, following the team's strategy. Inspired by Webber's impressive sector times, Button entered the pits, causing a brief slip in his position from eighth to 10th. At this point, he had only used supersoft tyres left in his arsenal.

By overtaking Nick Heidfeld and Kamui Kobayashi and various others, Button managed to secure an impressive fourth place with 15 laps remaining. The gap to the leader, Vettel, decreased significantly from 47 seconds to just 15 seconds, thanks in part to Red Bull's final pit stop. By lap 55, the standings looked as follows:

1. Vettel
2. Schumacher: +8.7s
3. Webber: +9.0s
4. Button: +15.4s

With 15 laps left, Button trailed the leader by 15 seconds. Remarkably, on that very lap, he managed to shave off an astonishing four seconds from Vettel's lead, as the Red Bull driver was still adapting to the slick tyre conditions. In the following lap, Button continued his impressive charge, cutting another two seconds off Vettel's lead while closing in on the Schumacher/Webber battle. The race was becoming increasingly captivating.

However, another safety car period was initiated due to a crash involving Heidfeld. Although Button was already on track to catch up to Vettel, the safety car intervention made his task even easier by nullifying all the gaps. After three laps under yellow flags, the field was released at the end of lap 60, leaving them with 10 laps remaining.

At the conclusion of lap 64, Webber made a mistake at the final corner, allowing Button to swiftly overtake him on the exit. Button then rapidly closed in on Schumacher, utilizing the DRS (Drag Reduction System) to make a successful pass at the end of lap 65. With five laps left, Button trailed Vettel by a mere 3.1 seconds. Despite Vettel's significant improvement in pace, Button relentlessly narrowed the gap to 1.6, 1.3, and eventually 1.1 seconds.

As the final lap commenced, the margin between the two leaders was a mere 0.9 seconds. Under immense pressure, Vettel succumbed to the intensity, sliding wide between Turn Five and Six and relinquishing the lead. Button capitalized on the opportunity, swiftly overtaking Vettel and crossing the finish line with a remarkable 2.7-second advantage. Button won the race by leading just half a lap and it was a performance for the ages, completing Button's extraordinary journey from last place to first and providing a fitting ending to the chaotic race.

The safety car interventions certainly played a significant role in Button's success, including one that was inadvertently caused by his collision with Alonso. It was fortunate that no penalties were imposed for either incident, with both being classified as "racing incidents." In total, the safety car periods saved Button over two minutes of time.

However, the race was far from flawless, as Button was involved in clashes with both Alonso and Hamilton, tarnishing the overall cleanliness of his performance. In contrast, Vettel made only one mistake, which occurred towards the end of the race.

Nevertheless, Button's exceptional skills came to the forefront once the rain subsided. From that point onward, he displayed remarkable precision, showcasing his expertise in challenging track conditions and making crucial tyre decisions at precisely the right moments.

Widely regarded as the most extraordinary victory in his Formula 1 career, Button's performance in this particular race stands out among the rest, particularly considering his last-place position with only 30 laps remaining. In his book titled "How To Be An F1 Driver," published in 2019, Button personally described this race as "my greatest race."