Button signs up to race in Extreme E series

Mark Scott
Jenson Button takes his second Legends Trophy win.

Jenson Button is the latest big name to sign up to the inaugural Extreme E series where he will race for his own team.

The 2009 World Champion, who will also be acting as a special advisor to Williams following an announcement last Friday, will join the likes of Sir Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in the international off-road racing series – now due to start on April 3 in Saudi Arabia.

Although neither Hamilton and Rosberg will race themselves, Button will form one half of the driver line-up at his own team called JBXE.

“JBXE has been a long time coming and I’m both delighted and proud to announce its formation and entry into the inaugural Extreme E Championship,” said Button.

“I caught the off-road bug a few years back which led to me entering my own team in a few races including the Mint 400 and even the Baja 1000 and I absolutely loved it.

“It was around the same time I first heard about the plans for Extreme E which I’ve followed with great interest and what Alejandro Agag, Ali Russell and the team have managed to create is nothing short of incredible.

“In Extreme E they’ve created a product that will offer first-class racing and entertainment to the fans, but also serves to highlight the impact of climate change.

“Whilst we will, of course, compete to win on track, as a collective we will also work to maximise awareness whilst racing in places that have been damaged or affected by climate change over the years.

“Alongside the awareness piece, Extreme E themselves are committing legacy initiatives at each destination which help protect already damaged ecosystems impacted by climate change.

“On track, I’m delighted to say there are some world-class opponents to go wheel-to-wheel with and Extreme E is a world-first which sees true equality with male and female drivers both as team-mates and as opponents out on track.”

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Alejandro Agag, founder and CEO of Extreme E, added: “I’m thrilled to welcome another major name in the world of motorsport in Jenson Button.

“He is one of the most popular drivers in the business and Extreme E will give him the opportunity to live out one of his long-held passions, to compete at the highest level in off-road racing.

“Jenson, alongside his peers, will give further weight to our mission to raise awareness of the global climate crisis, while doing what we love – racing.”

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