Bunsen says he'll be WDC in the next 4 years.

[Valve Bounce]

Are there other drivers better than Bunsen? Will Bunsen ever be WDC? What do you think? Vote now!!

[twig]

People have been saying that about many rookies entering F1.
Kimi Raikkonen (Probably, being at a top team)
Jenson Button (Entered with good team, been declining ever since)
JPM (Most probably will)
Mark Webber (I hope so, but just as high chance as button, missing some spark)
Felipe Massa (Now without a drive)
Fernando Alonso (Apart from Minardi, still yet to prove himself)
even Alesi was going to be world champion, with only one race victory.

The problem is, people say this person will do this, or this driver is the next best thing, but realistically, some/most drivers will drift through the sport, not picking up any large prize.

In the time say, Kimi and JPM leave the sport, the other drivers would have left as well, bitterly missing out.

The way Jenson is going, i dont think he would have earned the proverbial points to have climbed the teams ladder to acheive a championship.

[Glen]

Interesting opportunity now for Button. As twig points out, he needs to move up through the ranks and get in a top team. No matter what they say, and how sincerely they mean it, BAR are not going to be winning races any time soon. To jump up to the next level Jenson definately needs to beat Jaques in 2003 - if he can do that then people will take notice.

In answer to the poll question, I'd have to say that it seems unlikely - too many very lucky breaks would be required. Its not impossible though. What about if he has two good years and ends up going to Ferrari to replace Rubens?

[Valve Bounce]

At this moment in time, I'm just looking at his ability, and if, if he is really good, then the chance will come in a top team. BUT will he ever be WDC as he says he will? That is the question. Is he that good?

[DNQ]

Ability wise, there are many who are better. I believe Villeneuve will be the superior driver at BAR, in which case, Mr Button can give up until he leaves...

[Valve Bounce]

What about Kimi, JPM, Rubens, Ralf, Fisi, Trulli, Webber, Alonso, .........
Bunsen must beat them also.

[Liz]

Never. But I think it's a step forward that it isn't Bunsen that's saying he's going to be WDC in 4 years now.

P.S. I think Da Boss is saying that to make Jacques jump up and down, not because he gives a flip about Bunsen's chances.

[enemy-ace]

Unless Button wins the lottery and finds himself in a far superior car to anything else on the grid, he'll never be a WDC.
The best options for building a championship winning car are Ferrari, McLaren and Williams and they already employ at
least three drivers who are far superior to Button.

[Bononi]

Onde day sometime maybe... but not in a BAR

[f1manoz]

Button will never be world champion. That's not to say he won't win a few races.

[neilap]

How do people know BAR will never step up, or that they wont step up in the next 4 years? One never knows. I feel in the right car any driver currently in F1 can be champ. It could be at BAR! I think it is unlikely but not impossible.

[BootsOntheSide]

Hang on enemy, are you seriously saying that Gene and Burti are better than Button? Can't agree with you there, Burti only narrowly beat Button in British F3 with an extra year's experience and did nothing at Jaguar, while Gene was competant at best for Minardi.

I think he's got as good a chance as anyone. Just being in a top team in teh early years won't neccessarily mean anything for Montoya or Raikkonen, and I'm not convinced that Button doesn't have as much potential as them.

The comparison between Button 2000 and Montoya 2001 only puts Montoya as being a little better, and that's with F3000 and CART experience. Both are certainly better than Ralf.

[Aysedasi]

I'd love to be proved wrong, but I simply don't think he's

a) good enough
b) likely to ever be in a car that's good enough.

[Adam43]

I aggree totally with Aysedasi.

[Aysedasi]

Originally posted by AdamAshmore
I aggree totally with Aysedasi.

Blimey!

You couldn't give my wife a few pointers on this agreeing business, could you......

[JohnSSC]

Jenson is a solid driver of the DC variety imho. He will acquit himself well, win a few and retire without having become WDC.

I do not think he really has the speed/detrmination that sets WDCs apart form the crowd. Still would not mind having him on my team though.

