Home

F1

Unusual Circumstance Leaves This McLaren F1 Star Burdening a Penalty for Over Half a Decade

Published 07/19/2022, 1:22 AM EDT

Follow Us

via Getty

Jenson Button was one of the most accomplished drivers of his generation. The Britton won the 2009 drivers’ championship with Brawn GP and then went to spend multiple years with McLaren. He essentially left F1 in 2016 before returning for a single race in 2017 to replace Fernando Alonso, who had to race at the Indy 500.

Button had more than a hilarious end to his time in F1. The Briton is still set to serve a 3-place grid penalty if he decided to make a return to F1. At the Monaco GP where Button was a replacement for Fernando Alonso, he collided with Pascal Wehrlein and was handed a 3-place grid penalty.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Amid Recent Lewis Hamilton Blame, Alex Albon Reveals Reality Behind Red Bull F1 Disappointment: “…It Was Difficult for Verstappen Too”

However, since it was his last race ever, he never served the penalty and it has carried on. Button will have to serve the penalty if he decided to race in F1 again. Quite a bizarre ending to a world champion’s career if you ask!

Twitter reacts to Jenson Button’s grid penalty in his last race for McLaren

The Briton is a world champion and since then has gone on to win the 2018 Super GT championship. He also has a team in the electric off-roading series Extreme-E. However, one thing fans will not forget about Button is the hilarious ending to his F1 stint that still sees him with a grid penalty to his name.

Button received a 3-place grid penalty in his last race that he is yet to serve. It will be applicable if the 42-year-old decided to make a comeback. The fans have been reacting to this over social media.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest F1 stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

The fans took the mickey out of Button; joking that his retirement was to avoid taking the penalty. Some even cheekily reminded the driver of his standing penalty.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Watch This Story: McLaren F1 Boss Uses Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo to Highlight Major Flaws With Red Bull Racing

Who knows what is stopping the great comeback? Is it the penalty or something else? In any case, Button is doing well in his time after F1. He is currently in an advisory role at Williams on a multi-year contract. Will he ever make a comeback and serve this penalty or will he take it with him to his grave?

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Divyansh Priyadarshi

278Articles

One take at a time

Divyansh Priyadarshi is an F1 Author at EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his under-graduation in computer science engineering and is naturally drawn to the intriguing data-driven world of Formula 1. Being an author at ES isn't his first stint in penning down thoughts for his favorite sports, as he has a solid prior background in writing content for soccer, NBA, and UFC.
Show More>

Edited by:

Ankit Sharma