Jenson Button returns to the land of his first F1 pole

It's a memory that comes almost from another lifetime for Jenson Button. This weekend at the 6 Hours of Imola, second round of the 2024 season of the World ChampionshipEndurance of the FIA, the 44-year-old driver will return to a circuit on which he signed his first pole position in Formula 1 (eight in total). It was during the San Marino Grand Prix at the wheel of a BAR-Honda. He was ahead of none other than Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) before being beaten by the German in the race the next day for what was the third of his 50 F1 podiums.

« I have mixed emotions returning to Imola, However, Button has nuance. This is the place where I took my first pole position in Formula 1 ahead of the legend Michael Schumacher. It's the 20th anniversary of that first pole at Imola but this year also marks the 30th anniversary of the loss of two greats, Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna. With that in mind, I'm sure there will be very mixed emotions for much of the motorsport community returning to Imola this year. »

This Sunday, he will compete on the transalpine track in his second race with Hertz Team JOTA, the first having unfortunately ended in retirement after 124 covered laps in Qatar. The British team, however, remains on a good note with second place obtained by Will Stevens, Norman Nato and Callum Ilott at Losail. “ The track as a whole is great to drive – very fast, very smooth and it will definitely be a challenge in a Hypercar but I can't wait. I'm really looking forward to going there with the team and seeing what both cars can do. »

The Italian region of Emilia-Romagna hosts the FIA ​​​​for the first timeWEC this week-end. The race will start at 13:00 p.m. on Sunday.

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