F1 Champion Button Feels the Heat on NASCAR Debut

Jenson Button, driver of the #15 Mobil 1 Ford, waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas on March 26, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Getty Images/AFP)
Jenson Button, driver of the #15 Mobil 1 Ford, waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas on March 26, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Getty Images/AFP)
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F1 Champion Button Feels the Heat on NASCAR Debut

Jenson Button, driver of the #15 Mobil 1 Ford, waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas on March 26, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Getty Images/AFP)
Jenson Button, driver of the #15 Mobil 1 Ford, waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas on March 26, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Getty Images/AFP)

Former Formula One world champion Jenson Button said that he suffered heat exhaustion and nearly retired from the race before finishing 18th at his NASCAR debut in Texas on Sunday.

The 43-year-old Briton, who won the F1 world championship in 2009, said he feared fainting while driving his Ford Mustang during the 68-lap race at the Circuit of the Americas.

"Finished 18th after almost stopping because I had heat exhaustion. It was so hot. I don't have a fan in my seat, which really didn't help me too much," Button said.

"I stopped twice for a minute. They put ice on me, gave me loads of water, and I went back out.

"I was so close to getting out of the car because I thought I was going to faint. I must have drunk eight-nine bottles of water during the race. The team kept me calm, and it's the reason why we got a good result in the end. So, I was happy."

Button will next compete in the inaugural Chicago Street Race on July 2 before racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on Aug. 13.



Sabalenka Passes Mertens Test to Reach Wimbledon Quarter-finals

Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 6, 2025 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka celebrates after winning her round of 16 match against Belgium's Elise Mertens REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 6, 2025 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka celebrates after winning her round of 16 match against Belgium's Elise Mertens REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
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Sabalenka Passes Mertens Test to Reach Wimbledon Quarter-finals

Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 6, 2025 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka celebrates after winning her round of 16 match against Belgium's Elise Mertens REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 6, 2025 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka celebrates after winning her round of 16 match against Belgium's Elise Mertens REUTERS/Isabel Infantes

Aryna Sabalenka maintained her stranglehold over Belgian Elise Mertens with a hard-fought 6-4 7-6(4) victory on Sunday to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals as she bids for a maiden title at the grasscourt Grand Slam.

The Belarusian top seed came into the match on Centre Court having beaten Mertens 10 times in 12 meetings - the most for her against any player on the WTA Tour - and the one-sided rivalry looked set to continue after she made a strong start.

That impression would change, however, as Sabalenka dropped her level and wasted a 4-1 lead but the three-times major winner recovered quickly and claimed the opening set with a break on the back of a searing backhand crosscourt winner, Reuters reported.

Sabalenka followed up with a cheeky volley that clipped the net cord in the opening game of the next set but her former doubles partner responded with solid returning in the next to break and surge ahead.

Her momentum did not last long, though, as Sabalenka drew level after six games and the world number one stepped up again at crucial points in a see-saw tiebreak, which she finished with a forehand volley to book a last-eight meeting with Laura Siegemund.