Jenson Buttonworld champion of F1 In the 2009 to the microphones of our editorial staff. The Briton will be one of the absolute protagonists of the edition 2024 from the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It will start on board the Porsche 963 of the team Hertz Jota. Guests of Mobile 1the former McLaren he told us about his experience in the world championship WEC, to then give his interesting point of view on the current status of the top motorsport category. Present for the second time in his career at the start of the historic French race, Button said he was struck by the unique atmosphere that can be felt throughout the week:
“Le Mans is a real motoring festival, where if you are willing to spend and you can be in the paddock with the drivers. The atmosphere is extraordinary. Racing with all these fans makes a big difference. There is also no shortage of music and food: at the Porsche Curves in the evening the smoke from the barbecues reaches the track and you can smell the smell of sausages.”
Button in F1 he was famous for tire management. A characteristic that he also maintained in the championship Endurance: “I have the record for the most kilometers in a single set of tires Le Mans In the 2018: I did 550 km. Many below Safety Car but in any case a record-breaking long stint“. However, the additional difficulty will be dictated by the ban to tyrewarmers, an absolute novelty for the 24 Hours of Le Mans:
“Without tyrewarmers it will be tough, because these are tires made for tyrewarmers. The ideal operating temperature is very high, if you don’t reach it and push the machine too much, you lose it because there is no way to control it. It’s difficult, especially with the low temperatures at night. Difficult but the same for everyone, luckily we have some corners after leaving the pit to bring the tires up to temperature before the long straight.”
If the importance of managing the tires does not change, what does change is the working method with respect to F1: “Teamwork is fundamental at Le Mans. You have to collaborate with your teammate, he is not your first opponent. And you have to rely completely on your engineer, because you don’t have complete visibility of everything that happens on the track.”
Button is in its first full season in WEC at 44 years old, but doesn’t seem willing to continue his career as a professional driver for too long: “I don’t see myself racing at this level of competitiveness for much longer. I decided to race the whole season and not a single race, so I feel like I’m making my debut in the category. Maybe I’ll run next year and the year after, maybe not. We will see.”
As a world champion F1the presence of Button to Le Mans it also suggests his possible assault on the triple crown: “If I win this weekend I’ll think about it, otherwise I’d say I’m not interested in the Triple Crown. They have offered me the Indy 500 several times but so far I have refused. If I had been younger I would have thought about it, but going today, with no experience, at those speeds on an oval… I have a family now!”
In short, it is precisely the general competitiveness of the participants that convinced Button to compete in WEC: “The Porsche is on pole, but it’s there thanks to a super lap from Kevin Estre, not because the car is the best. The Cadillac is also very strong, the Ferrari and the Alpine are strong on the straight. I know it’s also thanks to BoP, but there are many teams that could win the race. And there are no other championships like it, apart from NASCAR. I think it’s beautiful and it’s one of the reasons why I like this category, in addition to the multi class which always gives emotions.”
F1, Button:
Asked about his favorite win in F1, the English champion is spoiled for choice. Yet in the short list of his favorites there is none from 2009: “There are many, like Canada 2011 And Spa 2012. But I choose Suzuka 2011when I batted Alonso And Vettel won the title, with the top 3 finishing in 2 seconds. A really exciting weekend for me.”
Net of the title won with Brawn GP, Button is remembered in Formula 1 especially for his stint career finale with McLaren Mercedes. Between 2010 and the 2012 held his own Lewis Hamiltonbeating him in the 2011. On his great moment of form former team He told us:
A McLaren so strong it’s great for Formula 1 and it’s great to see Lando doing so well. I raced for McLaren for 7 years, it’s nice to see them competitive again. They’re back to where they were when I joined their team in 2010, when they were winning races. And it’s nice in general to see so many competitive teams. We saw Mercedes strong in Canada, there Ferrari winning in Monaco. A bit like here in Hypercar, there are many protagonists.“
However, his age does not differ much from that of some very champions and his former rivals still present in the top category: “In F1 There are Lewis And Fernando, so maybe I retired too early. But I got tired of Formula One and it was the right decision for me, a choice that I matured for 2 years. Coming back today would not be possible, because the cars have changed a lot and in this category incredible reaction times are needed. The Hypercars they are fast, but the Formula Ones are much faster and other reflexes are needed.”
Author and photo: Marco Santini – @marcosantini91
Images: Jota Sport
