Jenson Button Breaks Up with Jessica Michibata

One view that never changed in the past year (and a few months) was Jenson Button's father and his girlfriend Jessica Michibata sitting at the same table and watching the 30-year old driver winning races and championships in Formula One. Apparently, this is about to change from the very next Turkish Grand Prix, as Button and his girlfriend reportedly split up in recent days.

According to British tabloid The Sun, the two decided they weren't going to continue as a couple shortly after the Monaco Grand Prix. Coincidentally or not, it was a race to forget for the reigning world champion, whose engine burst in the first few laps and had to record his first DNF of the season.

But anyway, returning to our story, it seems that Button wanted to focus more on his job as a McLaren Mercedes driver than share his spare time with Michibata (who's also a bikini model). The “logistics” of their relationship was a hard thing to get used to also, as the two were living on two different continents – Button resides in Monaco, while Jessica's home is in Tokyo.

“Just over a week ago Jenson reluctantly decided that his racing must be his main priority,” said a source to the aforementioned publication, while a spokesman for Button confirmed the two are no longer a couple: “Jenson is single again. He and Jessica have gone their separate ways.”

The relationship between the reigning world champion and the 25-year old bikini model lasted for approximately 18 months and seemed to have led to wedding rings at one point, mid-way through last season. Although the two had planned to get married after Button's title celebration in Brazil, they changed their minds this spring.