{"id":7545,"date":"2025-04-22T15:42:05","date_gmt":"2025-04-22T15:42:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/motorsporttraveldestinations.com\/blog\/?p=7545"},"modified":"2025-11-05T11:54:34","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T11:54:34","slug":"jensons-back-and-is-looking-serious-can-he-make-the-le-mans-top-step","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/motorsporttraveldestinations.com\/blog\/jensons-back-and-is-looking-serious-can-he-make-the-le-mans-top-step\/","title":{"rendered":"Jenson\u2019s back and is looking serious \u2013 can he make the Le Mans top step?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Born on\u202fJanuary 19, 1980, in Frome, Somerset, Button was the son of a former rallycross driver, which exposed him to motorsport from an early age. His career would come to be defined by\u202ftalent, perseverance, and success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Button started karting at the age of\u202feight, and by\u202f11, he won the\u202f1991 British Cadet Karting Championship, claiming victory in\u202fall 34 races of the season. An unprecedented achievement. Rising through the national and European karting ranks, he transitioned to\u202fsingle-seater racing at 18, competing in the\u202fFormula Ford Championship. He won the championship in his debut season, dominating the field. This feat earned him the prestigious\u202fMcLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year Award, marking him as one of Britain\u2019s most promising racing talents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, his rise was rapid. In\u202f1999, Button moved up to\u202fFormula 3, impressing enough to earn a\u202fFormula 1 test with Williams\u202fthat same year. His performance was so strong that Williams signed him for the\u202f2000 F1 season, replacing American driver Alessandro Zanardi. While his ascent to F1 had been swift, his progress within the sport was more gradual. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Jenson<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Over the next\u202feight years, Button raced for\u202ffour different teams, enduring\u202fseasons of struggle and inconsistency. His career reached a crossroads at the end of\u202f2008\u202fwhen\u202fHonda abruptly pulled out of Formula 1, leaving him without a drive. However, from what looked to be a career-ending setback, an\u202fextraordinary opportunity emerged. Honda\u2019s former team principal,\u202fRoss Brawn, led a management buyout, forming\u202fBrawn GP and what followed was one of the greatest underdog stories in F1 history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite\u202flow expectations, the team had produced a\u202ftechnical masterpiece. Button\u202fwon six of the first seven races\u202fof the\u202f2009 season, building an\u202funassailable lead\u202fin the championship. Though he faced challenges in the latter half of the season, he secured the\u202fFormula 1 World Championship\u202fat the\u202fBrazilian Grand Prix, achieving his lifelong dream. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After winning the title, Button moved to\u202fMcLaren in 2010, where he spent the remainder of his\u202fF1 career. He partnered\u202fLewis Hamilton (2010\u201312), Sergio Perez (2013), Kevin Magnussen (2014), and Fernando Alonso (2015\u201316)\u202fbefore stepping away from full-time racing at the end of\u202f2016. His final F1 appearance came as a one-off\u202fsubstitute for Alonso at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix, marking the official end of his F1 tenure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Jenson<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

However, as a\u202fself-confessed racing enthusiast, retirement from F1 did not mean the end of Button\u2019s competitive career. With\u202fclose ties to Honda, he moved into the\u202fSuper GT Series in Japan, winning the\u202f2018 championship\u202fin his first season. This period also marked his\u202ffirst foray into the Le Mans 24 Hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the years that followed, Button dabbled in\u202fvarious motorsport disciplines, including\u202fNASCAR, IMSA, sports car racing, and Extreme E. He also established his\u202fown racing team, competing in\u202fGT and off-road events, while becoming a respected\u202fF1 pundit. However, it wasn\u2019t until\u202f2024, after settling down in the\u202fUSA\u202fand starting a family, that he\u202ffully committed to racing again, joining\u202fTeam Jota\u202ffor a full assault on the\u202fWorld Endurance Championship (WEC). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now in\u202fhis second full-time WEC season (2025), Button continues with\u202fTeam Jota, but this time in a\u202fCadillac. After racing the\u202fPorsche 963 in 2024, he now shares the\u202f#38 Cadillac V-Series R\u202falongside\u202fSebastien Bourdais and Earl Bamber. The oldest pairing in the Hypercar class, but together, the trio brings an\u202fF1 title, 333 Grand Prix starts, 4 Champ Car titles, 10 Indy 500 appearances, 1 Daytona 24 Hours victory, and 3 Sebring 12 Hours wins\u202fto the table. Their experience could prove invaluable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Button\u2019s\u202fCadillac V-Series R, designed by\u202fCadillac and built by Dallara, is now in\u202fits third year at Le Mans. Under the stewardship of\u202fHertz Team Jota, the team aims to build on its\u202ffirst two years of experience\u202fand challenge for victory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Button is driven by\u202fthe intense competition of the Hypercar class, he is hoping to join an\u202fillustrious group of just five drivers\u202fwho have won\u202fboth Le Mans and a Formula 1 World Championship – Fernando Alonso, Graham Hill, Phil Hill, Mike Hawthorn, and Jochen Rindt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u202f2025 Le Mans\u202frace presents one of the most competitive Hypercar fields in history, with\u202f18 cars from eight major manufacturers\u202ffighting for glory. Ferrari aiming for a\u202fthird straight victory, while\u202fToyota and Porsche (with a combined seven wins between them) lurk as perennial contenders. With\u202fAlpine, BMW, and Peugeot\u202fall in the mix too, there are many drivers with their eyes on the prize.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Button, this could be his biggest challenge yet, but if he can pull it off, it will cement his name in endurance and wider motorsport history. Only time will tell.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83c\udf9f\ufe0f Le Mans tickets and packages are still on sale – book now<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Le Mans 24h Entry List released for 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>