Jenson Button announces 'sabbatical' from racing
Formula One star Jenson Button has announced he will not be racing next season.
After years of speculation Button, from Frome, says he will be taking a break from the sport - but will remain on the team as an ambassador and reserve driver with McLaren.
The 36-year-old made the decision to take a sabbatical during the summer, but has denied rumours he is retiring completely.
The McLaren driver, who won the world championship in 2009, has competed in every grand prix season since the turn of the century.
But following a career which has yielded nearly 300 starts, 15 victories and 50 podiums, Button announced on the eve of the Italian Grand Prix that he will not participate in the sport in a full-time capacity next year.
Button, will be replaced by McLaren's highly-rated reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne.
But the Somerset driver could yet return to the grid in 2018 after revealing McLaren has an option to put him back in the car.
McLaren chairman Ron Dennis, who flanked Button as he made the announcement from inside the team's motorhome on Saturday night, was keen to stress Button's latest move should not be viewed as his retirement.
Button will still attend some of the grands prix in 2017 as back-up to Vandoorne, the 24-year-old Belgian, and Fernando Alonso.
It's thought, if Button doesn't return to racing he could become either a pundit, take up a career in rallycross - one pursued by his late father - or even switch disciplines and train for triathlons.
BUTTON'S CAREER:
Button began his career at Williams in 2000 before spells with Renault, BAR and then Honda.
When the Japanese manufacturer quit the sport at the end of 2008 Button was left without a team, but a consortium took over at the eleventh hour - headed by Ross Brawn.
In 2009 Button went on to claim the world title.
In 2010 he moved to McLaren where he beat Lewis Hamilton on points in the three years in which they were paired together.