Button makes world championship comeback: 'Still a lot of work to do'
General
- Toby McLuskie
The World Endurance Championship (WEC) has added a big name to the line-up. The FIA long-distance racing championship welcomes Jenson Button, the 2009 Formula 1 champion, has signed a contract with JOTA. That is a factory team of Porsche.
Button will drive the number 38 in the main Hypercar class, along with compatriot Phil Hanson and Dane Oliver Rasmussen. They will drive a Porsche 963. The trio will compete against a record 19 Hypercars in 2024, including nine different manufacturers (Alpine, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Isotta Fraschini, Lamborghini, Peugeot, Porsche and Toyota).
Button previously active in WEC
Button last competed in the WEC during the 2018/2019 season. He did so for SMP Racing in the LMP1 era of the WEC. Earlier this year, he was part of the Nascar-backed Garage 56 entry at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Button also took part in IMSA's season-ending Petit Le Mans in October, where he had his first taste of the Porsche 963 machines (run by JDC-Miller).
Needless to say, Button is looking forward to his comeback: "I’m excited to be racing with Hertz Team JOTA in the 2024 World Endurance Championship alongside my teammates Oliver Rasmussen and Phil Hanson. Both already have a lot of experience in endurance racing and that is key. Endurance racing is about teamwork and there is no better team than Hertz Team JOTA to be taking on the big manufacturers in Hypercars. I’m already looking forward to the first race in Qatar but also know there’s a lot of work to be done so that we arrive prepared."