When Jenson Button won the 2009 Formula One world championship, he became Britain's 10th title winner in the sport's history.
AFP Sport details how each driver won his title:
Mike Hawthorn: 1958 (Ferrari)
- Hawthorn ended Juan Manuel Fangio's run of four consecutive titles. A playboy racer, dubbed Le Papillon (The Butterfly) by the French for his habit of wearing a bow-tie when he drove, the 29-year-old, 6ft 2in (1.88m) Englishman was also a source for lurid newspaper copy with tales of his colourful private life. Hawthorn was devastated by the death of teammate and close friend Peter Collins at Nurburgring in 1958. He eventually beat Stirling Moss to win the title by one point. Hawthorn was killed on January 22, 1959, when his Jaguar skidded off a wet road near his home in southern England.
Graham Hill: 1962 (BRM) and 1968 (Lotus-Ford)
- With his trademark moustache and quick wit, Hill, the son of a stockbroker, became a media celebrity when he captured his first world title on the back of race wins in Holland, Germany, Italy and South Africa in 1962. Won the Indy 500 in 1966 before moving back to Lotus in 1967 which was mourning the death of Jim Clark. Under the guidance of innovative Lotus chief Colin Chapman, Hill won in Spain, Monaco, and Mexico, to secure his title in 1968. He completed motor sport's 'triple crown' in 1972 by winning at Le Mans. Hill, whose son Damon was to become world champion in 1996, died on November 29, 1975 when his twin-engined plane crashed and burned near London. He was 46.
Jim Clark: 1963 (Lotus-Climax) and 1965 (Lotus-Climax)
- The son of a Scottish farmer, Clark was 25 when he made his debut but the 1961 season was blighted by his innocent involvement in a collision at Monza which led to the death of Ferrari's Wolfgang von Trips and 14 spectators. Clark, with Chapman providing the technical expertise, won seven races in 1963 for his first title and then six of 10 in 1965. He also captured the 1965 Indy 500 but, unlike Hawthorn and Hill before him, he was never comfortable in the spotlight. Clark died at 32 on April 7, 1968, when his Lotus suffered a puncture in a low-key F2 race at Hockenheim in Germany and his car crashed.
John Surtees: 1964 (Ferrari)
- The only world champion on two and four wheels, Surtees had racked up seven world motorcycling titles by the age of 26. Driving for Ferrari, he won his only drivers' crown in a last-race decider in Mexico when both Clark and Hill hit trouble. Drove sports cars in the United States and suffered serious injuries in a crash in Canada in 1965 before setting up his own F1 team which lasted for nine years.
Jackie Stewart: 1969 (Matra-Ford), 1971 (Tyrrell-Ford) and 1973 (Tyrrell-Ford
- Triple world champion, Stewart was also instrumental in boosting the commercial prospects of the sport as well as campaigning for improved safety standards. He was stunned by the deaths of friends Piers Courage and Jochen Rindt and was key to the introduction of seatbelts, full-face helmets and run-off areas at tracks. Stewart became a multi-millionaire and formed his own team with Stewart Grand Prix picking up a victory in 1999. The son of a garage owner, Stewart was knighted in 2001.
James Hunt: 1976 (McLaren-Ford)
- The last of the playboy racers whose determined partying off the track was matched by a bloody-minded, self-confidence on it. The son of a stockbroker, Hunt was nicknamed 'Hunt the Shunt' in his early days before being signed up by McLaren in 1976. He clinched the title by finishing third in an infamous, season-climaxing, rain-lashed Japanese Grand Prix. Always uncoventional, Hunt often attended official functions in his bare feet, drank heavily, smoked 40 cigarettes a day and was never without a beautiful girlfriend. Hunt died of a heart attack in 1993 at the age of 45.
Nigel Mansell: 1992 (Williams-Renault)
- Famously described as 'Il Leone' by his fans in his Ferrari days, Mansell was an uncompromising driver, loved by supporters for his speed and daring, but often mistrusted by media and officialdom. Never wavered in his on-track battles with Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet, Mansell eventually prevailed in 1992 when he won nine of the 16 races. Retired from F1 and headed to the US where he became the 1993 IndyCar champion. Returned to Williams in 1994 for the final four races of the season and even won in Australia for good measure.
Damon Hill: 1996 (Williams-Renault)
- The son of Graham Hill, Damon Hill got his big break in 1993 taking the seat Mansell had vacated at Williams before being promoted to number one driver after the death of Senna in 1994. Was denied the world title that year when he was involved in a controversial collision with the Benetton of Michael Schumacher. The German, who won the title by just one point, was accused of deliberately taking out the Briton. Was second again to Schumacher the following year but took the title in 1996 before being replaced by Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Hill retired in 1999 after racing for Arrows and Jordan for whom he delivered a first race at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton: 2008 (McLaren-Mercedes)
- The youngest winner of the Formula One world title. Many expected the confident Hamilton to have wrapped up the honours in his debut season in 2007 but his healthy lead was gobbled up and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was crowned champion instead at the last race in Brazil. No such problems 12 months later.
Jenson Button: 2009 (Brawn GP)
- 18th in the 2008 championship and a footnote in the fairytale rise of compatriot Hamilton, it looked like the end of the road for Button when Honda announced they were pulling the plug on their expensive F1 foray. But the instant success story of Brawn propelled Button to an unlikely title, allowing him to finally fulfill the potential he had shown when he made his debut with Williams in 2000.
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