The man whose career began in karting in Frome, Somerset, with his late father instrumental throughout, could make an announcement this weekend in Suzuka. His wife, Jessica, is Japanese, and Button has a loyal following in the country. He treats it as a second home race and would much prefer to reveal the news there than in the miserable Russian paddock next month, by which time McLaren’s option on Button will have expired.
Jenson Button endured a miserable race in Singapore
The 2009 world champion enjoys working with his mechanics and staff at McLaren’s Woking base, but his relationship with Ron Dennis, the team chairman, has soured. Dennis publicly told Button to “try harder” on the eve of last season’s British Grand Prix and tried to drop the Englishman last December only to be overruled by McLaren’s board.
Button’s departure also highlights how far the team has fallen. When he joined the sport with Williams in 2000, McLaren were the reigning drivers’ champions with Mika Hakkinen, but now they are down in the doldrums.
At the end of last year, he was made to wait the last possible moment to be offered a new deal, and spoke of challenging for the world title again with Honda now on board as the team’s engine supplier.
Jenson Button has been discussing his future with McLaren chief Ron Dennis
But this season has been an unmitigated disaster. With Honda unreliable and down on power, Button has scored points just twice, in Monaco and Hungary. Lewis Hamilton, his former team-mate, left McLaren at the end of 2012 and has won 19 races since, while Button and McLaren have not scored a single victory in that time. Hamilton has 252 points this season to Button’s six.
Button has grown increasingly weary of touring around at the back. In recent weeks he has indicated he has said he has no idea when the McLaren-Honda partnership will be competitive.
Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix was yet another miserable race for Button. He endured a 40-second pit stop before retiring with a gearbox failure.
Button’s seat alongside Fernando Alonso will be taken by one of two McLaren youngsters, Kevin Magnussen or Stoffel Vandoorne. Magnussen drove for the team last season and has grown frustrated sitting on the sidelines this year.
Kevin Magnussen is one contender to replace Jenson Button
The 22-year-old Dane has been in negotiations with new American entry Haas but it is understood he has lost out to Frenchman Romain Grosjean. Vandoorne, 23, from Belgium, has been dominating GP2, the main feeder series to F1, all season.
Button’s career began with Williams in 2000 after a test-day shootout for the drive in Barcelona. He spent a successful debut season with the famous team before moving to Benetton for two seasons.
His breakthrough year came in 2004, when he finished third in the drivers’ championship behind the Ferraris, but he had to wait another two years for his memorable first win. It came at the 113th attempt in Hungary, as he surged through the field from 14th on the grid in the wet.
Jenson Button with his wife Jessica Michibata
Button’s career was on the brink when Honda left F1 at the end of 2008, but Ross Brawn bought the team and an unlikely championship followed.
As reigning world champion, Button wanted to test himself alongside Hamilton at McLaren. He actually outscored his team-mate across their three seasons together from 2010 to 2012. But the three years since have been painful with McLaren way off the pace.
It is a great shame that such a superb career will end with Button not racing at the front – where he belongs.