F1 champion announces plan to retire from full-time racing at end of season

Former F1 champion Jenson Button has revealed plans to take a step back from full-time racing in 2026.

Button won the 2009 world championship with the Brawn GP team, before retiring from F1 back in 2016, appearing at one more race with McLaren in 2017 as cover for Fernando Alonso, who was busy racing in the Indy 500.

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However, since then, the Brit has still been throwing himself into various other racing series, including NASCAR, IMSA, and the World Endurance Championship (WEC).

Button raced in the standout race of the latter's calendar last weekend at the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans race, with the Cadillac Hertz Team Jota outfit.

It was his fourth attempt at claiming the second leg of motorsport's illustrious triple crown, but Button once again fell short alongside Sebastien Bourdais and Earl Bamber, finishing eighth having started the race up in second.

Now, the 45-year-old has issued an update on his racing career, revealing his plans to ease into retirement at the end of this season.

"Something’s got to give," he told Telegraph Sport. "Next year, I’ll probably take a slight back step in terms of I won’t be doing a full season.

"I’ve got so many things going on and I just can’t fit it all in. You know, I’ve had a fun career and hopefully the next five races this year are going to be awesome and we’re going to end on a high."

Button's busy racing career starting to slow

The 2009 champion is still a full-time racer at 45 and competes in some very demanding events across the world.

The Brit will go down as a racing legend, not just because of his drivers' title and 15 F1 race victories.

Button also won the Super GT - GT500 championship in 2018, and has claimed podiums in the WEC and IMSA Sportscar Championship.

His brief stint in NASCAR, too, showcased just how multi-talented Button is as a racer, and he is still determined to keep on racing despite admitting that full-time racing may no longer be an option for him.

"It’s very unlikely I’ll do a full season next year just because of timing," Button continued.
"I definitely want to be racing in certain things here and there. I just can’t put as much time as needed to one side for racing. You know, kids and life, it’s too busy this year."

Button is also a pundit for Sky Sports F1, seen regularly across each F1 season, most recently at the 2025 Monaco GP.

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