Button: August decision made too soon

Jenson Button concedes he may have jumped the gun when he made the decision not to race in F1 back in August as his mindset has “definitely” changed.

Button announced at this year’s Italian Grand Prix that he would be taking a year away from the Formula 1.

Although he signed a new two-year deal with McLaren that was to take up the role of ambassador with the possibility of making a comeback in 2018.

However, months later, Button admitted that Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be his last in Formula 1.

And that is not something he is relishing.

“I still feel that August was quite early, personally,” he said of his decision to stop.

“I think when a driver decides he’s going to leave the sport or retire from that certain type of sport I think you should try and do it as late as possible. I think I did it way too early.

“The mindset definitely changes, which is a shame. I didn’t think it would but it definitely does.

“But tomorrow [Sunday] for me it is a big day and I don’t go into the last race thinking ‘I can’t wait until it’s over’.

“I go into the last race excited, knowing I’m going to have a great race and I will give it my all as I always do in every grand prix.”

The 2009 World Champion, though, scuppered talk of him retiring, adamant that he will continue racing long into the future.

“I’m not retiring, it’s a bad word,” he said. “It’s thrown around too often. I’m 36 years old, I’m definitely not retiring.

“I’ll be working here with the team next year, I will be racing other things and in the future.

“I’m going to be driving until I’m 70-odd years old, so I’m not retiring until then, it’s just whether I get paid to do it or not. That’s probably the only difference.”