Jenson Button has the ability to win the world championship, according to F1 commentator Murray Walker.

That is, if Honda gives him the right car to win it all.

Walker is adamant that Button, who's only collected nine points in the last two seasons, is a ‘damn good driver who's perfectly capable of winning the championship'.

The British driver, who's going on to his tenth season in the top flight of sport, enjoyed his best season four years ago, finishing in the top three ten times in 18 races for BAR-Honda as he headed the ‘best-of-the-rest' that season behind Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.

A couple of years ago, Button achieved the seemingly impossible when he triumphed at the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest despite starting from 14^th after being hit with a grid penalty.

However, Button has only made the podium once in the 40 races since, as his fortunes have dipped with those of Honda. The former British numero uno has also had to face the ignominy of being replaced by current media darling Lewis Hamilton, but Walker insists that Button can rise from the ashes, if given the right car.

"I haven't included Jenson Button," said Walker in an interview, when asked about his current top-ten F1 drivers, "not because I don't think he's a damn good driver who's perfectly capable of winning the championship, because I do think he's a damn good driver who is capable of winning the championship - but I've left him out just on the facts of what happened to him during the season."

"He wasn't able to show how good he is and demonstrate his talent simply because the car he was driving wasn't good enough for him to be able to do so. You can say the same thing about some of the other drivers as well; you could say it about [Giancarlo] Fisichella, and maybe even Adrian Sutil."

"I don't believe he has missed his chance, but I would agree with people who say he's the forgotten driver," continued the veteran commentator. "First of all he hasn't been able to show this season how good he is because the car wouldn't allow him to, and secondly - obviously - he's been totally overshadowed by the Lewis Hamilton factor, where the whole nation has gone berserk about him."

"There wasn't any room left for poor old Jenson, but if he gets the right car next year - and hopefully he will have, because Honda are starting off from the same place as everyone else with the regulation changes - I'm utterly confident that Jenson can win races, and if you can win races you can win the championship."

The man who is a household name when it comes to F1 commentating also agrees that David Coulthard has retired at the right time of his illustrious career.

"This is going to sound a bit churlish," Walker admitted, "but they all have to go some time or other. David Coulthard is one of the nicest people it's ever been my privilege to meet, but he's won 13 grands prix, he's made a great deal of money, he's scored more world championship points than any other British driver - indeed he's fourth on the all-time list of points-scorers - he's at last found a woman that he's happy with and they're about to have a child."

"He's had a wonderful Formula 1 career, he's come out of it totally unscathed without scratching himself in spite of a lot of collisions that he's had and he's got a great future in front of him. In a situation where they all have to go some time, I'm not sad to see him go, but I very much respect him as a person and regard myself as very lucky to have known him as long as I have done and to have commentated on as many races of his as I did."