Jenson ButtonThreatened by Gunmen

Jenson Button  the reigning  Formula One world champion was threatened by gunmen in São Paulo on Saturday evening. Prompt action from his police driver who drove away from the scene was praised by the champion. Button called the driver and a “legend” for fleeing through the traffic after at least three gunmen armed with  hand guns and a machine gun approached his car as he was being driven back to his hotel after practice for Sunday’s Formula One race.

Button was traveling in a reinforced armored car along with his father John, manager Richard Goddard and personal trainer Mike Collier when gunmen struck. The four passengers were unharmed but shaken by the incident.

Later, at press conference Button said “The driver was a legend, a great guy, he got us out of trouble. Looking behind, there two men with a hand gun and one man with what looked like a machine gun. It was a pretty scary situation.”

Mr. Goddard  said at the press conference that they were about three or four minutes away from the Interlagos circuit when  the incident took place. He noted that more than four or five guys emerged from a block of flats and he noticed one guy was carrying a piece of wood similar to a baseball bat. He did not notice any guns until someone else pointed it out.

He also said they were lucky to have a police driver with them who forced his way through the traffic and get them away from what could have been “quite a frightening situation”.

São Paulo, along with all of Brazil’s major cities has a bad record for serious crimes of violence. Similar incidents affecting Formula One related personnel have occurred in the past. In 2007 members of Toyota’s  F1 team escaped a similar situation. BBC commentator Murray Walker has said that gunmen had previously attempted to attack him in the same area.

Interlagos circuit is close to favelas,  or shanty towns, known for their deprivation and crime. Criminals there see the people involved with formula 1 as wealthy, carrying valuables such as watchers and consider them as targets for their crimes. The F1 drivers themselves are wealthy and involved in a rich sport and  could be prime targets for kidnap.