Ahead of what could be the last race Jenson Button lines up on the grid for in Formula One, the 2009 world champion is expecting an emotional weekend in Abu Dhabi.
This weekend’s season finale will mark Button’s 305th start in F1 after a long 17 season stint in the sport. Many will be sad to see him go, but it may not be the last race for the Briton as he will remain reserve driver for McLaren over the next two seasons.
“I’m really looking forward to this weekend, and have been for a few races now,” Button said after enduring a difficult 2016.
“It marks a very special chapter in my life and I’ll have my friends and some of my family out in Abu Dhabi with me which I’m very excited about.
“It’s going to be a hugely emotional weekend and I hope with the support of the fans, the team and the people that are closest to me, we can go out there and give it our absolute maximum and enjoy the weekend.”
Despite all the emotion that surrounds what could be his final race, Button wants to make the most of his opportunities to give it everything he has got and go out on a high.
“This race marks the culmination of a huge amount of hard work, dedication and passion for the sport that I love and I’m immensely proud of everything I’ve achieved in the past 17 seasons.” Button added.
“The fantastic progress we’ve made over the past couple of years with McLaren-Honda.
“It’s been an amazing project to work on and my involvement certainly won’t end here. I’m looking forward to concluding this chapter in style and starting a new one with just as much enthusiasm, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
