F1 fans rage at resurfaced Jenson Button 'big boobs' joke

Button in high-neck dark top and beige blazer in the F1 paddock holding a Sky Sports microphone — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 fans rage at resurfaced Jenson Button 'big boobs' joke

Jenson Button won the 2009 world championship

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 4 May 2026 19:45

Some comments from 2009 world champion Jenson Button have resurfaced on social media, leading to fan outrage.

Button is a pundit on Sky Sports F1, and was part of the coverage team for the recent Miami Grand Prix, appearing alongside Simon Lazenby, Naomi Schiff and Karun Chandhok.

The Brit retired from the sport back in 2016, although he did make one final grand prix appearance at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix with McLaren, and raced with several iconic teams during his spell in the sport between 2000-2017.

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Button won the 2009 world championship with Brawn GP, and across his career claimed 15 grand prix victories.

But some comments that the Brit made back in 2005 about female drivers forced him to issue a public apology, while he was racing with the BAR team.

Button said in an interview with FHM Magazine: "One week of the month you wouldn't want to be on the circuit with them, would you? A girl with big boobs would never be comfortable in the car, and the mechanics wouldn't concentrate. Can you imagine strapping her in?"

Now, amid his appearance at the Miami GP, fans have taken to social media to share the comments once more, with many issuing some strong reactions to his historical remarks.

"Let's get rid of Jenson Button," one fan said, while another said: "Why the f*** would you say this?"

One user issued some advice to a current driver on the grid, saying: "Oscar Piastri you can throw a mic at his face next time he interviews you," while another lamented their admiration for Button as a pundit, saying: "Shame on me for thinking he was normal."

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Button's full apology about historical remarks

With the struggles faced by female racers trying to make their way into F1 well documented, Button's comments in 2005 sparked outrage at the time too.

Immediately after the interview with FHM back in 2005, Button issued a public apology for the remarks.

"I just wanted to take this time to address some reports that have been printed in the papers and pieces that have even been on television caused by 'comments' I made during an interview with a magazine," he said.

"I have now also seen what is being said about it on my site in the forums, which shows that some people have read the papers and as a result have been offended. I would therefore like to say that comments printed, as I am sure some of you realise, have been taken out of context and written in a way which implies that what has been written is a serious response to women competing in F1, which of course is not the case.

"The article is from FHM and in that article you will see that I talk about Danica Patrick and how great she is on the Indy circuit; I have a huge amount of respect for her, I have a huge amount of respect for anybody competing in motorsport as I know how tough it is, be it women or men.

"My comments were made in pure jest during a moment of male banter, and I sincerely regret that so few words, and more importantly the way in which they were written, have caused anybody any offence.

"The tough thing about interviews is that when you are speaking to someone it's very hard to then imagine how it will sound to someone reading it later on. I guess it's the same as an email or text message; you know how it sounds when you say it i.e. as a joke, but someone might read it completely differently. Something you can be sure I will be thinking of during my next interviews!

"For anybody this has upset, an I hope that is not too many of you, I apologise. Your support means a lot to me and I hope this clears things up. Thanks."

Button is now an ambassador of the Aston Martin team who have several female racing drivers on their books, including Jessica Hawkins and Mathilda Paatz.

Written by

Sam Cook - Digital Journalist

Sam Cook is a talented young sports journalist and social media professional who now specialises in Formula 1, having previously worked as a football journalist and a local news reporter for a variety of different brands.

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F1 Jenson Button