Ever spent a night in hospital? Yes, when I crashed in Monaco in 2003. They kept me in because I was knocked out and my brainwaves were all over the place; my father said that was normal but they didn't believe him.
Any notable accidents? 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. I was unconscious for 30 seconds and when I came round the doctor said, "Are you OK? Where does it hurt?" I said, "My left leg, my right leg, my left arm… Doctor, it hurts everywhere."
Do you worry about your weight? 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. I eat the right sort of food but sometimes I'm a bit naughty – I'm a big fan of a sticky toffee pudding.
What exercise do you take? I've been doing triathlons, so swimming, cycling and running, also doing certain things for my core, my neck and certain muscle groups for driving. I'm heading away next week to a fitness camp in Lanzarote. It's a great place to train because there's nothing to do except train, eat and sleep.
How much sleep do you need? I always sleep really well, particularly before a race, when the adrenaline's pumping.
How do you relax? Exercise. I've just come back from being at home for a couple of days, where I was cycling up in the hills outside Monaco. It's tough, especially as I've had a lot of fun over the past few weeks, so it hurts getting back into training, but it's just the most beautiful place.
What's your attitude to drugs? I can't even take a Lemsip because it's on the banned substance list. How crazy is that?
Are you happy? Yes. It's been a tough season and even though I'm quite a positive person there were times when I needed my friends around me to lift me up. When you can't even have a Lemsip you need good mates.
My Championship Year by Jenson Button is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, £20
