Button uninjured in armed São Paulo car attack

[OldskoolF1]

Button uninjured in armed São Paulo car attack

7 November 2010

World Champion Jenson Button has escaped unscathed after armed attackers approached the road vehicle carrying the McLaren driver plus his father, manager and physiotherapist upon leaving the Interlagos circuit on Saturday evening.

A McLaren press release reads as follows:

‘On Saturday evening (November 6) on the way back from the Interlagos circuit to Morumbi (São Paulo), armed would-be assailants made an attempt to approach the car that was carrying Jenson Button.

Neither Jenson nor the other occupants of the car were hurt. (The other occupants were John Button [Jenson’s father], Mike Collier [Jenson’s physio] and Richard Goddard [Jenson’s manager].)

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes had provided both Jenson and team-mate Lewis Hamilton with reinforced armoured vehicles driven by police drivers, who had been trained in avoidance techniques and were armed.

The police driver of Jenson’s vehicle reacted swiftly and, using avoidance techniques, rapidly forced his way through the traffic, taking Jenson and the other occupants of the car immediately away from any danger and back to their hotel.

The São Paulo authorities have also acted efficiently and will be providing additional security to transfer Jenson and other senior Vodafone McLaren Mercedes personnel to the Interlagos circuit for Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix.’

Update:

According to The Daily Mail, six men armed with machine guns targeted the vehicle, with Button's driver then making contact with several other road vehicles in the consequential escape.

"My driver bounced off about five cars," Button told the newspaper. "We were driving over the top of them.

"'We were going back from the track and were outside a shanty town and moving slowly on a busy road. I saw a dog come out. It was very cute.

"The next thing I saw was a man with a gun. Our guy angled the car and floored it. That's when we saw six men, all of them brandishing machine-guns.

"My driver was a legend. It was very scary. I don't know whether they knew who it was they were ambushing.

"I said, "Isn't that a gun?" and as soon as I said that the driver angled the car. I am glad I didn't have my girlfriend Jessica with me – she would have been terrified."

http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/2...lo-car-attack/

[Agron]

South Africa was a hundred times worse and they still organized a world cup there, it seems it's pretty common torturing to death commercial farmers just because they are white over there. It's the problem with dangerous countries hosting these kind of events, it's just that only when someone famous gets the short end of the stick it finally catches everyone's attention, hopefully they will be more serious against organized crime from now on.

[Hermann]

South Africa was a hundred times worse and they still organized a world cup there, it seems it's pretty common torturing to death commercial farmers just because they are white over there. It's the problem with dangerous countries hosting these kind of events, it's just that only when someone famous gets the short end of the stick it finally catches everyone's attention, hopefully they will be more serious against organized crime from now on.

Stop dreaming. Happens all the time there. Back in 2006 members of the Toyota team were lucky to survive:

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/22/g...-in-sao-paulo/

Its a dangerous place.

[Hornet]

Glad he's ok. But that sounds like a scene from an action movie
"My driver bounced off about five cars," Button told the newspaper. "We were driving over the top of them.

[steelstallions]

"My driver bounced off about five cars," Button told the newspaper. "We were driving over the top of them.

I wondered what MONTOYA was doing for a living these days, sounds like he lost none his F1 skills

[Hermann]

Button's driver:

[Corey]

Haha I like that one. Relieved to know that he is fine.

However I am surprised that an "F1" driver would have a chauffeur. I think most drivers would drive themselves to the track, at least Kimi did when I saw him in Malaysia.

[Katu]

i guess it must have been really scary

[m schumy]

Thank God he`s ok

[Jacquesvw]

South Africa was a hundred times worse and they still organized a world cup there, it seems it's pretty common torturing to death commercial farmers just because they are white over there. It's the problem with dangerous countries hosting these kind of events, it's just that only when someone famous gets the short end of the stick it finally catches everyone's attention, hopefully they will be more serious against organized crime from now on.

