Button hopes for fast car before career end

Jenson Buttonbutton

Jenson Button says he will quit formula one once he is no longer enjoying it.

Certainly, he makes no secret that McLaren's current situation is no fun.

"There is only one team that is happy," said the 2009 world champion, referring to dominant Mercedes.

But that doesn't mean the 34-year-old, who is out of contract at the end of the season, is not enjoying his job.

"It's still a pretty cool job," he told the Express newspaper in Barcelona.

"The worst part is the interviews trying to explain why it's not working," said Button, after qualifying eighth, more than two seconds off the pole time of his former teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Button said the other part of the job - working with engineers and driving - is still "enjoyable".

"It is just when you see the times that it hurts," he admitted.

"I'll stop when I'm not enjoying it anymore and it might be because I'm driving a car that's not quick enough in the future.

"Hopefully that won't be the case. Hopefully I can end on a high."

F1 aside, Button's other passion is fitness, and he regularly competes against some of the world's fittest athletes in ironman triathlons.

And he is always among those harking back to F1's louder, faster days, far from the spectacle of Barcelona 2014 where the leading GP2 cars would have comfortably qualified for the Spanish grand prix.

Button admits he has his eye on the new world rallycross series; a discipline loved by his recently departed father, John.

"I saw a quote from Jacques (Villeneuve) saying that in every other sport they are trying to make the cars slower but in rallycross they just throw everything at it, they are 600 horse power monsters," he said.

"I want to do something like that, taking a little motorhome or caravan with my mates and family and just hang out with other guys who are just having fun."

In the meantime, he is not yet ready to give up on F1.

"I really do get bored easily with everything in life but it has not happened yet with this sport, which is great," said Button.

"But after this I will probably go and do rallycross."

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