Jenson Button is confident that Honda will achieve success.

      Jenson Button's sporting fate has developed, so to speak, non-linearly: he made his Formula 1 debut with Williams in 2000 and earned his first points in just his second race, but he first stepped onto the podium only four years later, when he was already racing for BAR. He achieved his first victory in 2006 in Hungary, when the team from Brackley was in factory status and was called Honda Racing. He became world champion in 2009 with Brawn.

      After retiring from Formula 1, Jenson lives in the USA with his family in Los Angeles, but continues to actively collaborate as an expert with the British television channel Sky Sports, regularly attending races and for several years served as an ambassador for the Williams team, but starting this year he performs the same duties for Aston Martin.

      In an interview with the Spanish newspaper Diario AS, Jenson shared his opinion about this team, which has had a difficult start to the 2026 season, and talked about his collaboration with Fernando Alonso.

      Question: Why did you agree to become an ambassador for Aston Martin? Maybe so that the company would provide you with a car of this brand?

      Jenson Button: Exactly! (laughs) For many reasons. I've admired Aston Martin since childhood, as it is a very British brand. James Bond also drove an Aston Martin! But more importantly, it's not just about the road cars, but the ideology of the racing team and the goals it sets for itself.

      Question: In your 18 seasons in Formula 1, you raced for different teams, but never for the team from Silverstone, which is now called Aston Martin...

      Jenson Button: Never, although Eddie Jordan (the founder of the Jordan team, which has changed owners and names several times and is now Aston Martin F1) was a good friend of mine. But I understand the positions this team held in the past and the situation it finds itself in now. But I am attracted to its future, which is why I wanted to work with it.

      It has strong leadership, significant investments have been made in its development, and now Aston Martin is collaborating with Honda, and I know this company well and have experienced many glorious moments with it over the years of my career – both in Formula 1 and in the Japanese Super GT championship, as well as in the American IMSA series.

      Moreover, now at Aston Martin is Adrian Newey, with whom I haven't had the chance to work before. It's very interesting to observe how he works, and although it's clear that the team is going through tough times now, the situation will gradually improve, and I hope I can also contribute.

      Question: What can you say about the atmosphere in the team's hospitality area, where it hosts partners and sponsors?

      Jenson Button: Everyone understands that Aston Martin has problems right now, but they know that the right foundations have been laid, and we will become competitive again. Formula 1 is a very complex sport. Mercedes and Ferrari have been competing at the highest level for a long time and have been working with their engines for a long time, while our team's partnership with Honda started quite recently, as did the collaboration with Newey.

      Many elements need to come together, and that takes time. But in the future, Aston Martin will be able to break into the top four teams in the championship.

      Question: And when will that happen?

      Jenson Button: It's hard to talk about timelines; that question should not be directed at me. I don't know all the details, but it's clear that it won't happen in three races. However, time flies quickly...

      Question: Are you confident that Honda's engineers will resolve the issues?

      Jenson Button: I've worked with them since 2003, when V10 and V8 engines were used in Formula 1, then we switched to hybrid V6 power units, and later I raced Honda sports cars in Super GT... I've seen various Honda engines, and in most cases, they were excellent motors.

      You could say that Honda builds road cars designed for racing. Participation in competitions defines the ideology of this company. When in 2006 I won my first Formula 1 race in a car with a Honda engine, I saw tears in the eyes of the Japanese engineers – this shows how passionately they love motorsport and the tremendous efforts they put in, and nothing has changed in that regard since then.

      The results are still lacking, but Honda will achieve its goals... Everyone who works in this company gives their all. I don't know if I should say this, but I know that at the Honda Racing base in Sakura, there is a special room where employees can sleep overnight to avoid wasting time commuting to work during the week. This is also a testament to their determination.

      Question: Do you allow even a minimal possibility that Honda may not succeed?

      Jenson Button: No, I am 100% confident that over time, the situation will improve. Honda always succeeds.

      Question: Not so long ago, you and Fernando Alonso were in a similar situation at McLaren. What can you say about that?

      Jenson Button: Fernando and I have known each other since 2001; we started racing together and had many exciting duels on the track. I particularly remember the 2004 German Grand Prix in Hockenheim, where we battled wheel to wheel throughout the race.

      I have good memories from that two-year period when we were teammates at McLaren, although it was a tough time, especially the first year. In 2016, the team improved, but I remember it was a very interesting time... Although we scored few points, we truly competed against each other.

      I saw how he works and know that he is fully dedicated to racing. Fernando is a top-level professional, a very smart driver, and it's hard to compete with him, but he always acts fairly and shows you respect. If I managed to overtake Fernando in a car that was the same as his, it brought me joy, although that didn't happen often.

      Question: What impression does he make on you in 2026, when everything is so difficult?

      Jenson Button: I can't speak for him, but as a driver, I can say that when a season starts poorly, it's always tough. But he believes in the team, although he understands that his own capabilities are also limited...

      Question: When you were Alonso's teammate at McLaren, could you expect that he would have such a long career in Formula 1?

      Jenson Button: No, I thought we would both leave the championship to find some interesting activities outside of Formula 1. And that turned out to be the case, as he left the championship a year after me, after which we raced together in WEC. He was then a Toyota driver, and their factory team was the strongest in endurance racing at that time.

      But when he realized that Formula 1 always remains the top category of motorsport, he decided to return.

      Question: Do you still have any sporting ambitions?

      Jenson Button: No, I parted ways with professional sports last year, and now, if I race, I don't get paid for it! (laughs) But I can choose where and when to race, and that's great.

      I mainly participate in historic car races, and now I need help finding an Aston Martin DB4 GT in good condition to race, because right now there are mostly Jaguar sports cars. I love my collection of classic GT cars; I have several, and I also plan to race this year. Moreover, I already have some good agreements with sponsors. So there is life beyond Formula 1...