Button has Dakar ambition

"If I raced in other formulae it would be because I want to go and have fun," the 30-year-old told ESPN.

"Doing the Dakar, for example; I would want to do it as a privateer, just to go there and have fun. It would be such a life experience. If you get into one of the top teams and you are racing for them, it is just so much pressure. I would want to go there and enjoy the race."

Button also talked about his joy of signing for McLaren and the prospect of competing alongside his countryman Lewis Hamilton.

"Winning the championship with Brawn was great, because we worked so hard for it over many, many years," he said.

"But now to race for McLaren - a team that has so much history and has achieved so much in F1 - and work alongside Lewis is a real privilege for me.

"The guy has achieved so much in the sport in such a limited time, he has had some massive ups and downs and it is my career squashed into two or three years. We have a lot of experience there, and if we work together we will build a phenomenal race car and have a very good season."