Jenson Button says he would relish the chance to drive Formula 1’s next-generation cars and admits he’s “a little bit jealous” of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll getting to collaborate with designer Adrian Newey.
Button, who joined Aston Martin as a team ambassador earlier this year, last appeared in F1 behind the wheel as Alonso’s stand-in at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix. Over a long career he secured eight pole positions, 15 Grand Prix victories, 50 podiums and the 2009 World Championship with Brawn GP.
Keeping a close eye on the sport as a pundit and ambassador, Button has been following the 2026 regulations reset with keen interest. In a journal entry for the Aston Martin website he described what makes driving an F1 car so special: “the power, the braking, the way the car moves underneath you when you’re right on the limit,” and said the machines remain “out-of-this-world fast.”
He explained that the cars’ behaviour is changing: the power units no longer deliver in quite the same, predictable way. “In the past, you’d exit a corner and know exactly how much power you had. Now, it depends on things like brake pressure in the previous corner and how the hybrid system deploys energy.” That added complexity, he argues, forces drivers to react faster and adapt in real time: “Those who can do this well are going to stand out for the right reasons – and those who can’t are going to stand out for the wrong ones.”
Button specifically named Newey: “I’d love to drive one of these new-generation cars, especially one designed by Adrian Newey. I’ve raced against a lot of his cars over the years and always wondered what it would be like to work with him. I guess you could say I’m a little bit jealous of Lance and Fernando in this respect.”
On his move to Aston Martin after serving as a Williams ambassador, Button said the marque has always appealed to him — from the DB4 and DB5 era onward — because it blends performance with style. Beyond heritage, he pointed to the people involved and the team’s conviction in its direction as major factors in his decision. He acknowledged the season has been a difficult start but reminded readers that meaningful progress in Formula 1 takes time.