On the occasion of the 8 Hours of Bahrain, we had a chat with Jenson Button. The Hertz Jota and Cadillac driver told us about the final chapter of his career, one that has been rich in emotions
They say that in life you never stop learning and that there is no real finish line. While that may be true, many things do eventually come to an end, leaving us with hundreds of lessons – but also with a strange sense of emptiness. Perhaps this is the best way to describe the end of the career of one of the most important drivers in motorsport history. Someone who understands cars far more deeply than one might imagine. During the final race of the WEC, we had the honor of spending a few minutes with Jenson Button, the 2009 Formula 1 World Champion and Hertz Jota driver, to ask him a few questions about his upcoming retirement.
He welcomed us with a smile and great warmth. Qualities that have always set him apart in every paddock across the championships he has raced in. And he tells us immediately that this farewell doesn’t scare him: “I feel good! Tomorrow I’ll get a few hours in the car. It’ll be the last chance I’ll have to drive the Cadillac, which has really been a fun car, it really has,” the Briton says. The same mood carried through his entire weekend, during which he was also responsible for helping the team fight for a potential world title. Cadillac, in fact, was battling for the championship against Porsche and Ferrari – with the latter ultimately winning in its third year in the series.
A long yet unforgettable career
Jenson Button’s career began about 25 years ago, when the Briton made his debut in Formula 1. His journey on closed-wheel cars came later, while his debut in the World Endurance Championship arrived only in 2024. The partnership between Cadillac and Hertz Team Jota proved to be the perfect opportunity to take on the challenge of prototypes – the most coveted discipline in motorsport right now. And Button has only kind words for his team:
“I think that the way this team has really worked together with Cadillac has been exceptional this year, so I’ll enjoy my last laps in the car, then I’ll get out, take off my helmet and go do something else.”
That “something else” for the now former driver is already quite predictable. For several years, he has been one of the most renowned Formula 1 pundits in the United Kingdom (and beyond). Between podium interviews, starting grids, and chats with the drivers, Button has once again become one of the familiar faces of the championship, only in a different role. Yet his time in F1 remains the cornerstone of his career, as he explains when we ask him about the defining moment of his career:
“My best memory in motorsport will always be the world championship. You know, winning in Formula 1. Then my Super GT win in 2018 was awesome for me. But at the same time, the feelings I experienced when I was announced to the world as a Formula 1 driver at just 19 years old were indescribable. So it’s been a long career but a very fun one, with lots of ups and downs – a real rollercoaster. And at the same time, I’m looking forward to it being over, so…”
Link to the video we did with Jenson.
