Jenson Button answers your questions

F1 Racing's editor is being ribbed - not for the first time, we should add - for having curly hair.

"You look like Ricciardo," grins Jenson as we sit down for this interview in the McLaren Brand Centre (because of course anyone with curly hair looks like anyone else with curly hair, right?)

"No," insists ace lensman Steven Tee, "it's Alain Prost."

"Yeah," chuckles JB, clearly in good spirits.

"A mixture of Ricciardo and Prost."

Such observations are not a new experience for yours truly, so before things degenerate into mention of Leo Sayer, Mungo Jerry and Adrian Sutil's dad (the curliest of the lot, incidentally), a line must be drawn.

"Are you trying to destabilise me, Jenson?"

"Yeah, of course. Always!"

Perhaps he's feeling so cheekily chipper because almost the entire Button family massive is in Hungary to celebrate dad John's 70th birthday. Or maybe it's the slight upturn in McLaren's performance evident at this noodle-tight dustbowl of a circuit where Jenson took his maiden F1 victory, with BAR, back in 2006.

Whatever the source of his happiness, there's no doubt Jenson's up for this and, as you shall see, we got him on a very good day...

Celebrating in style in 2009 © LAT

How long did the feeling of being champion last, after you won the title in 2009?
Kieron Seggar, UK

It's lasted for four years. It never leaves you, actually, and that's why it's so special. A race win is an extraordinary feeling because it's a massive rush of adrenaline and emotion in one moment that you share with the whole team, but it's forgotten at the next race if you don't win again.

Whereas the world championship is with you forever: you can wake up one morning and look in the mirror and go '****! I'm a world champion!' and that will always be there. That will never leave me and that's why it means so much, I think.

Do you own the Brawn GP car in which you won the title?
Paulo Artur Felix, Portugal

I own chassis 01/01, yes. It's one of the three chassis that we used that year. I don't have it at the moment, but I can collect it, I believe, at the end of the year. It's complete - car and engine.

Should drivers always keep the same helmet colours, like you've done?
Alexandra Fuller, UK

I've changed it slightly since I started in F1 - the colours haven't changed, but the design has a little bit - just to move with the times and keep it more current-looking.

I love the design. Uffe [Tagstrom, the Finnish helmet artist who also designs lids for Kimi Raikkonen, Heikki Kovalainen and Sergio Perez, among others] has done a great job with it. I do change it now and again for certain events, and I'll change it for the Japanese GP this year.

It'll have the same design as last year, because it's very Japanese and obviously I have some strong Japanese connections through Jessie [girlfriend Jessica Michibata] and Honda. But generally I like to keep my traditional helmet design. That's the helmet people should recognise as 'Jenson Button's helmet'.

[At this point, Jenson starts explaining how much he likes Uffe's work, before suddenly halting mid-flow to declare: "It's SO hot mate, sat here in the sun. Can we sit over there? I am sweating out." We decamp and move to a less greenhouse-like corner of the MBC, where Ms Michibata is quietly observing her fella being, if you will, grilled. Turns out it's a timely move...]

Button with girlfriend Jessica Michibata © XPB

How is your Japanese coming along? Maybe Jessica could teach you some useful phrases for working with Honda?
Chris Thomson, UK

[Jessica gleefully interjects: "It's perfect!" before Jenson continues] Ha! No, it's really bad. I know a few words... But I've been lazy. I always told myself I would learn, considering my girlfriend is Japanese.

But the problem is the travelling. When I have any free time, I train. I find it very difficult, but I would love to learn and I have to learn. I think it's only right for me to learn. I can speak a few words and I can order a coffee...

[Jessica: "You can order your food. He can go to a restaurant all on his own."]

Yeah, I speak restaurant Japanese and a few 'cutie' Japanese words that you'd only say to your partner. And I can order a cappuccino and sushi - as long as it's not for more than two pieces.

V10, V8 or V6 turbos?
Ashraf Rahim, Singapore

The three-litre V10s sounded the best by far. I watched some races from back in '04 and '05 the other day and those engines used to sing. So of course I loved that, but it's not the way of the world any more.

I think the direction that we're taking with the engine is correct. It's very exciting for the engine manufacturers and it's exciting for us. Exciting in a different way. So either a V10 or a 1.6-litre V6. But not the V8.

Would you rather win the New York Marathon or the Tour de France?
Raoulle Osen Ferrer, Philippines

The Tour de France. The New York Marathon would be...wow, what a challenge... but the Tour de France! I love cycling. I love competitions...obviously triathlons, but also cycle races. And I cycle with a lot of people. It's a very social sport.

I know how tough it is. To do three weeks with back-to-back days is just unbelievable. A lot of it is a mind game. It's not just how you are physically - the strongest guy might not always win.

