Button and Alonso to swap teams for Suzuka

After a period of rumours since the Malaysian Grand Prix, Tornado and Exolite have agreed to a driver swap between the newly crowned champion Fernando Alonso and the retiring Jenson Button for the final race of the season.

The arrangement will see Alonso drive for Exolite earlier than anticipated as he is contracted to the Yorkshire team for the 2016 season. Exolite has had a difficult season with an uncompetitive car and currently sit last in the constructors championship, two points behind Pedersen, but a one-off line-up of Alonso and Lewis Hamilton could James Whiteley’s his blushes if qualifying and the race go to plan.

Meanwhile at Tornado, Button will return to the team he had raced for on five previous seasons. The move was suggested by team boss Tobias as he wanted to give the Brit a fitting send off with the team that provided him with his world championship win during the 2008 season, and also partly out of sympathy for Button, who is the only driver not to have scored points in 2015.

A career full of ups and downs

Button made his debut in the 2000 season with Maestro Motorsport alongside Juan Pablo Montoya and achieved his only podium finish of the season at Hockenheim. He remained with the team for 2001 but was crippled by an uncompetitive car in what would turn out to be Maestro’s final season in FF1M.

Button drove for two different teams in the next two seasons, Pedersen and MRD Racing, and achieved two milestones; his first pole position with at the 2002 San Marino Grand Prix and his first win at the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix. The following season saw Button join Tornado for what would be the first of five seasons with the team punctuated by a one-season stint at Shannon for 2007. His debut season with Tobias’ team saw a strong end with two podiums finishes at Monza and Suzuka, but the following two were a struggle with Tornado proving uncompetitive aside from a single podium finish at the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix.

His single season at Shannon was much more promising with two pole positions at Monaco and Interlagos, and also four podium finishes before returning to Tornado, where Button would see his best two seasons in FF1M. With a frontrunning car at his disposal, he won the first two races of 2008 followed by four more at Monaco, Silverstone, Monza, and the final round at Interlagos on his way to the world championship. With the help of teammate Giorgio Pantano, Button was also able to win the constructors championship for Tornado. Although his championship defence in the following season was unsuccessful, he did still manage to win four races, but Lewis Hamilton and Shake ‘n’ Bake were ultimately too good.

Since leaving Tornado, Button’s fortunes have been rather mixed. 2010 saw him take three podium finishes for FJR, but he somehow managed to be outscored by teammate Romain Grosjean, who scored a total of zero podiums. The inconsistency continued into 2011. Now driving for LeBlanc, Button took two wins at Barcelona and Montreal and found himself 2nd in the championship after Round 8, but his championship challenge faded dramatically and slipped to 7th having scored points in only one more race. His 2012 campaign was one of his lowest moments as he was dropped by Ajay Motorsports with four rounds remaining, and an early retirement looked possible.

The returning Exolite team provided a lifeline for Button by offering him a drive for 2013, and was on course to take a sensational win in the first race but for a suspension failure with less than 20 laps to go. Although he managed just one podium finish at the Red Bull Ring, Button was a consistent finisher in the points and helped Exolite to a respectable 3rd in the constructors championship. In between the 2013 and 2015 seasons was another stint with FJR. It was a far less consistent season compared to 2013, but Button was able to challenge for wins on occasions. He was cruelly denied a win at Montreal after suffering a gearbox failure on the final lap, but at Hockenheim, he was masterful as he worked his way from 7th on the grid into the lead during the first stint and eventually won by half a minute.

To date, the 2014 German Grand Prix is Button’s last win and podium, whereas the 2009 San Marino Grand Prix is Button’s last pole position, but his final race at Suzuka with the newly crowned constructors champions could see those statistics altered. In any case, Button will be hoping to end his memorable career on a high.