Jenson Button: What He’s Doing Now and Career Facts

Few drivers in Formula One have matched a world championship with the kind of unruffled, almost casual public presence Jenson Button carries. The British racer, who sealed the 2009 title with Brawn GP in a story that still feels like fiction, has built a post-F1 life busier than most of his former rivals.

World Championships: 1 (2009) ·
Grand Prix Wins: 15 ·
Podiums: 50 ·
Career Years in F1: 2000–2017 ·
Date of Birth: 19 January 1980

Six key data points that define the career arc of Jenson Button, from debut to world champion to his current multi-faceted post-F1 life.

What is Jenson Button doing now?

Button is far from a retired athlete sitting still. Since leaving full-time Formula One, he has built a portfolio of roles that includes brand ambassadorship, competitive racing in other disciplines, endurance sports, and business ownership. His appointment as Aston Martin team ambassador ahead of the 2026 F1 season represents his clearest ongoing link to the paddock, with the team describing it as a multi-year commitment covering media, partner, and commercial activities (Formula1.com, the official Formula One website).

Brand ambassadorship and advisory roles

• Button previously held a senior advisor role at Williams starting in 2021, a multi-year deal that brought him back to the team where his F1 career began (RacingNews365, a specialist F1 publication).
• His Aston Martin ambassador role, announced in early 2026, puts him alongside the team as it prepares for a new power-unit partnership with Honda (Formula1.com).

Is Jenson Button still racing?

Yes — but not in Formula One. Button competed in the 2025 World Endurance Championship season and raced at the Le Mans 24 Hours four times during his post-F1 career (ESPN, the global sports broadcaster). He also won the Super GT championship in Japan in 2018, co-driving with Naoki Yamamoto for Honda (Wikipedia), and ran a three-race deal in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2023 (GPFans, a Formula One fan publication).

However, Button announced that the 2025 8 Hours of Bahrain would be his last professional race, saying his life had become too busy to give a team or himself enough preparation time going into 2026 (ESPN).

Life outside racing: triathlons, business, and family

Button has become a serious triathlete, competing in Ironman events and other endurance races. He runs a clothing line and a property development company, and he and his wife Brittany Ward raise their son in California and the UK. The mix of businesses, ambassadorship, and family commitments is what ultimately pushed professional racing off his calendar.

The implication: Button’s diversified portfolio proves that a champion can thrive beyond the cockpit without fading from the sport’s spotlight.

How many times was Jenson Button world champion?

Button has been Formula One World Champion exactly once — but the way he did it makes that single title count heavily among the most memorable in the sport’s history.

When did Jenson Button win the championship?

He won the World Drivers’ Championship in 2009 driving for Brawn GP. The team had been born from the ashes of Honda’s shock withdrawal from F1, and it did not even exist as a racing entity until March of that year. Button won six of the first seven races and held off teammate Rubens Barrichello and Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel to take the title at the Brazilian Grand Prix (Formula1.com).

He is one of only a few drivers in F1 history to win a championship with a team that did not exist the prior year.

What other records does Button hold?

• 15 Grand Prix wins — spanning from his first victory at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix (with Honda) to his final win at the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix (with McLaren) (Formula1.com).
• 50 career podiums, putting him among the top 20 drivers in F1 history by that measure.
• 17 consecutive seasons in F1, from his debut with Williams in 2000 through his farewell with McLaren in 2017 — a span matched by very few drivers.
• Eight different team employers: Williams, Benetton, Renault, BAR, Honda, Brawn GP, McLaren, and a one-off return with McLaren in 2017.

Why did Button retire from F1?

Button’s decision to leave Formula One at the end of the 2016 season was a mix of timing, family priorities, and a desire to explore life outside the paddock’s relentless calendar.

When did Button announce his retirement?

He made the announcement public in September 2016, ahead of the season’s closing rounds. He had been with McLaren since 2010, partnering Lewis Hamilton and later Fernando Alonso. His final full season was 2016, though he did make a one-off return at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix when Alonso skipped the race to compete in the Indianapolis 500 (Wikipedia).

What were his stated reasons for leaving?

Button cited a desire to spend more time with his family — he had recently married Brittany Ward — and to pursue other interests outside the F1 bubble. After 17 years in the sport, he said he was ready for a new challenge. In a 2017 interview, he told BBC Sport, the UK’s public service broadcaster: “I had a wonderful time in F1 but it’s time for new challenges.”

The decision was mutual to an extent: McLaren was in a rebuilding phase and the team needed to make room for younger talent. Button left with no animosity and has remained on good terms with the team.

The catch: Button’s graceful exit has allowed him to build a post-F1 career without the baggage of bitterness.

