Sunday January 16th, 2000

Jenson Button put in a commanding performance for the BMW-Williams team in the final day of testing on Sunday as he moved a step closer to becoming Britain's youngest-ever Formula One driver.

The 19-year-old, who endured a frustrating previous 48 hours after his car was struck down with mechanical problems, completed 36 trouble-free laps at the Spanish circuit.

After spending the afternoon session behind the wheel, Button clocked a best lap time of one minute 25.75 seconds, just 1.39 seconds behind David Coulthard in a McLaren-Mercedes.

"Testing for the BMW-Williams team has been a terrific experience for me," Button said.

"The team have so much top-level experience. Competing at the highest level has always been my ambition and it doesn't get much higher than this.

"I am looking forward to the three-day test in Barcelona on Wednesday and hope that I can impress the team there."

The BMW-Williams team cancelled a scheduled test day with regular number one driver Ralf Schumacher in order to assess Button's ability and the Briton grabbed his chance.

With Brazilian rival Bruno Junqueira forced to watch from the sidelines, Button was immediately on the pace as he recorded some quick early laps.

Button's driving skills impressed the BMW-Williams pit garage and technical director Patrick Head admitted he was surprised by the maturity of the Formula Three driver.

"It has been a very productive day for us," Head said. "Jenson has done a very good job. In view of the limited mileage we've achieved over the past three days, Jenson settled into the car very quickly.

"He is remarkably mature for a 19-year-old and is definitely a star of the future. We would obviously have liked to achieve more mileage and subsequently Jenson and Bruno will test for us in Barcelona."

A BMW-Williams spokesman said the team would not make a decision until after the Barcelona test ended on Friday but Button had achieved his objectives in Jerez.

"We will give both drivers a fair crack of the whip and they have three more days to prove themselves. Jenson adapted superbly to the car and at the end of the day he finished less than 1.5 seconds behind a McLaren that completed more laps -- a very impressive statistic."

If Button wins the battle to replace Italian Alessandro Zanardi at BMW-Williams he will supplant 1950s hero Stirling Moss in the record books as Britain's youngest-ever grand prix driver.