Scooping his first Formula One championship title in 2009, Jenson Button sped ahead of the rest to become Britain’s most treasured motorsport driver. Last year we gave the champ the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award at the GQ Car Awards and the 40-year-old go-karter turned racing driver has no plans to slow down.
With a career that takes him all over the globe, and regular calls for him to attend big events from our own GQ Men of the Year Awards to the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year ceremony, looking good and feeling at the top of his game is extremely important to Button.
Having grown up in Frome, Somerset, he now resides in Bel Air, Los Angeles, and maintaining an active lifestyle comes naturally to him. As a result, lifestyle brand Dare 2B has taken him on as the face of its new campaign, which saw him co-design a collection of heavy-duty outerwear.
We spoke to Button to find out how he keeps fit, combats ageing now he’s hit a milestone age, and whose wardrobe he’d like to raid.
I’m not great first thing in the morning. For me getting in the shower is key to starting the day. I love feeling fresh. I workout every day in the morning and I have to shower before, which might seem strange but it’s just one of those things.
I’m very active. In the past I was big on getting out on the bike and running, which I do a little less of now, but boxing has become a passion in the past few years. It’s great for the reactions, which now that I’ve hit 40, isn’t a bad thing. Keeping my reactions in top-notch condition is important for racing should I get to go in a car again – who knows with the way the world is right now. When I say boxing, I don’t get punched back. I’m no Anthony Joshua.
For me being outside and boxing is key. We have a small gym at my house, but I don’t love training inside. I’ve always kept fit because of racing, and I trained more than I had to for Formula One. I love being outside. There’s great mountains here in LA so running the trails around Bel Air is great.
I love a massage. I travel a lot, and even through the pandemic I’ve been hopping on planes. I’ve done the commentary for the Formula One races across the world so I’m one of the few constant travellers out there. The safest place to be is probably the airport right now. That said, travelling takes it out of your body so the one thing I do after every flight is to get a massage. I’m all for pushing the body, and I do hurt myself a lot with running and hiking. What I’m good at is post-training care – I know that you need to massage the body, eat your protein and get the goodness back in.
Turning 40 is a funny one. You get up in the morning and have more aches and pains, but 40 isn’t too old. When I was in my twenties I thought it was really old. Now that I’m here I don’t feel that different. Mentally I’m still a 20-year-old racing driver. Sure, physically, you need to take better care of yourself but there’s nothing to say you can’t do what a 25 year old does.
I don’t really do much with my hair, I just rub a bit of clay in sometimes. My fiancée’s mum cuts my hair. She’s been cutting hair for almost 30 years – she used to have a salon. I get to go to her house and she’s great with men’s hair. She lives six hours away, but I get it cut every four weeks on average. I find it really tricky to find a hairdresser or barber – they never listen to what you want.
I had a manicure and a pedicure once. I went with my fiancée and it’s a very LA thing to do, but I didn’t feel like I was being me sat in that chair. I stick to cutting my nails myself now.
I look like a 16-year-old boy if I shave. My facial hair changes all the time – it’s a little curly and gets quite patchy. My fiancée doesn’t like it long and I sort of have to listen to her. I do like being a little rough and ready, but I prefer a designed and tailored rough and ready.
I’ve got quite delicate skin – I’m a delicate flower. So I have to moisturise. My wife usually gives me her stuff and I don’t pay much attention to what it is, but I make sure I cover my face in it.
I always wear sunscreen. I spend so much time outside, whether training or with the family, so it’s extremely important especially in sunny Los Angeles.
I have wrinkles from gurning so much. That comes from training. I’m in a crash helmet the whole time, which isn’t great for your hairline or your wrinkles. I try to stay on top of my grooming because of that: moisturise, moisturise, moisturise.
I have conquered jet lag. I never drink on the flight and I rarely eat unless I’m starving. All that altitude can mess you up. When you board a flight, you should already be thinking about the time zone you’re travelling to – that’s important. For the flight I take melatonin, which is natural, and what your body produces when you’re tired. When I land I go for a little jog to tire me out and set me up to sleep at a normal time wherever I’ve arrived.
I think being outside is important for mental health. We don’t need to be stuck in cities. Working from home and the lockdown has made everyone realise what is important. Work is important but spending time exploring the outdoors with loved ones is more important. We go to Palm Springs a lot, and up to the mountains. There’s so much to see in this world and a lot of us don’t. We go from home to work and back again.
I care about what I wear but I don’t spend hours on it. I never go for anything too extreme. I don’t follow the crowds so if there’s a certain fashion trend I don’t tend to jump on it. To be honest, a white T-shirt and a pair of shorts works for me.
I love dressing up and throwing on a suit. That for me is the easiest way to look good and really helps with my confidence. Over the years I’ve been to so many events and putting a suit on really gets you into the right mindset.
David Beckham does look good, doesn’t he? Whether it’s him, his wife or his stylist that’s putting him in those clothes, he looks great. Ryan Reynolds dresses well too – he’s very charismatic and, of course, he’s pretty funny. In all honesty, I do like how Conor McGregor dresses, which might not be the done thing to say. I love a three-piece suit and he pulls one off. Lewis Hamilton has a unique style too.
Travelling a lot you need to make wardrobe sacrifices. You’ve got to have one jacket that you can take around and will be fit for anything. Finding that one functional jacket that looks good has always been a huge struggle. The khaki jacket that sits as part of the collaboration with Dare 2B is one that pretty much nails it.
The Jenson Button x Dare 2B collection is available now. dare2b.com
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