F1 champion Jenson Button sets Bahrain farewell as he retires from racing

2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button will retire from racing after next weekend’s World Endurance Championship finale in Bahrain.

Button has raced for Team Jota over the past couple of seasons.

The 45-year-old will officially call time on his professional racing career next weekend.

Button competed in over 300 F1 races, winning 15 of them.

The British driver won the 2009 F1 title with Brawn GP before moving to McLaren alongside Lewis Hamilton.

Button outscored Hamilton across their three years together as teammates.

He remained at McLaren until the end of 2016, finally retiring after another poor season with Honda power.

“This will be my last race. I’ve always liked Bahrain; I think it’s a fun track, and I’m going to enjoy it as much as I can because this will be the end of my professional racing career,” Button told BBC Radio Somerset.

Explaining the reasons for his retirement, Button added: “I’ve really enjoyed my time with Jota in WEC, but my life has got way too busy and it’s not fair on the team or on myself to go into 2026 and think that I’m going to have enough time for it.

“My kids are four and six, and you’re away for a week and you miss so much — you don’t get this time back.

“I feel like I’ve missed a lot the last couple of years, which has been fine because I knew that would happen, but I’m not willing to do that again for another season.”

Button leaves door open

While Button has no plans to fully commit to a professional series, he’s open to racing classic cars.

Alongside his racing commitments, Button is a pundit for Sky Sports’ F1 coverage in the UK.

“I’ve got classic cars I love to race, and for me that’s exciting because it’s mine — a car that I own — and I love the mechanical aspect,” Button explained.

“It’s very different to the cars I race in WEC and F1. You’re really connected to it, which I love — having to heel and toe, getting the gear shift just right, no aero, it’s all mechanical.”