"Jenson has been a winner ever since he started kart racing as an eight-year-old, and he's one of the few drivers capable of going all the way to the top in Formula One," Ben Sulayem told the Gulf Daily News.

"The key is the reliability of his car," he continued, "which let him down last year after he showed what he can do in 2004 by finishing third in the championship."

Sulayem, 14-times Middle East rally champion, has formed a close friendship with Jenson, saying "I keep in touch with him regularly and like the fact that he doesn't get carried away with what he's achieved. It's important not to let success in sport affect you in a negative way."

Jenson will soon be closer to Sulayem, with the Briton buying a villa in the exclusive new Durrat Al Bahrain development on the east coast of Bahrain.

"It's only five and a half hours from Europe," explains Button, "so it's not a long flight and it's worth it because I can get away from everything and come here. It's the temperature and the people here have really welcomed us and it's a place I can come and relax and get away from everything."

The $3 billion project, consisting of a cluster of islands and land areas, has been planned as a world-class residential, leisure, commercial and tourist destination. It is expected to accommodate more than 45,000 full-time residents in addition to some 4,000 visitors a day, upon completion in 2009.

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