Button arrived at Benetton after an excellent debut year with Williams as the new darling of F1. But he was always going to have to prove himself afresh, and the results were not encouraging.

Button was annihilated by team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella to the point of embarrassment - and only in the last three races, after the Italian's departure for Jordan was announced, did Button get remotely close.

Part of that can be explained by the fact that Button took a long time to find a set-up with which he was comfortable, something that can partially be explained by his inexperience.

But that in itself cannot explain a gap of just under a second, which is more or less what it was for most of the year.

Button has a Williams contract that runs until the end of 2004, and he was expecting to be asked back there from 2003.

But with Ralf Schumacher already signed, and Juan Pablo Montoya impressing much more than Button, that is not a likely scenario, and Button will likely have to find a role for himself somewhere else.

No-one doubts that Button has the talent to win races in F1, but team owners have short-term memories.

So whatever the reason for his lack of pace, Button will have to turn things around, if he is to have a long-term future at the front of F1.