It's how you play the game, how mentally strong you are and also working as a team. So yeah, the Tour de France, for me, is special.

Button has often proved masterful in mixed conditions © XPB

Why are you so good in mixed conditions?
Matti Viitasaari, Finland

I wouldn't have a clue! I'd have to ask: "Why are other people not so good in mixed conditions?" So you're asking the wrong person, really. Maybe I feel the car in a different way.

This isn't quite the question, but I also think the new style of circuits probably don't suit me so much as the old style of circuits, like Spa and Suzuka, because of the way I drive. They suit me more than the supermarket car park tracks.

Having run-off areas that let you brake late, lock up, go off and come back doesn't suit how I drive, because I build up to a point, I feel the circuit and I don't go past that point. It's unusual that I'll go off.

Could you be more aggressive?
Chris Dodds, Cyprus

I could be, but my intelligence says otherwise. I feel that I use aggression in the right way in terms of racecraft and wheel-to-wheel action; I feel I'm correct in pretty much everything that I do, so I'm happy with my aggression on track.

But when it comes to my aggression in terms of getting tyre temperature, no I can't. I would like to, but that's just not in my style of driving.

My team-mates are always able to get more tyre temperature than me and that's always been a weakness. Even when I was with Brawn. Over the second part of the '09 season I really struggled in the colder races: Silverstone, the Nurburgring... they were really, really difficult for me.

It was the same when I was racing here [at McLaren] against Lewis. Heating the tyres up is just a big weakness of mine.

Alonso (right) is a keen cyclist - and recently bought a team © XPB

If the Formula 1 grid had an Ironman triathlon, who would win?
Gary Reeves, UK

Well if they had it tomorrow I think it would be between me and Fernando.

I've never done an Ironman; Fernando has never done an Ironman, but looking at his training, I think he would be good at it. I think it would be between us two.

You've said before that the 2009 Monaco Grand Prix, which you won, was your best ever race. Has your answer changed?
George Davies, UK

I think qualifying that year was one of my best, but the race in Monaco is very strange because if you don't put a foot wrong you'll win from pole, pretty much. Every win is special in its own way - for example, Bahrain in 2009.

I had a bad start but got past two people on the first lap who I had to overtake to win the race. That made it happen. But the three that are very special are Canada 2011, Suzuka 2011 and Spa last year.

In Canada I was pretty much ready to give up, then Seb dropped it on the last lap. Everything had gone wrong up until that point... it was a very unusual race and one that'll never happen again in my lifetime.

So the wins at Spa and Suzuka. They're two circuits that I love. At Spa, the whole weekend was good. I qualified on pole by four tenths of a second and it was an easy win basically. I just enjoyed every lap of the race.

Suzuka was different because of Jessie and my feelings about Japan - it's a country I love. After the race, it was very emotional - particularly as over the last few laps I was running out of fuel and I had Vettel and Fernando bearing down on me.

I really had to conserve fuel and then put in a big kick at the end just to preserve the gap. That made it a very special win for me.

I think emotionally that was the biggest win for me. In a way I wish that Sebastian hadn't won the championship that day, but it didn't matter. The people that I care about were there and it was special to do it in front of the Japanese fans.

Would you ever consider trying IndyCar; specifically the Indy 500?
Timothy Eichman, USA

I like the idea of IndyCar, but it's very different from F1. I've got a lot of respect for the guys who race in it, but it's not my sport really - it's very different. I like my brake pedal and I think it's a very useful tool!

In the Indy 500, it doesn't really get used. It's a very different way of driving and if I raced in IndyCar it would take me many years to get good enough to fight for wins, I think.

DRS has lessened the thrill of overtaking for Button © LAT

Can you explain the feeling you get when you're chasing down a driver and catch a glimpse of them ahead on track?
Sean Norton, USA

It's very special, but this year it's different because you have to be careful not to get overexcited.

If you push too hard, you destroy the tyres, so it's a real balance. There's a feeling of excitement in your heart, but also one in your head, telling you to go about things in the right way.

You have to close someone down at the right time, not just get it done as soon as possible. But it's a good feeling when you get up to the back of them and make the move, because we all love overtaking. With DRS it's less exciting, but it's still a nice feeling.

The moves that mean a lot to us are moves that are done in another way...the way that we use KERS to our advantage so you overtake in a way that's very clever or devious. Or you've just done a great job of throwing it down the inside or around the outside.

Those moves mean a lot to us and we always remember them.

How many pink shirts does your dad own?
Kevin Dalby, UK

I really don't know, but I'm guessing it's quite a few. I'm hoping he's got more than one!

