FORMULA 1: When Jenson Button eventually wins a grand prix, you would give a lot to watch the reaction of the people who declined to show faith in his talent.

Button failed to turn his first pole position into a maiden grand prix victory here yesterday, but in coming second to Michael Schumacher on the Ferrari team's home circuit he struck a number of significant blows and reinforced the impression that Britain once again has a driver capable of competing for the world championship.

His results in this season's four races to date - sixth in Australia, third in Malaysia, third again in Bahrain and now second in San Marino - suggest he and his BAR-Honda team are gathering confidence in their ability to mount a genuine challenge. And after Schumacher had climbed from his car to celebrate his fourth straight win of the season, the world champion was generous in his praise of the performance of the 24-year-old Englishman.

"It was absolutely mind-blowing," Schumacher said. He was referring to Button's opening lap, in which the BAR opened up a lead of almost three seconds.

"He was disappearing into nowhere, and I was really wondering," the eventual winner continued. "It took quite a few laps before everything got going and I was able to chase him."

Those who watched Button's early tests in a Formula One car in the weeks before Christmas 1999 were struck by a boyish eagerness that was almost as appealing as his obvious speed and precocious competence. Nothing has changed in that respect, and yesterday he showed no sign of being overawed by the responsibility of becoming the first British driver to take pole position at a grand prix since David Coulthard in Monaco almost three years ago.

By making a clean start and leading the field through the Tamburello chicane, Button negotiated what many people considered the hardest task of his day. For all the help offered to Formula One drivers by modern engine management systems, the job of co-ordinating a throttle pedal and a fingertip clutch lever in order to get a 900-horsepower engine to deliver maximum acceleration from a standing start still requires good judgment and steady nerves.

Sometimes, as Mark Webber proved in Malaysia last month, making it on to the front row for the first time can preface a major anti-climax. With a clear track in front of him for the first time in his Formula One career, Button did not waste the opportunity.

"He was very relaxed about it," his team principal, David Richards, said afterwards, "and he did probably the best start he's made all season, so you could tell the pressure didn't get to him at all."

All the dramas were happening behind the BAR, as Juan Pablo Montoya's brash assault on Schumacher enlivened the first lap. "I didn't see any of that," Button said. "I was too busy to look."

As he came out of the Variante Bassa and past the pits at the end of the opening lap, with the number one Ferrari trailing a few hundred yards behind, the sea of red flags barely stirred as thousands of home fans registered their disappointment.

The BAR's advantage lasted for nine laps, until the Ferrari team's mastery of pit-stop strategy gave their leader the chance to vault over Button. From then on Schumacher steadily increased his lead until, with a 12 laps to go, he could ease off and allow a half-minute advantage to dwindle to under 10 seconds as they crossed the line.

All weekend the BAR had looked remarkably stable, enabling Button, an elegant stylist at the wheel, to commit himself to early acceleration out of the slower corners. Yesterday, however, the car's handling was affected by a freshening wind.

"In a race it's hard to have a perfect car," Button said, "and it was a little bit twitchier than we expected."

The team expect an even stronger performance in a fortnight at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, where they recently tested with outstanding results. Yet Button, currently lying third in the championship standings, is cautious about his prospects of overhauling the Ferrari drivers.

"We might be closer," he said, "but to beat them is a big step."

He has become used to taking such obstacles in his stride. Perhaps Frank Williams had good reason to let him go at the end of 2000, after a single season with the team. Forced to choose between the promising 20-year-old and the more experienced and highly-rated Montoya, Williams made a decision that remains open to debate. After that reverse, Button spent two unhappy years with the team known in his first year as Benetton and in his second as Renault, where his ability was disparaged by his boss, Flavio Briatore, who could hardly wait to replace him with his own protégé, Fernando Alonso.

His resilience, however, could be seen last year, when he joined BAR and so comprehensively outperformed his team-mate, the embittered former world champion Jacques Villeneuve, that he won promotion to number one status for this season.

"With young drivers you've got to accept that there will be mistakes as they go along," Richards said last night. "You've got to be very tolerant and give them a bit of space to work in and to explore the boundaries. I have to say, though, that Jenson is not putting a foot wrong at the moment. He's risen to the challenge wonderfully."

In Bahrain, a fortnight ago, Button's second appearance on the podium in consecutive races forced a rare apology from Bernie Ecclestone, who had counselled Richards against hiring the English driver. And as this weekend's qualifying session reached its climax, his fastest lap provoked an embarrassing error from the world champion.

For a driver once criticised for allowing a youthful fondness for the trappings of success to run ahead of his actual achievements, bigger prizes now seem within reach.