Jenson Button: Ex-F1 champion hints at 2018 switch to Super GT halt

The 2009 Formula One world champion has revealed there's a 'good chance' of him competing in the Super GT series in 2018.

The 37-year-old retired from F1 last season after 17 seasons in the sport although he did make a one-off appearance at May's Monaco Grand Prix when he stood in for Fernando Alonso who raced at the Indy 500.

But Button says he is now ready to make a full-time return to the track.



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'This year has been really good for me because I've been able to reflect on everything and I've really got that love of racing back, I've got that bug,' Button told CNN's World Sport.

'I did a race in August in Japan in a race category called Super GT -- it's the three big manufacturers in Japan -- and I absolutely loved it.

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'That racing bug was back and I had the biggest smile on my face, so there's a good chance I could be racing in Super GT in Japan next year.'

Button, who finished 12th in his Super GT debut at the Suzuka 1,000km, confessed that F1 hadn't been the same for him since his father, John, died in 2014 at the age of 70.

'We all lose people and it hurts and you never really get over it and you learn to live with it,' he said.

'Since his death my career in Formula One was very different, it felt very hollow racing. F1 had always been with my dad so suddenly with him gone it completely changed my view of the sport.'

Button talks candidly about the relationship with his father in his new autobiography 'Life to the Limit' paying a heartfelt tribute to the man who was part-coach, part-confidant, part buddy.

'I wouldn't have been racing if it wasn't for him,' Button said.

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'I was lucky enough to get a gift that most kids would dream of which was a kart when I was seven years old. All through my career he's been there. I could bounce things off of him or, If I'm not happy about something or I feel I'm missing something he was always there for support.

'We got to F1 and he took a step back. He always watched over me. He was a piece of the furniture in F1.'

Button began his F1 career at Williams in 2000 and raced a total of 306 times -- the same number of starts as Michael Schumacher and only 16 behind all-time record holder Rubens Barrichello.

He was always considered one of F1's smoothest drivers on and off the track, and confesses to not always applying himself -- Flavio Briatore, his boss at the Benetton team, once described him as a 'lazy playboy.'

'I was 20 years old and I struggled with the pressure,' Button says of his early F1 years.

'I thought my natural ability was enough to succeed which it isn't, in any sport. You've got to work at it. But I soon realized after Flavio comments that I needed to work harder.'

'We all lose people and it hurts and you never really get over it and you learn to live with it,' he said. But Button says he is now ready to make a full-time return to the track. Button, who finished 12th in his Super GT debut at the Suzuka 1,000km, confessed that F1 hadn't been the same for him since his father, John, died in 2014 at the age of 70. 'Since his death my career in Formula One was very different, it felt very hollow racing. F1 had always been with my dad so suddenly with him gone it completely changed my view of the sport.' 'I did a race in August in Japan in a race category called Super GT -- it's the three big manufacturers in Japan -- and I absolutely loved it. But Button says he is now ready to make a full-time return to the track. The 2009 Formula One world champion has revealed there's a 'good chance' of him competing in the Super GT series in 2018. The 2009 Formula One world champion has revealed there's a 'good chance' of him competing in the Super GT series in 2018. 'I thought my natural ability was enough to succeed which it isn't, in any sport. You've got to work at it. But I soon realized after Flavio comments that I needed to work harder.' Button, who finished 12th in his Super GT debut at the Suzuka 1,000km, confessed that F1 hadn't been the same for him since his father, John, died in 2014 at the age of 70. 'We all lose people and it hurts and you never really get over it and you learn to live with it,' he said. The 37-year-old retired from F1 last season after 17 seasons in the sport although he did make a one-off appearance at May's Monaco Grand Prix when he stood in for Fernando Alonso who raced at the Indy 500. 'This year has been really good for me because I've been able to reflect on everything and I've really got that love of racing back, I've got that bug,' Button told CNN's World Sport.

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