Mid-Day

Of his 15 victories, it is a remarkable statistic that 20 per cent of those have been at Melbourne’s Albert Park, scene of the curtain-raiser to this year’s latest Formula One campaign.

Jenson Button

It is also unusual to note that before 2009, and the first of his three wins in the last four years, the 33-year-old had finished 10th or worse on eight occasions in nine attempts.

It was not until the straight-out-of-the-box all-conquering Brawn GP car of four years ago that Button’s head was turned Down Under.

A year later, having joined McLaren, Button conjured his debut win for the team, and although only sixth in 2011, he was back on the top step of the podium in Melbourne just 12 months ago.

Explaining his recent romance with Australia, Button said: “It is such a special race for all of us... It is a very special race, a great place to start the season, and in such a beautiful setting.”