British F1 driver Jenson Button "is preparing to call time on his glittering Formula One career after 16 seasons in the sport, with an official announcement likely before this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix," according to Daniel Johnson of the London TELEGRAPH. Button "has been in negotiations with McLaren" over next year, but he has decided to bow out on his terms after another season in an "uncompetitive car." The 35-year-old "is expected to combine a sportscar drive in the Le Mans-style World Endurance Championship with a media career," rumored to include the revamped Top Gear. He "has one world championship, 15 victories and 50 podiums to his name, as well as 278 race starts, making him the third most experienced driver of all time." Button "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." This season "has been an unmitigated disaster." With Honda "unreliable and down on power, Button has scored points just twice, in Monaco and Hungary." Button’s seat alongside Fernando Alonso "will be taken by one of two McLaren youngsters, Kevin Magnussen or Stoffel Vandoorne" (TELEGRAPH, 9/21).
