British Formula 1 driver Jenson Button has shared his intention to retire from full-time racing to spend more time with his young family.
The 45-year old and his wife Brittny Ward, 35, spoke to Hello Magazine, with the driver telling them, “I’ve had a great career. I’m still healthy, and there are so many things I still want to do, but I feel I’ve got the balance wrong.
“I’ve been away too much, I’ve travelled too much. I’ve had to, for work, but that’s why I’m retiring from racing, so we can have this new start with the kids and we can spend more time together as a family.”
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F1 driver Jenson Button says he has missed out on his kids’ childhood. (Instagram/@jensonbutton)
The couple shares Hendrix, six, and Lenny, four.
“The kids are growing. I feel like I’m missing a lot,” he said.
“I’m 45 already. It’s flown by; it’s been insane. But this point in my life is going to be the best part of my life. And I’m very, very excited.”
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The dad-of-two, whose net worth is estimated to be around $243 million, admits he has been “selfish” about his career so far, and fears the transition he is facing, though he says he is confiding in his wife about it.
“When you’re racing as a driver in F1, you’re very selfish, you have to be. And that shift from being the most selfish person you can be, to having a family – it’s tricky,” Button said.
Ward said, “He’s really missing out on waking up with our kids every day… He is such a wonderful husband and father.
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“When you’re racing as a driver in F1, you’re very selfish, you have to be,” Button admits in a new interview. (Getty)
“We really don’t get to spend a whole lot of time [together], but for now, we just deal with it and know that next year, we’ll hopefully be a little calmer.”
The Jota Cadillac driver first announced his plans for retirement in July, telling media that he will not be taking on racing full-time in 2026.
“I will be racing in something next year, but not a full season,” he said, per Motorsport.
“Life has got too busy with so many different things going on – it is a very busy schedule I have.”
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“It is about time I start thinking about the future a little bit more, and I want to spend more time with my family.
“It is unfair as well to the team: I probably don’t have enough time to give to it, especially next year.”
In addition to racing, Button is also a part of Sky TV’s F1 coverage.
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