Jenson Button plans revealed as sensational full-time racing return mooted

Jenson Button is reportedly pushing for a full-time sportscar drive for 2024 and beyond as he declared “I’ve got a lot of years ahead”.

The 2009 World Champion, who contested his final Formula 1 race at Monaco in 2017, has cast his net wide across various racing categories ever since, with the World Endurance Championship, Le Mans, Super GT, DTM and NASCAR among the series added to his CV.

And Button now is preparing to go racing in another new territory as he gets set to debut in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, racing for JDC-Miller MotorSports in the 26th staging of the Motul Petit Le Mans on October 14.

Full-time Jenson Button comeback on the cards?

And as per the IMSA website, this outing for Button will serve as the launchpad for a beefed-up endurance schedule to come.

Their piece claims Button is looking to land a full-time drive in the World Endurance Championship for 2024, with the view to extending that into 2025, while he would add to his schedule with IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup outings.

“There are a few very good options,” said Button in regards to these plans.

He added: “Endurance is the place I want to be. Multiclass racing throws something else into the mix with traffic. There’s always a lot more action because of it.

“The way IMSA is run, you don’t know who is going to win until after the last safety car, basically. Endurance racing is where it’s at.”

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On the face of it, returning to full-time competition can be seen as a huge challenge for Button to take on now aged 43.

After all though, Formula 1’s 42-year-old Fernando Alonso is currently proving that age is just a number, and rather motivation and commitment are key as he continues to operate at top form with Aston Martin, scoring seven podium finishes so far in F1 2023.

And Button, who says he still feels “like a 20-year-old” when he is at the wheel of a racing car, says he has plenty left in the tank.

“It never leaves you as a racing driver, that want for competition,” he said. “As long as I still want to race and am still healthy and fit and my reactions are still there, there’s no reason to stop racing.

“When I get to a point where I’ve lost my edge, I won’t be doing so much serious racing. But for now, wow! I feel like I’ve got a lot of years ahead. I still feel like a 20-year-old when it comes to racing.

“I will race as long as I can.”

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