F1 World Champion Jenson Button confirms end of professional racing career

Jenson Button has confirmed that the upcoming 8 Hours of Bahrain will mark the last race of his professional career, with the 2009 F1 World Champion deciding not to compete in another season of the World Endurance Championship.

Button made his Formula 1 debut back in 2000 for Williams before going on to participate in 306 races – making him the sixth most experienced driver in the sport’s history – as well as collecting 15 wins, 50 podiums and eight pole positions along the way.

The Briton memorably experienced title success with Brawn GP in 2009, a fairytale story that saw the team rise from the ashes of the former Honda outfit to clinch both championships in what would be their sole F1 campaign.

After leaving Formula 1 at the end of the 2016 season – barring a one-race return in 2017 – Button went on to compete in various categories including Super GT, sportscars and Extreme E, as well as making three appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Over the past two years Button has raced in the World Endurance Championship, but the 45-year-old has announced that the 8 Hours of Bahrain – set to take place on November 8 – will bring his professional racing career to a close as he looks to focus on other work as well as spend more time with his young family.

“This will be my last race,” Button told BBC Radio Somerset. “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.

“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.”

While he will no longer be competing professionally, Button hopes to still race his own classic cars occasionally just for fun.

“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,” he 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.”