I'm pretty inpressed how accurate your view is about South Africa. I'm a white farmer and it's hell over here. Just yesterday I had to install extra security brackets in my car to protect it against car thieves.

We all have guns in the house for protection. If "they" manage to get into your house here they will rape your wife and daughters and kill your sons before they kill you while they make your wife and children watch.

[Kingdom Hearts]

Glad he is OK, Sao Paulo is a scary place.

[scuderiafan]

Deary me. Glad he's okay though.
His driver must have some skills though, to weave through the brazilian traffic.

[scuderiafan]

P.s. The Hamilton fanboys didn't take long to make jokes, did they? Disgusting.

Nobody's doing that here, and he drives for McLaren!

[Stormsearcher]

I'm pretty inpressed how accurate your view is about South Africa. I'm a white farmer and it's hell over here. Just yesterday I had to install extra security brackets in my car to protect it against car thieves.

We all have guns in the house for protection. If "they" manage to get into your house here they will rape your wife and daughters and kill your sons before they kill you while they make your wife and children watch.

Wow. And i thought this was just played up by the press to sensationalise things.

[Suzie]

South Africa was a hundred times worse and they still organized a world cup there, it seems it's pretty common torturing to death commercial farmers just because they are white over there. It's the problem with dangerous countries hosting these kind of events, it's just that only when someone famous gets the short end of the stick it finally catches everyone's attention, hopefully they will be more serious against organized crime from now on.

I doubt things will change just because a celeb almost got attacked, or worse.
I'm glad Jenson's okay but this seems pretty commonplace over race weekends, some Sauber crew were mugged in the same spot last night apparently.

[Brakefade]

Wow. When I read the headline, "Button uninjured in Sao Paulo". I thought they must've had an accident in the pits. Never in my wildest dreams did something like this cross my mind. I'm glad Button, his father, his manager, and his driver are all ok. Maybe the track organizers need to build a Hotel nearby so the F1 personnel don't have to travel through the rough parts of town.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened in F1. Juan Manual Fangio was kidnapped in 1958 by Cuban Rebels

http://racefan.amplify.com/2010/06/2...el-kidnapping/

[racingbradley]

Wow you just don't expect to read anything like this at a grand prix weekend. I am glad he and eveyone else in the car are OK. Poor Jenson I hope it hasn't shook him too much.

[Agron]

I'm pretty inpressed how accurate your view is about South Africa. I'm a white farmer and it's hell over here. Just yesterday I had to install extra security brackets in my car to protect it against car thieves.

We all have guns in the house for protection. If "they" manage to get into your house here they will rape your wife and daughters and kill your sons before they kill you while they make your wife and children watch.

To be perfectly honest, almost nobody here knows or cares about the situation in South Africa, I've read some pretty horrible things because I cared to search for them, but not many people do, it feels like you are basicly alone. If I were you I would try to get away from the country to somewhere safer where the authorities care for it's citizens, even if it meant losing some serious money.

[Grillo]

After Button's car had been assaulted, Lobato said he asked Alonso if he was worried about that type of things and he replied no, because I travel in a FIAT Uno. I think he was joking.

Great news Button is fine and congratulations to the police driver.

[PEN_F1]

maybe jenson could take some tips from his driver on how to get through traffic ?? glad he and his guests are fine .

[Suzie]

Wow. When I read the headline, "Button uninjured in Sao Paulo". I thought they must've had an accident in the pits. Never in my wildest dreams did something like this cross my mind. I'm glad Button, his father, his manager, and his driver are all ok. Maybe the track organizers need to build a Hotel nearby so the F1 personnel don't have to travel through the rough parts of town.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened in F1. Juan Manual Fangio was kidnapped in 1958 by Cuban Rebels

http://racefan.amplify.com/2010/06/2...el-kidnapping/

AFAIK they do stay close by, at the Morumbi Hilton which is only a few miles away. It's just that Interlagos itself seems to be in a poor area, you can see the favelas on TV at certain points of the track