NEARLY 15 years to today's date was the first and last time we saw an F1 championship winner come from Somerset.

Jenson Button was the winner back in 2009, beating out a young Sebastien Vettel on points in a heated contest.

Back in 2009, the Brazilian Grand Prix – then the penultimate race of the season ahead of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – provided the greatest moment in the career of Somerset’s Jenson Button.

Competing in a career that spanned 17 years, Jenson Button raced in Formula 1 from the age of 20, starting back in 2000.

A fifth-place race finish in São Paulo was enough for Button, who was born in Frome and grew up in nearby Vobster, to seal the drivers’ world championship title with the newly-formed Brawn GP team, only months after he nearly lost his place in the sport.

Following the withdrawal of Honda from F1 in December 2008, Button was left without a team for the 2009 season, before Ross Brawn led a management buyout of Honda, creating Brawn GP and recruiting Button as a driver.

Button went on to win a record-equalling six of the first seven races of the 2009 season, with his success also helping Brawn GP to secure the World Constructors' Championship.

At the start of the 2010 season, he moved to McLaren, partnering fellow British racer Lewis Hamilton.

After finishing fifth for the team in 2010, Button ended the 2011 season as runner-up, before falling to fifth in the 2012 championship.

Four more seasons with McLaren resulted in no further victories, and he retired from Formula One at the end of 2016, making a one-off return at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix to deputise for Fernando Alonso.

Singing his own rendition of 'We are the champions' after the final race in 2009, Button was emotional after crossing the finish line, handing out thanks to his team and everyone who was supporting him.

The Somerset driver said he had dealt with "many ups and downs" in the season before becoming champion.

Speaking about his championship win, the Frome sportsman was almost at a loss for words.

Button said: "It's really amazing, especially after the last few races I've had. 

"This makes up for it. 

"It was such an awesome race, and I'm world champion, baby!"

The Frome F1 champion finished first ahead of legendary driver, Sebastian Vettel, who also went on to have a promising career in Formula 1.

This included four F1 Championships, which were back-to-back from 2010-2013.

Jenson added: "21 years ago, I jumped in a car and I loved winning. 

"I never expected to be world champion in F1, but we've done it."