Mark McArdle from Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
John Button died on 12 January 2014 at the age of 70. He was Jenson Button’s father and a well-known presence in the Formula 1 paddock.
John Button died on 12 January 2014, aged 70, bringing sudden sadness to Formula 1 just weeks before the new season. He was widely recognised as the father of 2009 world champion Jenson Button, but his place in the paddock had long since become his own.
Across Jenson’s Formula 1 career, John became one of the sport’s most familiar and popular figures. He was a constant presence at race weekends, easy to spot in the garage or around the paddock, and he earned respect for the energy and warmth he brought to the environment. In a world often shaped by pressure, hierarchy and controlled messaging, he stood out as a human and approachable character.
His relevance to motorsport also stretched beyond family ties. Before becoming known to a wider F1 audience, John Button had built his own background in rallycross, giving him a genuine connection to racing rather than a purely supportive role from the sidelines.
His death removed a figure who had become woven into the atmosphere of modern Formula 1 during Jenson Button’s rise from karting talent to world champion. In that sense, 12 January 2014 marked not only a personal tragedy, but the loss of a familiar face from the sport’s inner circle.
