(Reuters) – Jenson Button, the former Formula 1 world champion, has announced that he will be driving a Jota Porsche 963 in the World Endurance Championship in the coming year. The 43-year-old is set to compete in the world’s top hypercar category, which includes the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours race.
Speaking to the BBC, Button stated, “I’m still at the top of my game. I’ve got a pass from my wife,” and went on to emphasize that the machinery he will be working with is “more technologically advanced than F1 cars.”
Elaborating on the differences between the two types of racing vehicles, he said, “There’s a lot to learn, it’s an amazing amount of jaw-dropping stuff that takes a while to get used to. It’s very clever, but very complex, and it requires a different type of driver: you need to be skilled on the track, but also be an engineering expert.”
Hailing from Britain, Button retired from Formula 1 in 2016 following a career that included 306 F1 races over 18 years. He achieved the ultimate triumph by winning the world title in 2009.
Expressing his enthusiasm for the hypercars, Button noted, “Hypercars are the coolest-looking cars ever. If I drew a car when I was a kid it would have been a hypercar.”
He also highlighted the team dynamic in endurance racing, stating, “I used to watch Le Mans in the 1980s. That team atmosphere is very different to F1, where teammates are the first person you’ve got to beat; in endurance racing you work with teammates to develop the car to win races.”
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Ken Ferris)
