Jenson Button’s five greatest Formula 1 races as the 2009 champion retires

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Jenson Button has announced his retirement from professional racing as he takes part in his final competitive event this weekend.

The 2009 Formula 1 world champion has tried a number of various motorsports since his official retirement from Formula 1 in 2016, including Super GT, Extreme E and more recently the World Endurance Championship.

Button has been with Hertz Team Jota since 2024, competing in the Hypercar category alongside teammates Sebastien Bourdais and Earl Bamber in every race this year.

The team secured a second-place finish at the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo earlier in the season, which was the Brit’s best WEC result.

When announcing that he would step back from professional racing last week, Button cited that he wanted to spend more time at home with his children as the reason for his decision.

Ahead of the WEC season finale on Saturday 8 November, he took to social media to share his tribute helmet for his final race. Button posted photos of the helmet design on Instagram, which paid homage to his first karting helmet, that was designed by his late father.

Jenson Button wins his first Formula 1 grand prix in 2006

Jenson Button was in his seventh Formula 1 season when he claimed his maiden victory at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix. The young driver demonstrated his impressive wet-weather driving skills, despite starting from 14th on the grid.

Button had qualified fourth with his Honda around the Hungaroring, but was penalised for an engine change ahead of the race.

The 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix was the first wet race the event had seen in its 20-year history, with many struggling for grip in the early stages. Button chose to stay out after Kimi Raikkonnen and Vitantonio Liuzzi crashed, causing a safety car, which saw the Brit climb to second place behind Fernando Alonso.

Button began chasing the reigning world champion before the Renault driver suffered a technical failure that took him out of the race. The Brit then perfected his tyre strategy, choosing to pit for dry tyres at the right time, resulting in him taking the victory by over 30 seconds.

Jenson Button starts incredible 2009 season with Australian victory

Jenson Button thought he would be on the sidelines for the 2009 F1 season after Honda had withdrawn due to financial issues. On March 5, Brawn successfully purchased the Japanese team and in turn created one of the most fairytale stories in Formula 1 history.

Button had not won since the Hungarian Grand Prix three years earlier, and many doubted if Brawn would be able to keep up with the rest of the pack. The Brackley-based team entered the weekend with a double diffuser, which saw Button magically put the car in pole position.

The Brit got off to an incredible start around Albert Park, pulling away from the rest of the grid in the opening laps. Button’s gap faded during a Safety Car on lap 19, and a further slow pitstop pulled Sebastian Vettel back into play.

Button defended strongly from the Red Bull driver, who then caught Robert Kubica’s Sauber, causing a late Safety Car in the final three laps. The caution saw Button able to retain the lead and cruise to his first victory in 20 grands prix.

Jenson Button becomes the 2009 champion at Interlagos

After an incredible start to the 2009 season, where Button won six out of the first seven races, Brawn began to struggle for performance for the remaining part of the season. Button’s teammate Rubens Barrichello and Vettel began to add pressure to the Brit’s championship hopes as they headed to Interlagos.

Button held a 14-point lead over his teammate heading into the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend, needing to finish sixth or above to win the title. Qualifying saw a dramatic turn of events when rain interrupted the session, resulting in Button surprisingly down in 13th, with Barrichello on pole.

His championship hopes looked like they were out of reach, but he performed some incredible early overtakes to ensure that he was back in the points by the end of the first lap. Barrichello lost his lead over Red Bull’s Mark Webber during the first round of pitstops and the performance of his Brawn began to fade after contact with Lewis Hamilton.

Button’s fifth-place finish just behind Vettel saw the Brit claim the 2009 championship, making him the tenth Brit to take the title.

Jenson Button proves doubters wrong with first McLaren victory

Button moved to McLaren in 2010 despite many speculating that this would be the wrong move for the Brit as he partnered with Hamilton. Despite qualifying fourth, Button demonstrated his wet-weather prowess once again with a victory around the Melbourne Circuit.

With the track drying, Button made an early call to switch to slicks, which looked to be the wrong move. He initially struggled to get to grips with the tyres, sliding off the track at Turn 3. But with the track quickly drying, Button was quick to move up to second behind Vettel.

The German lost torque at the front of his Red Bull, seeing him spin into the gravel trap on Lap 26, promoting Button up into the lead of the race.

Jenson Button takes victory after dramatic 2011 Canadian Grand Prix

One of Button’s most impressive wins came at the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix, which was plagued by bad luck for the Brit. Button qualified in 7th for the race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which originally looked like it would knock him off the runner-up position in the championship.

The race began behind the safety car due to heavy rain and large amounts of standing water on the track. During the race, Button experienced six pit stops, two separate crashes with his teammate Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso and a drive-through penalty, which left him in last place.

Unbelievably, Button worked his way back from 21st place to come through the pack before finding himself in second place with five laps remaining.

Button began the hunt on race leader Vettel, who he managed to pass on the final lap to claim his first victory of the 2011 season.