27/10/2009
NEWS STORY
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Without doubt, some of the most iconic (and personal) shots of Jenson Button in the wake of his title-winning drive in Brazil were taken by veteran snapper Mark Sutton, whose company sponsored the English racer on his single-seater debut.
Sutton Motorsport Images, the world's largest independent motorsport photographic agency, was quick to congratulate Button and the Brawn GP team on their championship success, the Towcester based company being particularly proud of Jenson's achievement since it was his principal sponsor during his debut season of single-seater racing and was responsible for all his public relations in 1998 and his maiden Formula 3 season in 1999.
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Following a successful karting career, Button stepped up to single-seaters and it was here that he first came to the motorsport world's attention by winning the Slick 50 Formula Ford Championship and Festival. Less than two years later he lined up on the F1 grid with Williams in Melbourne and scored his first F1 points in only his second F1 race.
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Sutton Images has been present for all the highs and lows of Button's F1 career since his debut and it was only natural that they were at the photographic forefront when he sensationally won his first Grand Prix in Hungary in 2006. Three years later, they were there when, overcoming the pressure of leading the 2009 championship from the season offset, the Englishman sealed the title in true champions style after an amazing drive in Brazil.
Award-winning photographer Mark Sutton takes up the story when Button returned to parc ferme:
"Jenson was visibly overwhelmed by his achievement upon his return to parc ferme, so much so that he kept his helmet on! Obviously, I wanted to show the emotion on Jenson's face and shouted for him to remove his helmet. Once he did this he immediately recognised me in the crowd of photographers and ran at me with a huge smile on his face and holding his forefingers up to me showing me that he was number 1 - the new Formula One world champion!
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"That moment was completely unscripted and I had only a split second in which to capture this outburst of emotion.
"Upon my return to the UK I was delighted to find that this shot, and another of mine, had been used on the front pages of many of the British newspapers. They say that every picture tells a story and my photograph told the world in no uncertain terms that Jenson knew who was number 1 in the world!"
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Keith Sutton, CEO of Sutton Motorsport Images, who was also instrumental in the early success of Formula 1 World Champions Ayrton Senna and Kimi Raikkonen, said: "Firstly, I'd like to congratulate Jenson on winning his first Formula One World Championship. I'd also like to congratulate Mark on his amazing photograph that captured an unforgettable moment in the history of Formula One. Seeing his work on the front cover of the newspapers upon his return from Brazil was the icing on the cake for him.
"That his photo was used prominently by the national press the next morning is testament to the hard work put in by everyone at Sutton Motorsport Images after every Grand Prix."
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