Jenson Button has revealed how he partied with Michael Schumacher at the end of his title-winning F1 2009 season with the Brawn GP team.

It came just weeks before Button announced his decision to join McLaren, with Schumacher later confirmed as his replacement at the new-look Mercedes team for 2010 after coming out of retirement.

Jenson Button, Michael Schumacher at centre of F1 2010 driver market drama

Button and Brawn GP were at the centre of arguably the greatest underdog story in F1 history in 2009, storming to a Drivers’ and Constructors’ title double.

It came less than a year after Honda announced its withdrawal from F1 at the end of 2008, leaving the team – eventually purchased and rebranded by boss Ross Brawn – scrambling to get ready for the 2009 season.

Button won six of the first seven races to establish a huge advantage in the standings, securing the title at the penultimate race in Brazil after seeing off the threat of Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel and Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello.

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Button then rocked the F1 world just weeks later by revealing his decision to join McLaren in an all-British driver lineup alongside Lewis Hamilton for 2010, with Schumacher coming out of retirement to replace the newly crowned World Champion at Brawn GP, which had recently been taken over by Mercedes.

Schumacher would retire for the second time at the end of the 2012 season, having added just a single podium finish – third place at the 2012 European Grand Prix in Valencia – to his tally.

Button, meanwhile, went on to claim a further eight wins with McLaren before retiring at the end of 2016.

Button has revealed that he partied alongside Schumacher, who worked closely with Mr Brawn during his period of dominance with Ferrari, at the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the end of 2009 – just weeks before the driver market exploded with his move to McLaren.

He told Crash.net: “It was an amazing experience, night racing and also meant going to a country that I’d never been to before so I really enjoyed it and it was my first podium for quite a few races that season.

“I arrived [in] Abu Dhabi as the World Champion because I won in Brazil, so it was a great race.

“I spent the Sunday night at Amber Lounge with Michael Schumacher, Ross Brawn and it was just so much fun.

“It’s crazy that it’s been 15 years. I got to drive the car again five years ago, which was a lovely experience.

“It was one of those years that will go down in history; not because I won the World Championship, but because a privateer team won their first World Championship in their first year as Brawn GP.

“There are so many things you kind of forget 15 years down the road. Lots of great memories from that season, but it was also the toughest year of my life the amount of stress I put on myself.”

Appearing on the High Performance podcast in 2021, Button revealed that Brawn GP chief executive Nick Fry “just shouted” at him when he informed the team of his intention to join McLaren for 2010.

He said: “We came into McLaren after winning the World Championship in 2009.

“People said it was the craziest move to move to McLaren alongside Lewis Hamilton – even Ross Brawn said that.

“I told the team I was leaving at the end of 2009. I spoke to Nick Fry, who basically just shouted at me.

“I remember I was going into his office and telling him I was leaving and he just shouted at me and I basically just started laughing, because it was a really uncomfortable situation.

“I kind of felt for him, for how aggressive he was. He just looked at me and was like:‘Why are you laughing at me?’

“It was the situation and it was just what I didn’t expect.

“I told Ross and he was very friendly and said: ‘I think you’re making a big mistake going up alongside Lewis.’

“I was like: ‘This is awesome, a lot of positive energy I am getting here’ – but it happens.

“I didn’t have a contract for the next year, it didn’t feel like the [best] place for me and McLaren was.”

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