Is Jenson about to hit the stop button on his F1 career?
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Following another DNF in the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, rumours are rife that 2009 world champion Jenson Button is set to retire at the end of the season.
The McLaren man has endured a dismal campaign in 2015, with both he and fellow world champion team-mate Fernando Alonso struggling with Honda’s new turbo power unit.
Button sits 18th in the driver’s standings with just six points, and with McLaren yet to take up their option on him for next year, the Brit looks set to announce his retirement from the sport.
Should the man from Frome hang up his racing boots, it would bring an end to a career which has yielded 15 Grand Prix wins, 50 podium finishes, eight pole positions, eight fastest laps and of course the world championship in 2009 with Brawn GP.
The Daily Telegraph have reported that Button – who turns 36 in January – could even make the announcement at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
The Briton has been one of the most popular drivers on the grid since his debut for Williams in Australia way back in 2000, and fans were quick to express their displeasure.
Giants from other sports also reacted to the news.
How Jenson spends his life after F1 is also very much up for debate.
Following in the footsteps of Mark Webber, a move to the increasingly popular World Endurance Championship has been mooted.
Or is Jenson swapping a career behind the wheel for one in front of the camera? The Somerset man has been touted as a potential presenter for a certain revamped motoring show.
Whatever Button decides to do, his departure will be Formula One’s loss.
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