Jenson Button is hoping that he can sign off from Formula One, at least for now, with a points finish in Sunday’s Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The 2009 world champion is taking a sabbatical in 2017 and the 55-lap event at Yas Marina Circuit will be the Briton’s last race before he takes a break from the sport, with options open on whether he will return to the series in 2018.
“I’m really looking forward to this weekend, and have been for a few races now,” said the McLaren driver, who made his debut in 2000 and has won 15 races and claimed eight pole positions.
“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.
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“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.”
Button’s best result in Abu Dhabi is third place, achieved three times in 2009, with Brawn-GP, and then in 2010 and 2011 with McLaren.
Button, who is 15th in the drivers’ standings this year with 21 points to his name, has finished in the top 10 seven times in the first 20 races of the season.
Button said he and teammate Fernando Alonso, the 2005 and 2006 world champion, can fight for points on Sunday, but that they need to make use of track time during practice to avoid the set-up problems at the Brazilian Grand Prix earlier this month that left him 16th.
“If we use the track time productively on Friday it’ll give us the best opportunity to set the car up for the weekend and, hopefully, avoid a repeat of Brazil where I really struggled for pace in the race,” he said
“Our package definitely has more potential than that, and I hope that I can push it to the limit and give the team and the fans a good end to the year.”
Elsewhere yesterday, Sauber announced that Marcus Ericsson will be driving for Sauber for a third season in 2017.
Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn praised the Swede for “going that extra mile” in what has been a tough 2016 season for the Swiss-based outfit. She said: “He went through very difficult times with us, but managed those very well.
“In the last two years, he has made significant steps in regards to his personal development, proving his skills on as well as off track, especially when circumstances are not easy.”
Malaysia will discontinue its Grand Prix race after 2018 due to falling revenues, Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Aziz told local media. The future of one of the longest running races in Asia had been up in the air as officials re-evaluated their commitment amid ebbing television viewership and anaemic ticket sales.
* Agencies
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