Formula 1 ace Jenson Button has had a joyous start to 2021 after the arrival of his new baby Lenny, but one big part of his family jigsaw has been missing amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Little Lenny was a welcome addition to the Button clan over the Christmas period, as she joined partner Brittny Ward and the couple's first child Hendrix, yet the 2009 F1 world champion admits his hope for this year will be that his mother Simone will be able to spend more time with her grandkids.
Speaking exclusively to Female First from his home in Bel Air, Los Angeles, Button opened up on his experiences as a father and his fears for the older generation amid the ongoing pandemic.
"The whole Covid year has been very strange," begins Button. "None of us have ever experienced anything like this in our lives and it can either bring us all together or separate us. I hope it will do the former all around the world.
"The big concern for all of us over the last few months has been grandparents. My mother has not seen our son for a year, and we have just had a new baby and it will be tough for her to see him as well. Our first son is 16 months old and a lot of his baby toddler time, she has missed. That can't be given back and it's hard to accept that.
"I really feel for grandparents and people of that age that they are so frightened. Living life at the moment is not much fun for them at the moment, being stuck indoors. They are not getting any younger and some of them don't have a lot of friends to call upon."
Button has remained involved with Formula 1 as part of the Sky Sports commentary team and he will drive for his own Extreme E racing team for a new series that gets underway this year.
Those two roles will mean more travelling in 2021 and he admits he has enjoyed the time he has spent in LA with partner Brittny and their young family.
"I live in Bel Air and it is a wonderful place to go for runs," he continued. "We have trails next to our home and when you get up high, you can see down into LA and it is just so peaceful up there. It's lovely and I know how l lucky I've been in a year that has been so tough for so many people.
"We have a back yard and if we are told to stay in, then we can play in the back yard with our little dude. A lot of people don't have that, and people are suffering mentally at the moment, which is tough. I feel for people who had had it much harder than me.
"I remember when it kicked off earlier in the year, I was very strict on following everything they told us to do as I believe they must be giving us the best advice possible.
"So it was masks, hand washing, staying in when asked... whatever was needed. I was tempted to get a full-on hazmat suit for travelling! I was one of the those asking why people were not wearing masks, but a year on and we are all wondering what is best to do.
"We are getting so many conflicting reports on what we should be doing, what is effective, and it is hard to know what is right, but I'm very happy that they seem to be close to finding a way to make this less serious with vaccines and hopefully that can help us all.
"I've been lucky, I know that. I've travelled less, I've been able to spend more time with my little chap, which has been amazing.
"Our new baby is here now, and it has been great to spend more time with the family than we might have done without the events of 2020."
Button was speaking to us at the launch of his new Dare 2b clothing range, as he admits the brand was perfect fit as he continues to retain a passion for personal fitness.
"I did an off-road race last year in Baha," Jenson recalled. "It is called the Baha 1000 and it is the craziest off-road race in the world.
"You basically drive these big trucks which are 2,500 kilos with three feet of suspension travel over these massive cliff edges, on the beach, through the sea, up into the mountains where it is zero degrees, so it's the biggest adventure in the world, I would say, for someone who likes motorsport.
"You go from the coast from where it is 25 degrees and then up in the mountains it is zero, it's freezing, so you need different apparel for different conditions.
"And it just felt like the right partnership, working with a brand that is all about adventure and being outdoorsy in different climates and different terrains.
"When we spoke to Dare 2b they were well up for it as well, which is good, and it's grown from there. We've done skiwear, winter wear, which has been fantastic. That was just before Covid hit so we were lucky to get that shoot in.
"And then we've done adventure wear for running and hiking, and casual wear. It's been a great partnership and the great thing is that the position I'm in after my long career in F1, I have to work with people I enjoy working with.
"It has to be fun or else what's the point? It has to be fun for me at this period of my life and it's been a really fun partnership and I'm looking forward to what we can continue doing in the future together."
Check out Jenson Button's Dare 2b Edit collection HERE
Words by Dean Crosdale for Female First
Tagged in Jenson Button