Has seeing Rush made you think about driving for McLaren in James Hunt's era?
Clive Eaton, UK

I love watching '70s F1. The drivers were very brave, but they didn't have what we have now. I tried Emerson Fittipaldi's 1974 car, which is the same car as Hunt's [a McLaren M23] and it was so uncomfortable.

You see loads because your head is higher up, but they either thought nothing about the driver, or the driver had no input into cockpit design. Your knuckles hit the bodywork, you can't change from fourth to fifth without altering your grip...it's all a bit wrong.

It was a very different type of racing. I drove the M23 around Silverstone and Martin Brundle was there, too, in Lewis's 2008 MP4-23, and he came past me like I was driving a Formula Ford!

2004-05 remains a halcyon period for Button © LAT

That's the difference in speed these days. I love F1 cars now. The speed in high-speed corners, the straightline speed, the braking performance...it's staggering.

I must say, though, that when you watch F1 from 2004-05, you hear the V10s and you see the grip of the cars. I really enjoyed those days.

There was still overtaking and some good racing. Those were very special times, in the fastest, most powerful cars, with a tyre war and the quickest lap times. I'm glad to have raced then.

Will you sing We Are The Champions when you next win the world title?
Christopher Barrow, UK

Oh definitely, yes! I'm going to practise it if we start next year with a good car. I'll have singing lessons so I can do it properly and do it justice.

Do you ever get distracted by a sneezing fit or an itch during a race?
Iain Scott, UK

I never sneeze in the car. Maybe when you're concentrating hard, you don't sneeze. I don't know. But I've never had a sneeze, never had an itch.

I've had water spray in my face from the drinks tube but it's not a problem. You just get your hand inside and wipe. You squeeze it in from underneath.

You definitely don't want to open your visor to go in through there - I've learned that from getting carbon flakes in my eyeballs too many times. They come in the vents so I've got everything closed in my helmets now.

Normally, once a year I have to go to the doctor and they pull the flakes out with tweezers, which is always really nice... It's stopped happening though with my new helmet [an Arai].

What is the most memorable gift a fan has ever given you?
Melissa Lim, Singapore

They're all special because they are from fans. But I always seem to have had the best gifts in Japan. I used to get Game Boys and things like that, with 1000 games on one little chip. They don't do it so much now, but that was pretty cool.

I like things fans actually make. A scrutineer here gives me a bottle of Hungarian wine every year. It must come from his family's vineyard because he puts a 'Jenson Button' label on it.

He's also given me a Lada, because I drove a Lada around a course at a Vodafone safe driving event in Hungary. Like any gift, it's the thought rather than the size of the gift that counts.

Missing family and friends is the main downside of living in Monaco © LAT

Is there anything from the UK that you miss in Monaco?
Grace Wilkinson, UK

I only get over to the UK three or four times a year to see my family. I get to see a lot of my mates training and at competitions, away from the crazy world of F1.

But I love living in Monaco. I have good friends there to train with; the sun's always shining... It's a nice place to live.

If you were on a road trip with another driver, who would it be and who'd drive?
David Hamer, UK

I'd drive and I guess Paul di Resta would be with me. We spend time together training and I think he's a pretty good passenger. I don't really hang out with any other drivers.

Maybe Webber...I spend a bit of time with him. But apart from that, there aren't any other drivers I spend time with.

How do you want to be remembered by the F1 world, when you eventually retire?
Sullan Cloudet, USA

It sounds rude, but I don't care. It's for others to judge my career.

Everyone makes judgements and people are outspoken about drivers and teams. What's important for me is that I can say what I feel. I do a job I'm lucky to do. I've found one I'm good at, and I've tried my best at it.

Whether I'm the best or not, who knows? The important thing is that you give everything, looking into every little area to improve yourself. Never think you're the best, because then you've already failed: you've stopped yourself improving.

Winning the world championship was my aim in F1 and my dream as a kid. I'd love to do it again. What keeps me going is the racing spirit of a team. And winning races. When you win a race, the adrenaline buzz you get with the people you worked hard to achieve it with means so much.

Another title would be great but the wins are definitely what keep me interested.

What's your most embarrassing moment?
Oliver Heycoop, New Zealand.

I suppose China 2011 when I went into the wrong pit box was pretty bad, but that was just a mistake.

In a race? I remember one time with Williams in 2000. I was only 20, and Frank said to me: "You've got to push harder - harder into the box and out of the pitlane. You're doing a good job on the circuit, but you need to push harder on the way in."

So I got on the power earlier, put a wheel in the gravel, lost it - and wiped the front end off the car.

I walked back, totally embarrassed. Patrick Head said: "What are you doing?" I said: "Well, Frank told me to push." And Frank backed me up. He said: "Patrick, I did tell him to push and it's good he did. It was a mistake, but he's finding the limit."

It was still pretty embarrassing though...