Jenson Button Bids Farewell to Professional Racing: An End of an Era

It will be a farewell weekend to professional racing for Jenson Button. After a long F1 career, which ended in 2017, the British driver turned his attention to numerous other competitions. Including the World Endurance Championship (WEC), from which he will retire at the upcoming race in Bahrain.

In 2024, Button joined the WEC Porsche Team Jota almost full-time. But his first complete season was challenging: he finished 19th in the standings, with several adjustments still needed on the Porsche 963.

For 2025, his contract was renewed after the team decided to switch to the Cadillac V-Series, which is fighting until the final race for the constructors’ title alongside Porsche and Ferrari. In his final weekend on track, Button will share the No. 38 Cadillac V-Series.R with Earl Bamber and Sébastien Bourdais in the Hypercar category.

Almost 500 races, countless categories: the career of a racing legend

Jenson Button’s Formula 1 career speaks for itself, boasting truly impressive numbers: he competed from 2000 to 2017 with teams including Williams, Benetton, Renault, BAR, Honda, Brawn, and McLaren, always racing with car number 22. In 309 races (306 starts), he claimed 15 wins, 50 podiums, 8 pole positions, and 8 fastest laps, amassing 1235 career points. The pinnacle of his career came in 2009, when he became World Champion with Brawn GP.

Button’s experience in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) has been less successful than his F1 career. Making his debut in the 2018-19 season, he raced for teams like SMP Racing and currently competes with the Cadillac Hertz Team Jota, holding an FIA Platinum license. In 19 starts, he has yet to claim a championship or victory but has achieved 2 podiums. His best championship finish being 15th in the 2018-19 LMP1 season.

Button also competed in the Japanese Super GT Championship with the Honda NSX from 2017 to 2019, winning the GT500 Championship with Team Mugen in 2018.

Jenson Button, highly complex cars to handle and countless hours of meetings

The ex F1British driver stated that retiring from professional racing was not a particularly difficult decision. “This world takes up so much time,” he said. “Beyond the track sessions, there are countless team meetings to understand cars that are now incredibly complex to drive.” Button added that it would not be fair to continue into 2026, allowing Team Jota to maintain a more competitive lineup.

However, Button will continue to race in local championships, choosing which events to participate in at his discretion. He also enjoys the world of classic cars, owning several collector models with which he shares a deep emotional and technical connection. He notes that many former professional drivers dedicate themselves to these competitions as well. The battles will remain intense even in these arenas.