It is 15 years since Jenson Button claimed the Formula One drivers championship however because the World Endurance Championship (WEC) prepares to get underway on the finish of February, the Briton informed AFP he’s eyeing new peaks, not least the long-lasting Le Mans 24 Hour race.
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Button, who turns 44 on Friday, has remained busy in motor sport since stepping away from F1 on the finish of the 2016 season however he’s now making a full-time return to racing on the wheel of a Porsche with Hertz Team JOTA.
“I am not just a Formula One driver, I’m a racing driver,” Button informed AFP.
“I’ve all the time beloved endurance racing, first as a result of the automobiles look tremendous cool. In the eighties I used to sit down down and watch F1 and Le Mans with my dad.
“I can’t believe I’ve only raced there twice but I am going to be adding to that hopefully over the next couple of years.”
Jenson Button received 15 grand prix in Formula One, six of them in his 2009 title-winning season with Brawn. He later moved to McLaren, teaming up with Lewis Hamilton.
He has been no slouch, although, since he give up F1.
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“I have raced in all sorts of things since then,” he says.
“SuperGT in Japan, British GT, trophy trucks, rally cross cars. I have done everything. I have raced in NASCAR which was amazing.”
Jenson Button isn’t any newcomer to the world of endurance racing.
In 1999, the season earlier than he stepped as much as Formula One with Williams, he made his endurance debut within the 24 Hours of Spa though he needed to retire after 22 laps.
He drove at Le Mans in 2018 – he was on the wheel when his automobile dropped out with digital issues – and thirty ninth final yr.
“The word I would use to describe Le Mans is ’emotional’,” he says.
“Whether you win otherwise you lose, whether or not you crash otherwise you end, you simply need to cry.
“You’ve been via a lot along with your teammates that you simply’re celebrating the tip of the race, no matter’s occurred, whether or not it was good or dangerous.
“That’s what I love about it. It’s a really tough race for driver and machine.”
’24 hours of insanity’
Beyond the on-track expertise is the preamble to the race and the camaraderie and rivalry that has made it such a legendary occasion on the racing calendar.
“It’s everything from the build-up to the chequered flag,” says Button.
“I feel as a result of there are such a lot of groups, so many drivers, it’s like a village having that many individuals in Le Mans for the race.
“Three drivers per automobile, 60 automobiles, that’s 180 racing drivers. Then you’ve acquired the additional drivers, all of the crews… Everyone arrives and you’re in your individual little bubble for 10 days.
“It’s an amazing build-up after which the race begins and it’s 24 hours of insanity.
“Everyone drives flat out for 24 hours. Everyone’s been awake for 36, 42 hours… you don’t just wake up and go racing. So it’s a really emotional moment.”
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As Jenson Button clicks 44 on the age counter, there are inevitably questions on whether or not he’s now too previous to compete on the highest degree in motor sport. But he simply shakes his head and smiles.
“I haven’t seen it as an issue yet with drivers in their forties,” he says.
“Fernando Alonso is 42 and I’d say he’s top-of-the-line drivers on the earth, nonetheless in F1.
“If you may have the health, which I do, I prepare extra now than once I was racing in F1, in case you preserve your reactions there, if the need continues to be there, then there is no such thing as a cause why you may’t nonetheless go racing.
“I do know individuals of their 50s which might be nonetheless very aggressive.
“Also that is endurance racing. You need to be quick however it’s extra about being constant via your stints. And that’s key. That’s one thing I’ve all the time been excellent at via my profession.
“I don’t think age is a factor. In a way I am ready to prove people wrong if they think it is, just like Fernando has in F1.”
The World Endurance Championship contains eight races, the primary of which takes place on the Losail Circuit in Qatar on March 2.
By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse
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