F1 world champion undergoes body transformation as he takes up new sport
The former Formula 1 hero star has undergone a major transformation that’s seen him put on almost two stone in weight since retiring from racing
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Jenson Button has bulked out in his racing retirement(Image: JensonButton/Instagram)
Formula One legend Jenson Button has put on 11kg since hanging up his racing gloves, with the 46-year-old immersing himself in the world of Hyrox. The 2009 F1 world champion tackled his first solo Hyrox event in Phoenix, Arizona, at the beginning of February following a remarkable body transformation that now sees him resembling a WWE superstar more than an F1 driver.
Button has exchanged the thrill of the race track for a running circuit thanks to the increasingly popular sport, which sees participants race 8km on an indoor track with eight workouts evenly distributed throughout.
The activity has attracted a huge following in recent times, with Button first completing a Pro Doubles event in California late last year. Despite the work required to bulk up, he says he has relished pushing his body to its limits.
“I have loved putting weight on,” Button told Men’s Health. “It’s not been easy because I’ve been skinny my whole life. I had to be 70kg or less when I was racing in F1, and now I’m 81kg.
“I have probably less fat than I did back then. It’s been a really fun process. It’s taken a long time to put weight on, but it’s been fun.
“I feel so much better and more invigorated from doing weight training and I feel good after a session. All the cardio sessions I used to do, I was just hanging for two days after, whereas now I feel great.”
Button’s last F1 race took place at Monaco nearly nine years ago. Before hanging up his helmet, he hadn’t claimed a Grand Prix victory since Brazil in 2012.
That said, Button didn’t walk away from motorsport altogether. Right up until 2025, he was taking part in the Super GT series, NASCAR and the World Endurance Championship, amongst others.
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Button cuts a different figure today than he did in 2009(Image: Getty)
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The former world champ has piled on the muscle(Image: Instagram/JensonButton)
Hyrox then entered the picture, offering the former F1 star shorter training sessions — albeit gruelling at times — which helped him strike a better balance between racing and family life.
“After F1, I didn’t go professional with triathlon,” he added. “But I went to the world championship after qualifying for my age group in the 70.3 Ironman.
“I really enjoyed it, but the training was just too intense and far too many hours. I was doing 20 hours a week, something I just couldn’t do with young kids and my job still racing.
“I then heard about Hyrox a few months back. The training sessions are a lot shorter, unbelievably intense, and it just worked really well for me. I’ve done a lot of upper-body weight training and I’m really enjoying the process. It’s super tough, especially if you want to be competitive.”
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Button has caught the Hyrox bug(Image: JensonButton/Instagram)
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He wants to keep improving his PB time(Image: Instagram/JensonButton)
Button took part in his first Hyrox race, a Pro Doubles event, back in December, before going it alone in Phoenix earlier this month. He clocked times of 1:11:43 and 1:08:47, respectively.
The former F1 champion has confessed he’s now hooked on Hyrox, whilst remaining fully aware of the areas where he still needs to improve. “I’m all in on Hyrox,” he said, adding: “I’ve done one singles race, which was fun. Happy until I got to the wall balls, which was embarrassing.
“Ankle flexibility is my big issue, so I’m working on that. And my glutes. If I sorted the wall balls out then I think a 1:05 would be possible. My legs are still a weakness that my wife laughs at, because I have a flat butt.”
