Jenson Button finally proved in 2006 that he wasn't yet another British driver who couldn't quite make it in Formula One when he finally secured his first-ever grand prix victory in Hungary with a stunning drive that even drew plaudits from his most fevered critics.

Although Button is still commonly regarded as a young, up-and-coming driver, he has in fact been a fixture in F1 for the past seven years.

It's hard to remember when a driver's debut caused quite so much controversy, but when Frank Williams announced that a 20-year-old was to line up alongside Ralf Schumacher for the 2000 season, the media went in to overdrive.

The Frome youngster (as he was then known) managed to silence his critics with a series of impressive track performances, however.

A nightmare qualifying hour in Australia saw him start his first race from 21st on the grid, but things got noticably better as the season progressed.

Button claimed his first championship point in Brazil as a result of David Coulthard's disqualification, and the youngster went on to finish eighth in the 2000 drivers' championship with 12 points.

One of the highlights of the year was in Belgium, where a third-placed Button lined up on the grid ahead of hero Michael Schumacher.

But this was one occasion when his inexperience let him down; an over-ambitious passing manoeuvre dropped him back early in the race, spinning an unimpressed Jarno Trulli into retirement at the same time.

Despite a strong debut season, Jenson was dropped in favour of ChampCar star Juan Pablo Montoya, and the Englishman found himself on loan to Benetton (soon to become Renault) for the next two seasons.

2001 was a disaster for the team as they struggled with an overly-flexing chassis and a radical new engine, believed to have a V-angle of 111 degrees.

Jenson and team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella's pace was slow, but Fisi muscled more out of the car than his more inexperienced team-mate.

There was subsequent criticism that Jenson was too keen on the trappings of being an F1 driver and his focus on the job had diminished.

Things came to a head when the Monaco harbour master provided Jenson's yacht a better position than his team boss Flavio Briatore during the grand prix weekend. Suffice to say, Flav wasn't amused.

Button's subsequent split with managers Steve and David Robertson, who had landed him his Williams contract, led to a more stable period during 2002 when he frequently outraced and outscored new team-mate Jarno Trulli, even if he wasn't able to outqualify him.

Button was on course to claim his first-ever podium position in the Malaysian GP, but a suspension failure an agonising two laps before the end of the race meant he had to limp home in fourth place.

Just before the French GP the Renault team announced they would be replacing Button in 2003 with a driver - like Trulli - also managed by Flavio Briatore, Fernando Alonso.

At the end of 2002 Jenson switched to BAR. It was a move that was to be the making of the young Englishman.

Paired with Jacques Villeneuve, the British sttar more than matched his illustrious team-mate, even if that elusive first podium remained just out of reach.

But if 2003 was an impressive retort to his critics, 2004 muted any claim that, to quote Villeneuve, Button was merely a 'boyband member.'

Driving with the smooth style that was a highlight of the campaign, Button broke his podium duck in the second race of the season. Another duly followed at Bahrain, and he then went one better by finishing second at Imola having started the race on pole.

He finished second again at Monaco, and in all made 10 separate trips to the podium during the season.

Yet if Button was never out of the limelight in 2005 it wasn't entirely due to his eye-catching performances on the track.

At the start of August Button stunned the world of F1 by announcing that he had signed a contract to drive for Williams.

A shocked BAR team immediately claimed that they were the only team to hold a valid contract with Button. The increasingly-tedious saga dragged on for months and while the Brit's performances never waned, the issue proved to be an unwelcome and unedifying distraction.

It wasn't until the week before the season finale at Brazil that F1's Contract Recognition Board ruled in BAR's favour and confirmed that Button had to remain at Brackley.

Not that the fallout ended there, however, with Button ditching manager and advisor John Byfield over the winter.

Button's desire to join Williams seemed justified when his 2005 campaign began with a string of nine pointless finishes, three of which were courtesy of a FIA ban imposed on BAR after the San Marino Grand Prix.

But the team bounced back with JB scoring points in every one of the final 10 races.

The grit and determination shown by BAR also convinced Jense that Honda and not Williams held the key to him winning a drivers' championship title.

Yet another contractual fiasco ensued, although instead of leaving this one to the courts, JB bought his way out of his Williams deal and signed a long-term contract with Honda Racing.

2006 saw him race alongside a new team-mate in Rubens Barrichello, and it wasn't long before Button had the upper hand and was clearly entrenched as Honda's number one driver.

That was further highlighted when the Brit, and not experienced race-winner Barrichello, clinched Honda's first-ever victory at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix.

And although some would argue that Button's win was handed to him by the misfortunes suffered by the likes of Alonso and Schumacher, a win is a win, no matter how it comes about. Even his 'Button-bashing' detractors acknowledged that the Briton produced a fabulous drive in extremely difficult circumstances.

The 10 points earned through his long-awaited maiden victory helped the Brit to sixth place in the drivers' standings.

With that first victory under his belt, Button's next target is the world title, but whether he can challenge for it in 2007 depends on whether Honda can produce the goods throughout the entire 17-race long season.