Jenson Button once placed his girlfriend on a sex ban as he attempted to boost his chances of winning a Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship in Sao Paulo. The Brazil Grand Prix returns this weekend with Mercedes star Kimi Antonelli now on a victory tour as the youngest-ever world champion. Fellow drivers' title winner Button will have fond memories of the same race after clinching the crown there against Sebastian Vettel in 2009.
However, this was likely only made possible by saying no to his then-girlfriend, Jessica Michibata, when she wanted to get steamy ahead of the event. The Brit was mere points away from securing the championship at Interlagos but believed he had to say no to sex in order to focus his attention on the asphalt.
Insider on Button's pre-race focus
At the time, an insider said: "It's such an important weekend for Jenson. He has hundreds of things to do and wants to be able to concentrate on them alone. Jessica normally always travels with him, but he has to keep his mind on the job, so to speak."
This ended up working out as Button won the title with a race to spare, battling to a fifth-place finish in Brazil. But the Brit threw caution to the wind during a previous race in 2009.
Secret foot massage before Singapore GP
Button enjoyed getting hot and heavy with Michibata earlier in the campaign, claiming that a secret foot massage helped him warm up for the Singapore Grand Prix. The then-Brawn driver said when asked about his pre-race prep: "My amazing girlfriend, after qualifying, we got to my room.
"I'm not going to tell you all the details, but she said, 'Lie down' - so I did, and she gave me a foot massage. She said, 'So tell me about today.' That was so cool. She really listens."
The pair would get married five years later but divorced after just 12 months in 2015. Button would move on to another WAG, marrying American model Brittny Ward in 2022.
Antonelli's record and battle for second
Meanwhile, Antonelli will enter this Brazilian GP as the youngest-ever world champion after finishing third in Mexico City and putting Mercedes team-mate George Russell out of title contention. Now, it is a battle for second in Brazil as Max Verstappen, Russell and Lewis Hamilton are all within 11 points of one another.
