That's an interesting point, and might bring light to exactly why Button has never won (this is not a Button bashing post).
It seems fair to say that Button IS a very smooth driver, maybe one of the smoothest. I'm pretty sure this is at least true for throttle control, as described by commentators. I'd guess this extends to braking and overall integrated driving (is that true?).
However, even assuming that, does that make him a fast driver?
I forget exactly how a graph of slip angles works, but basically it can describe how precisely (and therefore skilled) drivers can stay on the limit. I bring this up because, if Jensen is driving smoothly all the time and never triggering traction control, that doesn't necessarily mean he is an excellent driver.
It means we don't know if he's actually driving at the limit. He could be driving way before the limit, and not using all available grip.
In fact, it might be argued that the best drivers are the ones who occasionally go past the grip limit but are fast enough to correct the mistake. This provides a feedback cycle so that the driver can learn to stay at maximum grip under varying conditions.
Im wondering now if we can tell which drivers are which by examining parade lap footage, noting which drivers seem to have best car control while doing left and rights and 'squiggles' (not sure what to call it)
So, which driver is Button? Does he use all available grip, or is he just always conservative?