“That Really Hurt”- Jenson Button Reveals Wanting to Quit F1 in 2014

Jenson Button made his debut in Formula 1 in 2000. He raced for 17 seasons in Formula 1 and retired at the end of 2016 season. His crowning achievement came in 2009, when the Briton succeeded in winning the Formula One World Championship.

Chris Harris recently hosted Jenson Button on his podcast titled, ‘The Collecting Cars Podcast’. During the podcast, they look back at Button’s Formula 1 career and his life since then.

Button has stated in the past that he is much happier since his Formula 1 retirement. During the podcast, he looked back at his memories with his dad and said, “That really hurt and that was a part of the reason why at the end of 2014 I was already saying I’m going to retire.”

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Jenson Button on what happened in 2014

Jenson Button had a special relationship with his father; unfortunately, Button lost his father in 2014. Jenson explained that his father was a huge part of his Formula 1 career. Therefore, being in the paddock in his absence was just not the same.

He mentioned that his father was always there at the paddock. After practice, qualifying, and the race, he would come back to the paddock and see his father.

Jenson recalled, “He’d never comment on you should’ve done this better or comment on anything. He’d wait for me to say something.” He said that at times this was frustrating, but mostly it was awesome to have him there.

He further added, “I’d either walk up for a hug with him or a high five, when it wasn’t there anymore, it was weird.”

Button explained that racing was difficult for him following his father’s absence. He stated, “I left wanting him there, looking for him. That really hurt.”

He mentioned that he contemplated retirement in 2014, considering his feelings. However, his teammates convinced him to stay on and not leave Formula 1.

Button continued to race for 2 more years. He explained that halfway through the 2016 season, he knew he did not want to race in Formula 1 anymore. At the end of that year, the former World Champion bid his life behind the wheel a painful adieu.

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