Jenson Button, who confessed to getting “steamy” with his then-girlfriend in a team office at the start of his title-winning year, imposed a sex ban later in the season

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Jenson Button kept his then-girlfriend, Jessica Michibata, at arms length as he tried to clinch the F1 title(Image: Danny Martindale/WireImage)

Jenson Button imposed a sex ban on his then-girlfriend while battling to secure the Formula 1 drivers’ championship. Button famously claimed the sport’s most coveted prize in 2009 after an extraordinary rags-to-riches journey.

At the close of the previous season, the British driver’s F1 career hung in the balance when Honda abruptly withdrew from the sport. The Brackley-based outfit – which later became Mercedes – appeared destined to collapse, threatening hundreds of job losses.

However, a rescue package spearheaded by team bosses Ross Brawn and Nick Fry salvaged the situation. Running Mercedes power units, Button enjoyed a sensational start to the campaign, triumphing in six of the opening seven Grands Prix to establish a commanding championship advantage.

Nevertheless, Button, now 45, grew increasingly anxious as team-mate Rubens Barrichello and Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel narrowed the deficit during the latter half of the season. Supporting him throughout that year was his model partner Jessica Michibata.

Button praised her following his fifth place in Singapore, revealing: “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.”

But after slumping to eighth place in the subsequent Japanese Grand Prix, won by Vettel, pressure mounted on the ex-Williams and Renault driver, leading him to impose restrictions on intimate contact with his partner ahead of the crucial penultimate race in Brazil, where he could secure the championship.

A Brawn source revealed at the time: “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.

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Michibata was at Button’s side during the tense 2009 season(Image: Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

“Jessica normally always travels with him but he has to keep his mind on the job, so to speak.”

The self-imposed abstinence represented a dramatic decision from Button, who had previously confessed to “getting steamy” with Jessica in a team office following his victory in the season opener in Australia. But the strategy worked, as a battling fifth-place finish proved sufficient to clinch the title with one race remaining.

Following their reunion, the pair undoubtedly enjoyed a celebratory period together in private. As their relationship flourished, Jessica was spotted in tears when Button triumphed at her home race in Japan in 2011. However, despite tying the knot in 2014, the marriage ended just 12 months later.

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Button celebrates becoming 2009 world champion in Brazil(Image: Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Button wed American model Brittny Ward in 2022. The couple share two young children.

Meanwhile, a tense F1 title race is set to continue in Brazil this weekend with the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. After his victory in Mexico, Lando Norris leads his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri by one point, while world champion Max Verstappen is a further 35 points back in third.