EXCLUSIVE: I raced in the first Abu Dhabi GP then partied with Michael Schumacher

The first-ever F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was in 2009 and things have changed a lot.

Jenson Button arrived at the newly-crowned Formula 1 champion, after claiming glory in Brazil.

The season-finale was a new race which is now synonymous with the calendar. F1 ends its 2024 season in Abu Dhabi this weekend.

“It was futuristic,” Button exclusively told Crash.net.

“It was an amazing experience, night racing and also meant going to a country that I'd never been to before so I really enjoyed it and it was my first podium for quite a few races that season.

“I arrived to Abu Dhabi as the World Champion because I won in Brazil, so it was a great race.

“ spent the Sunday night at Amber Lounge with Michael Schumacher, Ross Brawn, and it was just so much fun.”

The Yas Marina track has been changed significantly since then, in an effort to improve the racing.

“I enjoyed the track the way I drove it but I actually get to drive the track in January,” Button said.

“We're testing for WEC there so I'll see what it's like in terms of the high-speed section now, but I like it.

“It's got a good place in the calendar. It's not the fast-flowing tracks that we have at Suzuka or Silverstone or Spa, but I always enjoy driving there and I think the racing is good.”

Button’s memories in Abu Dhabi include his full-time retirement, and his penultimate start, in 2016.

He lists his favourite moments: “Getting on the podium in the first year, followed up with the podium the following year where we crowed Sebastian [Vettel] the World Champion.

“It was Lewis and myself on the podium with him, both of us with McLaren, and we were the previous two World Champions, so it was kind of cool showering Seb in champagne!

“Those are the two that stand out but then also my last race there.

“I had suspension failure, finished early, had a few drinks and did loads of interviews saying I didn’t care about leaving F1.

“They were not entirely true! It’s always been a cool experience there and I’m looking forward to getting back there and reliving some of those memories.”

It has now been 15 years since Button’s sole Formula 1 championship as a Brawn driver.

“It's crazy that it's been 15 years! I got to drive the car again five years ago, which was a lovely experience,” he said.

“Reflecting, it was one of those years that will go down in history; not because I won the World Championship, but because a privateer team won their first World Championship in their first year as Brawn GP.

“There are so many things you kind of forget 15 years down the road, which is such a shame, and that's why I'm so lucky that they made a documentary about it.

“I was in Paris with my wife last week and it popped up on TV so we watched it.

“The fact that it is documented and I can see the emotion from everyone involved in that season is really special, so I’m so lucky to have that and Keanu Reeves did such a great job on that. Lots of great memories from that season but it was also the toughest year of my life the amount of stress I put on myself.”