Jenson Button to leave Super GT after Motegi

Arriving full-time in Super GT in 2018 after a first discovery in 2017 at Suzuka, Jenson Button didn't wait long to rise to the top of the Japanese category, winning the title last year with Naoki Yamamoto.

The world champion F1 2009 will however only contest two campaigns in the discipline, after announcing this Tuesday morning the end of his adventure in Japan following the Motegi final.

“When I decided to move away from Formula 1, I wanted to find a challenge that would satisfy that desire to compete at the highest level and my two seasons in Super GT certainly did that, admits Button on social networks.

Not only did I have the opportunity to start another adventure with Honda, who has been involved in much of my racing career thus far, but I also got to team up with Naoki Yamamoto, who is not only one of the strongest teammates I have ever had but also a good guy and as a team we managed to win the Super GT championship in my first year which is without a doubt the one of my greatest accomplishments.

Throughout my career, I have always emphasized that Japan is a great place to compete because of its incredible fans and passion for the sport. Having the chance to participate in this competition throughout the year has been an absolute honor and has left some wonderful memories.

So I would like to take this opportunity to thank these fans, my brilliant teammate Naoki, the entire Kunimitsu team, a combination of a relatively young group led by one of the legends of motorsport with Kunumitsu-San.

They have demonstrated unwavering passion and professionalism and are a pleasure to work with. I would also like to thank the entire Honda family for helping make this another brilliant chapter in my career. »

 

 

 

 

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BREAKING NEWS! . Ahead of this weekend's season finale in Motegi I wanted to take this chance to announce that it will in fact be my last race in Super GT. When I decided to move away from Formula 1 I wanted to find a challenge which would scratch that competitive itch at the highest level and my 2 seasons in Super GT have certainly done that. Not only did I get to go on another journey with Honda, who have been a huge part of my racing career to date, but I also got to team up with @naokiyamamoto_official who is not only one of the strongest teammates I've ever had but also a great guy and as a team we managed to win the Super GT championship in my rookie year, which is easily one of my proudest achievements. Throughout my career I've always highlighted Japan as a special place to compete because of the incredible fans and their passion for the sport, so to have the chance to compete there throughout the year has been an absolute honor and has produced some wonderful memories. I'd like to therefore take this chance to thank those fans, my brilliant teammate Naoki, the whole of Team Kunumitsu, who have this incredibly exciting combination of a relatively young group being lead by one of the legends of motorsport in Kunumitsu-San himself . They demonstrated unwavering passion and professionalism throughout and are a joy to work with. I'd like to also thank the entire Honda family for helping make this another brilliant chapter in my career. . Let's make this weekend count

A publication shared by Jenson Button (@jensonbutton) on Oct 28, 2019 at 9:32am PDT

Button had recently contested the joint race between the DTM and the Super GT, but should therefore not be part of the Dream Race in Fuji next November.

Button and Yamamoto will have nothing to play for this weekend, being far too far behind championship leaders Kazuya Oshima and Kenta Yamashita (Team LeMans – Lexus).