[Bononi]

Originally posted by neilap
How do people know BAR will never step up, or that they wont step up in the next 4 years? One never knows. I feel in the right car any driver currently in F1 can be champ. It could be at BAR! I think it is unlikely but not impossible.

I'm not saying that BAR won't be champions, neilap. I'm saying that if Button becomes a champion, it won't be at BAR, because is very unlikely to stay at the same team for 4 years or more. But I do believe that BAR will eventually become champions, because of the engine, which in the past dominated F1...

[Inigo Montoya]

Someday, but not in the BARF! Maybe he'll take his idol's spot at Ferrari???

[BootsOntheSide]

Originally posted by Bononi
I'm not saying that BAR won't be champions, neilap. I'm saying that if Button becomes a champion, it won't be at BAR, because is very unlikely to stay at the same team for 4 years or more.

Not sure why, this is his third team, which is where most drivers find stability at one of their first 3 teams- both Prost and Senna had 6 years at McLaren, Schumacher 8 years and counting at Ferrari, Rubens is going into his 4th, Hakinnen and Coulthard for ages at McLaren, Hill 4 years at Williams, JV at BAR for 5 years, and so on. If Jenson does the job, he should have a settled ride, as unlike at Renault, the team politics should be on his side.

[Bononi]

Maybe, maybe... you mentioned drivers that were champions at teams at the top - Ferrari had TGF and built the team around him - so it's not the case of BAR who's been suffering with a bad car and the team is around JV. It will take too much for Button to change the current, and if he got what it takes, it will be much easier swap to a top team.
Like Senna from Lotus to McLaren, Prost from Renault to McLaren or Piquet from Brabham to Williams...

[badoer fan]

Perhaps, maybe one day. But to me he's never seemed consistent enough. So I vote no.

[LucaBadoer]

Williams -> Benetton/Renault -> BAR...

He needs to be moving up the grid.

[enemy-ace]

Originally posted by BootsOntheSide
Hang on enemy, are you seriously saying that Gene and Burti are better than Button? Can't agree with you there, Burti only narrowly beat Button in British F3 with an extra year's experience and did nothing at Jaguar, while Gene was competant at best for Minardi.

I'm not sure how you managed to get out of my post that I was inferring that Gene or Burti were better than Button.
The three drivers that I was thinking of were M.Schumacher, Montoya and Raikkonen. All three who I believe to be the #1
drivers in their respective teams, and all three being much better than Button. Therefore the implication being, that while Button is good, he has not done enough to unseat the top pilots from their positions in the three top teams. In his first year he performed above expectations, but really what were the expectations for him. In his second year when expectations were higher, he was thoroughly trounced by Fisichella. People will argue that the car was bad, but then other people will argue that a good driver will show his true worth in a bad car. In other words "when the going gets tough, the tough get going!" Last year he did outperform Trulli, but in race trim only, and only in the beginning of the season. And I think we can all agree that Trulli has had his problems come race-day.
I also really can't see BAR challenging at the top for a few years yet either. I can't help but think that all those years of disorganization within the team can be solved without allowing the new management approach to sink in.
My bet for the teams to rise up and challenge the top three would be Toyota and Renault. Two teams who not only have the financial backing but also seem to be taking a more measured approach to development. The only problem with those two teams IMO is I don't see a future WDC in their ranks either. Maybe Alonso, but I'm reserving judgement on him.

[Valve Bounce]

“The one thing I am confident about is that BAR is a very good team and one where I think I'm going to do well. I know how good I am and I know I will be world champion. I haven't set myself a time goal. I don't care when I become world champion but I hope it is with BAR and with four years to work with the team I think it is possible."

I should have put this in my lead post. Sorry for the omission - I just assumed you knew what I was referring to. :confused:

[Mr V]

Not in the next 4 years, especially if he stays at BAR that long, however, Sir Frank is very fond of Jenson and his ability, I can see Jenson returning to the Williams team, but wether he wins the WDC would then depend on who his team-mate is. If it's JPM then i'd say no, but another driver then he's got a good chance.