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Jenson Button will make a full-time racing return in 2024, at the age of 44, as he takes on the ever-popular hypercar class in the World Endurance Championship.
The 2009 F1 champion will race with Jota in its #38 Porsche 963, partnering with fellow Briton Phil Hanson and Denmark’s Oliver Rasmussen.
Declaring himself “thrilled” to be taking part in WEC, Button said of his co-drivers that they “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 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.”
Button retired from full-time F1 in 2016, making a one-off back-up appearance the following year with McLaren before switching to Super GT in 2018, winning the title that year, and 2019.
Over the years, Button has also made ‘guest’ appearances in several categories, including DTM, British GT, Extreme E (in which he has his own team), Nitro Rallycross, NASCAR Cup, and the IMSA Sportscar championship.
Button, who turns 44 in January when he will also drive in the 24 Hours of Daytona in a WTR Andretti Acura (Honda) GTP prototype, has made a handful of WEC appearances over the years, notably with SMP Racing during the 2018-’19 season.
Button also drove for SMP Racing in the 2018 version of the 24 Hours of Le Mans before returning to the renowned event last year in the Garage 56 entry from Hendrick Motorsports that saw it run a NextGen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 alongside Jimmie Johnson and Mike Rockenfeller. The trio finished 39th overall.
Button will take part in all eight rounds of WEC in 2024, which starts with Qatar on March 2. Le Mans will run on June 15-16, with the calendar also taking in Interlagos where Button won his sole F1 crown with Brawn GP in 2009.
After years of Toyota dominance in WEC, the hypercar class has attracted a raft of new manufacturers, with Porsche, Cadillac, and Ferrari taking part last year, with the latter winning Le Mans for the first time in 50 years.
Alpine, BMW, and Lamborghini will compete this year, with Aston Martin joining in 2025.
The second WEC Jota entry will be driven by former Ferrari Academy driver Callum Ilott, alongside fellow Briton Will Stevens, and Frenchman Norman Nato.
