Jenson Button admits it will be a "hugely emotional weekend" for him when he races for McLaren for the last time in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
While officially taking a year off racing next season as he has an option to return in 2018, Button is effectively retiring from racing in F1 in order to pursue other interests. Abu Dhabi will likely be the 2009 world champion's final race start and he admits it will be an emotional race despite his excitement for the future.
“I’m really looking forward to this weekend, and have been for a few races now," Button said. "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. It’s not the end of my career with McLaren-Honda, but it’s the start of a new phase that I’m incredibly positive about."
And Button says Abu Dhabi gives him the opportunity to reflect on what he has achieved in his F1 career since making his debut with Williams in 2000.
"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, and 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.”
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