'I definitely need a break' from F1 - Button

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Jenson Button says the decision to take a sabbatical from F1 was made because he definitely needs a break from the intensity of the sport.

The McLaren driver announced on Saturday evening in Monza that he will not race in 2017, with Stoffel Vandoorne replacing him as he takes on an ambassador's role. Button will remain as reserve driver and says McLaren has an option on him for 2018, putting the sabbatical down to the need to be able to take a break from F1's schedule.

“I had a pretty awesome time [during the summer break] with friends and family living on my schedule, which is something I haven’t done for 17 years," Button said. "I’ve lived and breathed Formula One since I was 19 years old and I’m 36 now. You go to grands prix at the weekend and everything else is either recovery or preparation for a grand prix.

“[During the break] I came to a decision that I wanted to initiated talks with Ron in Spa, which we did. Ever since, we’ve been talking non-stop about the future. And I can tell you now that I do have a two-year contract starting next year with McLaren-Honda, probably a little different to what you’re expecting right now. Next year I will be an ambassador for this team, I will work with this team in every way I can until they get a better team for the future.

“I will do sim work, I will stay current, I will train my arse off like you’ve never seen before and I will also be doing a lot of races making sure everything is on the right track and giving as much input as I can. I’ll also be doing a lot of stuff that I haven’t done for 17 years. I’ll be living on my schedule, I’ll get up when I want, I’ll do what I want for a lot of the days of the year, I’ll spend more time with my friends and more importantly with my family who I haven’t properly seen for 17 years. That’s something that I’m really excited about.

“I’m also an avid fan and lover of triathlons as you probably know, so there are many things that I want to do that I haven’t been able to do because of the Formula One schedule. As we all know, you're not just a racing driver when you drive in Formula One, this is your life and I definitely need a break from that in 2017.

“So ’17 will be that, and in 2018 the team have an option on me to race for McLaren-Honda, which is pretty awesome. Obviously it’s a long way in the future. This is has been a very interesting week for me with Ron, talking on the phone, discussing in Spa, and this is something that really works for me. I’m so, so happy that we’ve come to this agreement to work together over the next two years. I will do everything I can to make sure this team is as good as it possible can be in 2017.”

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.