“Just a mouthpiece for certain people on the team” – Former world champion Jenson Button rues not contributing enough in his role as Williams senior advisor, and is eager on changing it for the better in 2022.
Jenson Button was signed by his former team Williams as senior advisor ahead of the 2021 season to turn around the bottom-placed team’s fortunes.
The British team did improve markedly during the recently-concluded season, finishing P8 ahead of fellow bac-markers Alfa Romeo and Haas.
But Button admits he couldn’t contribute to his fullest capacity and capability, mostly down to Covid-19 bubble protocols.
Eager to turn things around for the better in 2022, he wants to work closely with main drivers Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi, and juniors Jamie Chadwick, Roy Nissany, Jack Aitken and Logan Sergeant.
“Basically, I was just a mouthpiece for certain people on the team.
“I spent a lot of time with Dave Robson and Jost Capito and also with the marketing team, but I didn’t spend that much time with the drivers last year because I couldn’t go to the technical room or the garage because of the bubble.
“It was pretty limited last year, which is a shame for both sides. But I’ll do a lot more with them in the new year.
“It’s a great team. They have good people and I’ll be spending a lot more time with them, including the drivers and the members from the youth programme. They have some good young drivers on the list.
“I’ll also spend some time with them in the simulator. I don’t drive, but I wish I would! But I’ll see how they drive and how they work with the team. That was my strength at the time, working with the team. I can bring a lot of experience with me.”
