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MONZA, Italy -- Jenson Button says his decision to step back from McLaren and Formula One in 2017 came because he needs a year off from the sport.Button will be replaced by Stoffel Vandoorne at McLaren next year, though team CEO Ron Dennis insisted the move was not about retirement for the 2009 world champion. Instead, he will remain with the team on a two-year contract, next year as a reserve driver before the possibility of returning to racing in 2018 if a seat becomes available.The most experienced driver on the grid, Button has been in F1 since making his debut at the 2000 Australian Grand Prix.Speaking at the announcement, Button said: Ive lived and breathed Formula One since I was 19 years old and Im 36 now. You go to grands prix at the weekend and everything else is either recovery or preparation for a grand prix.I came to a decision that I wanted to initiate talks with Ron in Spa, which we did. Ever since, weve been talking non-stop about the future. And I can tell you now that I do have a two-year contract starting next year with McLaren-Honda, probably a little different to what youre expecting right now. Next year I will be an ambassador for this team, I will work with this team in every way I can until they get a better team for the future.I will do sim work, I will stay current, I will train my arse off like youve never seen before and I will also be doing a lot of races making sure everything is on the right track and giving as much input as I can. Ill also be doing a lot of stuff that I havent done for 17 years. Ill be living on my schedule, Ill get up when I want, Ill do what I want for a lot of the days of the year, Ill spend more time with my friends and more importantly with my family who I havent properly seen for 17 years. Thats something that Im really excited about.Im also an avid fan and lover of triathlons as you probably know, so there are many things that I want to do that I havent been able to do because of the Formula One schedule. As we all know, youre not just a racing driver when you drive in Formula One, this is your life and I definitely need a break from that in 2017.Button says the option to return to racing in 2018, which has to be mutually agreed by both parties, is better than anything he could have hoped for.For a driver thats been in the sport for so long and achieved what Ive achieved, winning a world championship, winning many grands prix and podiums, it really is a dream to be able to have that rest and the possibility of racing in the future. This is something Im very, very happy about and couldnt be happier with the situation, to be fair.Button has long been an admirer of the World Endurance Championship, and has been linked with a switch to the series once his F1 career finishes. However, the Englishman remained cryptic when asked whether his new deal would allow him to race elsewhere next year.There is a possibility of me racing next year but at the moment I am not thinking about anything over the firstly the end of this year. There are many things I want to try and do but trying to list them here is impossible really. Im really excited about this and wherever it takes us in the future I dont really know but it is exciting and gives me the opportunity to live my life like I havent as an adult, ever.My family is forever growing as well so it is nice to be able to spend time with them and not see them once a year and see theyve grown. That is very important to me. Also I love my fitness, I love my triathlon, I love my cycling and of course I will love racing I always will for the rest of my life and F1 will always be close to my heart because it has been my life for so many years. There is a possibility I could race next year.Pervis Ellison Jersey . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. Ray Allen Jersey .Y. -- Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Wednesday that J. https://www.cheapceltics.com/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Custom Boston Celtics Jerseys ., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., took sixth spot on Saturday in pairs at the NHK Trophy ISU Grand Prix figure skating competition. Tom Heinsohn Jersey . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said.The "final hurdle" to testing players for HGH this season apparently involves the NFL and union agreeing on whether Commissioner Roger Goodell will hear appeals for violations other than a positive test, according to a person who works for the league. The person sent an email Thursday to The Associated Press to update the status of negotiations between the league and the NFL Players Association. The information was provided on condition of anonymity because the sides talks about the drug policy are supposed to remain confidential. The person said that while several issues standing in the way of HGH testing have been resolved, "the final hurdle appears to be" the unions desire to have someone other than Goodell rule on appeals that involve violations of the law or "demonstrated use" of a performance-enhancing substance without a positive test. The email adds that the NFL does not "believe it is appropriate further to limit the commissioners disciplinary authority." It also says: "We have made clear to the NFLPA ... that we are not prepared to resolve issues relating to HGH on a piecemeal basis. Two years after agreeing to HGH testing in the first place, we think the goal should be to reach a comprehensive agreement on all aspects of HGH testing so that the program can be fullyy implemented for the current season.dddddddddddd" The league and union originally paved the way for HGH testing in the 10-year collective bargaining agreement they signed in August 2011, pending discussions to resolve various details. But two Super Bowls have come and gone -- and the 2013 regular-season opener is only three weeks away -- without a single blood test for human growth hormone having been administered. Since the current CBA went into effect, the sides have haggled over several aspects of the program, including the appeals process and the unions insistence on a population study to determine what constitutes a naturally occurring amount of HGH in NFL players. A memo sent to players by the NFLPA this week -- and obtained by the AP -- indicated that the population study process was settled, as was a tentative agreement to randomly test 40 players per week during the season. Thursdays email from the NFL employee refers to those as "agreed-upon elements regarding HGH testing." It also notes that the scientific experts in charge of determining a threshold for a positive test "plan to create a control group in addition to the pool of current player specimens" but says "there is presently no agreement of any kind involving a role for retired players in the study." ' ' '