The final round of the World Endurance Championship has gained further significance, via its special connection to the career of 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button.<\/p>\n
That is because Button has confirmed that the 8 Hours of Bahrain will be his final race with the Jota team, and as a professional racing driver. With life having got \u201cway too busy\u201d as other projects emerge, the 45-year-old has decided that it is time.<\/p>\n
Jenson Button prepares for final professional race<\/p>\n
Button will forever be fondly remembered for his role in the iconic Brawn GP story. He claimed his sole Drivers\u2019 Championship with the team \u2013 born from the ashes of Honda \u2013 in 2009, the year which Brawn also won the Constructors\u2019 crown. It proved their only year of existence, with Mercedes taking over the team from 2010.<\/p>\n
In more recent years, Button has turned his focus to endurance racing, and this form of competition will host his final professional race, as the 8 Hours of Bahrain takes place on 8 November.<\/p>\n
Speaking via BBC Radio Somerset, Button said: \u201cWe\u2019re still fighting as a team for the Constructors\u2019 Championship. We\u2019re still in the hunt for the win, which is obviously very difficult, but P2, is attainable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot to look forward to in Bahrain, and it being my last race\u2026 I\u2019ve always liked Bahrain. I think it\u2019s a fun track, and I\u2019m going to enjoy it as much as I can, because this will be the end of my professional racing career.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cBut I\u2019m happy about it. I mean, it wasn\u2019t that difficult [to decide], to be fair.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve really enjoyed my time with Jota in WEC. But, you know, my life just got way too busy. And it\u2019s not fair. It\u2019s not fair on the team, or on myself, really, to go into 2026 and think that I\u2019m going to have enough time for it, because it takes up a lot of time racing in WEC.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese cars are so complicated. The meetings you have about meetings, about meetings. It is very, very busy.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I won\u2019t have the time to really put into the championship, which is unfair on the team, and you want to get the best out of yourself always, and you need to commit 100 per cent and I can\u2019t do that next year. There\u2019s a lot going on with other work, fun work, but also just businesses that I\u2019m involved with. So, it\u2019s a tough one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Button stressed that he \u201ccan\u2019t thank Jota enough\u201d for the opportunity which they gave him in WEC, but now that his professional retirement looms, a familiar feeling has returned for the Brit, who made his final F1 grand prix start in 2017.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of like when I retired from F1,\u201d he said. \u201cI love F1, it was big part of my life, but having a bit more freedom to go and do a little bit more of what I want was cool, and kind of refreshing.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it\u2019s again, that feeling, after racing in WEC.\u201d<\/p>\n
More on Jenson Button and Brawn GP via PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc49 Brawn GP: The team that shouldn\u2019t have existed \u2013 and still won it all<\/a><\/p>\n