Jenson Button (JOTA): “It’s the best time to race in the WEC”

It will be one of the headliners of the World ChampionshipEndurance in 2024: Jenson Button is back in WEC, six years after his (short) experience with SMP Racing in LM P1, during the 2018-2019 season. The Brit returns to the discipline aboard the Porsche #38 from the Hertz Team JOTA team, alongside Phil Hanson and Oliver Rasmussen. At 44, the world champion of Formula 1 is embarking on a new challenge with a new full-time commitment in Endurance.

“I enjoyed my last years in motorsport, I tried lots of disciplines: I raced in the Baja 1000, in the 24 Hours of Daytona last month, in NASCAR and also to 24 Hours of Le Mans last year, again in a NASCAR. I did a lot of things that were fun, it was nice but I felt like I needed to get into a full season, a real championship.", he confided in an interview given by the WEC, ahead of the Prologue and the 1812km of Qatar (February 29 – March 2).

“I have always loved Endurance and the WEC: today, when we see where the championship is in terms of categories and manufacturers that are involved, it is the best time to race in the WEC, he adds. Whether it's Hypercar or LMGT3, it's incredible: it will be super competitive, and I love the fact that there is so much diversity in the cars. They don't make the same noise, there's a bit of everything. It's an exciting time for Endurance and it's great to be part of it. »

Jenson Button back in WEC… thanks to his wife

The last time Jenson Button completed a full motorsport program was in 2019, in Super GT. Since then, the Briton has slowed down and started a family, with the birth of his two children, Hendrix Jonathan and Lenny Monrow. Five years later, the desire to return to a full-time championship was eating away at him and here he is at the start of the 2024 WEC season in Hypercar!

“The reason I fly full time is because of my wife! Brittny gives me time to leave the house and fly, even though I spend a lot of time away from home. I have two children who are 3 and 4 years old: it's hard, but it's an important moment in my life, concedes Jenson Button. I've had such a long career in car and from now on, it is in Endurance that I want to be for the years to come. Brittny knows this, and I'm a better father and husband when I'm racing and being competitive! »

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