Irish Bookmaker Pays Out on Jenson Button as Formula One Champ

Bookmaker Paddy Power has waved the chequered flag on this season's Formula One race and is paying out on Jenson Button as the winner of the driver's title.

As the drivers prepare for this weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone the bookie believes Button has driven so far into the sunset that the race to be champion is already over.

A spokesperson for the bookmaker said: "Congratulations to punters who got it bang on the Button. It certainly seems some shrewdies knew Brawn had a monster of a car in the garage and got on whilst the rest of us were still sitting in the pits."

With Paddy Power also paying out on Brawn GP as winners of this season's Constructors championship, the payout looks set to land punters more than £200,000 on Button and his team Brawn GP.

Button was at the back of the betting grid for much of the winter break and, with future of the Oxfordshire outfit looking doubtful, was an 80/1 also-ran in the betting. But as pre-season testing got underway it soon became clear that Ross Brawn had put together another cracking racing car and by the start of the season Button had been backed into 4/1 favourite.

Six wins our of seven later and Button is now an almost uncatchable 1/12 for the Drivers Title. And one customer will be having a particularly splendid Silverstone after backing Button with a £100 bet at 80/1.

For the last ever Silverstone Grand Prix this weekend Jenson Button is odds on at 3-4 to win his home race whilst Paddy Power is also offering 33/1 that the race returns to the circuit in 2010.