Who is LGBTQ in F1?

This question arises from broader curiosity about diversity and representation within Formula One — and the short answer, as of 2025, is that no Formula One driver has been openly LGBTQ during their active racing career.

Are there any out LGBTQ drivers in F1 history?

To date, there have been no openly LGBTQ drivers in Formula One while they were competing. Some figures in the paddock — including team principals, engineers, and media personalities — have come out, but the driver roster has remained without an openly LGBTQ competitor. This stands in contrast to certain other motorsport categories where drivers have been publicly out.

How does F1 support LGBTQ inclusion?

Formula One has introduced initiatives under its “We Race As One” programme, which promotes diversity and inclusion across the sport. Several teams have run rainbow-themed livery at selected races, and the sport has partnered with organizations like the FIA’s “Girls on Track” to broaden participation. However, no formal scholarship or pathway programme specifically targeting LGBTQ drivers has been announced.

What this means: inclusion initiatives alone may not shift the culture until a driver feels safe to be open.

Which F1 driver does not have a girlfriend?

Questions about drivers’ personal lives are among the most searched topics around Formula One. Here is what is publicly known about the relationship statuses of some of the grid’s biggest names.

Why is Lewis Hamilton not married?

Lewis Hamilton has stated publicly that he is not married and has no children. The seven-time world champion has said in interviews that his career and activism — including his work with the Hamilton Commission, his fashion ventures, and his environmental advocacy — absorb most of his energy. He has been linked romantically to several high-profile figures over the years but has never married.

Does Max Verstappen support LGBTQ rights?

Max Verstappen has not made any extensive public statement specifically about LGBTQ issues. The four-time world champion tends to keep his personal views on social topics private, focusing his public comments on racing and team matters. His personal life is similarly guarded; he has been in a long-term relationship but does not discuss it in depth.

Who is the lowest paid F1 driver?

F1 driver salaries are not publicly disclosed in any official capacity. Estimates vary widely depending on the source. Rookie drivers and those at smaller teams are widely understood to earn base salaries in the low six figures, while top drivers command tens of millions annually. Without official disclosure, all figures remain speculative.

No clear picture emerges: the lack of transparency means all salary comparisons are educated guesses.

Career timeline

• 1980 — Born in Frome, Somerset, England (Wikipedia)
• 2000 — F1 debut with Williams at the Australian Grand Prix (Wikipedia)
• 2006 — First Grand Prix victory (Hungarian Grand Prix, Honda) (Formula1.com)
• 2009 — Wins World Drivers’ Championship with Brawn GP (Formula1.com)
• 2010–2017 — Drives for McLaren (partnering Hamilton, then Alonso) (Wikipedia)
• 2017 — Retires from full-time F1; one-off appearance at Monaco (Wikipedia)
• 2018 — Wins Super GT championship in Japan with Naoki Yamamoto (Wikipedia)
• 2021 — Returns to Williams as senior advisor on a multi-year deal (RacingNews365)
• 2023 — Races part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series (three races) (GPFans)
• 2025 — Competes in WEC; announces 8 Hours of Bahrain as final professional race (ESPN)
• 2026 — Named Aston Martin team ambassador ahead of F1 season (Formula1.com)

The timeline shows a driver who never truly left the sport, only changed roles.

Clarity check: What’s confirmed vs. what isn’t

Uncertainty remains around finances and future racing plans, but Button’s core achievements are well-documented.

In his own words

“I had a wonderful time in F1 but it’s time for new challenges.”

— Jenson Button, speaking to BBC Sport (UK public service broadcaster) on his retirement in 2017

Button reflected in 2019 that the season “still feels surreal” and that they were “the underdogs,” speaking to The Guardian (UK daily newspaper).

Two quotes that capture Button’s arc: the first from a man ready to walk away on his own terms, the second from a champion who still can’t quite believe the fairy-tale season happened.

The post-F1 verdict

Jenson Button’s career resists easy categorization. He was not the fastest qualifier of his generation, nor the most aggressive overtaker. But he won a world championship with a team that should not have existed, drove for nearly two decades at the top level, and left the sport without the bitterness or “what if” that shadows so many champions. His post-F1 life — spanning ambassadorship, triathlons, business, and one last racing chapter in WEC — shows a competitor who simply kept going after the chequered flag. For British motorsport fans who grew up watching him race, the Aston Martin ambassador role means Button remains part of the F1 conversation. Jenson Button’s career shows that you do not need to be the fastest in every session to be the smartest over a season.

Frequently asked questions

The FAQ covers the most common queries, but the deepest understanding of Button comes from his driving career itself.

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