It doesn't matter how much money you've got, or how many connections, there's always something you want that's out of reach.
Jenson Button
That Monaco crash was quite a big one - I pulled 33g when I hit the wall, which is a lot. It's a weird sensation - like all my skin and flesh was being pulled off my bones.
To drive an F1 car you have to be a little mad. On the morning of a race there's a mix of excitement and fear. If it's a wet track, then it's worse as you're not in control most of the time, which is the thing all drivers fear the most.
The fast, flowing parts, the high-speed corners, that's where a Formula One car is at its best - changes of direction, pulling high g-forces left and right.
If someone was making a movie about F1 in the last six months, they wouldn't need to add a Hollywood ending. If they do make that movie, it's got to be 'The Curious Case Of Jenson Button,' where I've lived my life backwards. I'd like Johnny Depp to play me but he wouldn't be quite right.
I always sleep really well, particularly before a race, when the adrenaline's pumping.
My school reports always used to point out that my concentration levels were appalling. I never listened in class because I was always daydreaming about racing. I never thought for a moment about doing anything else. There was no guarantee that I'd make a career in it but I never had any plan B.
To understand the intensity of driving an F1 car, you have to be in it. When you're driving a 750hp machine at 200mph, the noise and the vibrations are incredible. The G-force when you take big corners is like someone trying to rip your head off. You hit the brakes, and it feels as if the skin is being pulled off your body.
In the car and in front of the camera I tend to be very calm but behind the scenes I can get fired up and passionate, I just don't see the need to shout my mouth off in public.
I don't purposely speed, but I might go over by five or six miles an hour from time to time. It doesn't give me a buzz driving on normal roads, because I can't go fast enough. It's never going to be anything like an F1 car.
Resting for me is fitness training.
When I'm on my own, I can be negative. I need my friends and family around to help pick me up if I've had a bad qualifying session. I think insecurity plagues a lot of sportspeople.
When it comes to my racing career I'm very driven and very selfish. People who are around me at races will know that I'm a different person here than in my personal life. I completely blank people at races. I need to be focused. I'm rude.
In my hometown there is a pub named after me - The Frome Flyer on Jenson Avenue. How cool is that?!
My 'Movember' moustache was never going to be as big as Nigel Mansell's, but I tried my best. The amazing thing is that when you try to grow a moustache, you notice everyone else's. There are some amazing moustaches on the grid.
We go through the whole season working on next season's car and developing the car and making sure we fit in the car and all that sort of stuff. And we obviously give ideas of what we would hope next year's car would have even if it's small things like buttons on the steering wheel and different positions and whatever.
When I was in Japan with my girlfriend Jessica, she would have had acupuncture every day if she could. I can just about stomach going to a chiropractor and I visited a talented one when I was there, but when he tried a needle on me, it was horrible. My muscles tightened and it didn't work at all.
'Le Mans' is the only racing movie that is totally realistic.
I have made lots of mistakes in terms of contracts and spending money when I shouldn't have spent money.
If I run I lose so much weight, which I need because you're limited on weight when you are a tall driver. And have you seen marathon runners? They're quite skinny.
We all drive differently and have different styles. For me I need a car I can develop beneath me and feel comfortable in. If the car feels neutral and unbalanced it doesn't work for me.
The only time I think about life beyond F1 is when I contemplate becoming a dad. But there's no way that's going to happen while I'm still racing. To be successful in F1 you need to be very selfish in lots of ways and you're away from home for long periods. That's not the kind of father I want to be.
I love the role of being the experienced driver and that is definitely the case next year - I think I am the most experienced guy in F1 next year.
It is such a special feeling to win a grand prix.
I like old tunes when I'm driving. They're fun and uplifting. Billy Ocean, that kind of thing.
When you're in a car which can win every race, or fight for a win every race, that is pressure.
You look back and you remember the good, the bad and the ugly.
I think as a 20-year-old you expect life to always be easy. You get given a good hand and the chance to race in Formula One. You think the driver can make the difference, can make up for everything else within the team. But that is not the case. You are racing in such a competitive sport so that doesn't happen.
My time at Honda was amazing. Some of my best times in Formula One, actually. I might not have won races, just one race, but I had a lot of fun.
I need to develop a car and engineer a car in a position that feels comfortable for me, and I don't think anyone can do a better job than I can in that position. The problem for me is if I can't get the car there I do struggle more than some.
I love cycling, running and swimming. In recent years I've competed regularly in triathlons, which means I don't find the physical side of driving a struggle any more.
I always think I should try to get to bed early, but then I can't stop myself from watching telly and fiddling around on the net.
When I do retire, I know for a fact that I'll never be able to replace the incredible feeling I get when I'm driving an F1 car.
Women don't get the same opportunities that men get in racing, so they don't get to learn race craft.
It doesn't matter who wins if I don't. I only care if I win. I'm jealous of anyone else who wins.
I think fans of the sport have a good understanding now of how fit Formula One drivers need to be.
I can't eat whatever I want, definitely not. I'm always controlled because I do a lot of fitness and triathlons, not just Formula One, so I always make sure I eat the right things.
I think social networks are really working for the drivers, because we're able to talk directly to fans and they get first-hand information. And I think it's great for the partners as well and the businesses that are involved in Formula One.
If I ever have a son, and if he wants to follow in my footsteps in Formula 1, my main responsibility will be to point out some of the negatives.
I've spent as much as 30 grand on a watch but it's not about flaunting my wealth. I don't have many extravagances but watches are my biggest one. I must have 30 of them now. I've been collecting since the age of nine, when I won a black TAG in a karting event.
Yeah, I'm the Brit who isn't Lewis Hamilton that woke up and realised he was good. I got that tag because I was young, flying around in jets and driving fast cars. I always took my driving seriously, but I suppose I enjoyed life... But I'm not a playboy.
I felt confident at 24, but I am a better driver now.
My father did everything for me. He was awesome.
I haven't got the yacht any more. The cost of running it was crazy. But it was so much fun while I had it. I don't regret it.
A lot of people think Formula One isn't a sport because everyone drives a car when they go to work in the morning. But we're pulling up to six G on a corner or during breaking, which is almost like being a fighter pilot. So we have to do a lot of work on our neck muscles.
I keep my weight low, although you need to be able to move your weight around the race car to change the balance. I'm 6ft and I'm 70kg so I haven't much fat on me.
For me, triathlons were something that was down to me and my fitness. Now, I really enjoy the pain in the triathlon of chasing someone down. It's a bit like chasing down Nico Rosberg in the last few laps at Silverstone - it makes you feel alive.
You're pulling 4-5G for a lot of the corners around the lap. We build up lactic acid because there are a lot of vibrations in the car, and you have to have strong legs to hit the brake pedal. We need to be fit to do every lap at 100%.
