Jenson Button, F1 champion in 2009, has participated this weekend in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It is not the first time that he has competed in this category, he already did so in 2018, two years after leaving the great circus. “Motorsport can be very stressful. That’s why I retired from F1 because I felt that I had nothing new to learn. I wanted to do things that I liked. That’s why I’m at Le Mans“explains the Briton.
He is not, nor will he be, the first F1 driver to try his luck in other competitions. Fernando Alonso also did it at the time when he participated in Le Mans and also in the Indianpolis 500. The two were teammates at McLaren’s nadir and, Although the Spaniard has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance with Aston Martin this season, it’s not such feats that resonate most with Button.
Try your luck away from F1, a requirement to be the best
The driver surrenders to Alonso, not because of what he achieved in F1, but because he was able to dare other modalities and achieve victories. “Fernando has done a phenomenal job. He left Formula 1 and came to race at Le Mans and Daytona, winning both and then winning Le Mans again. I don’t think his performance has diminished at 40“, says.
Taking on challenges outside of motorsport’s premier competition is precisely what Button considers necessary to be considered a better driver. In this sense, he is eager to see what Hamilton or Verstappen can do away from their cars. “It is very possible that Max Verstappen will go down in the books as the best, but I like the idea that you cannot be the best driver in the world if you have not left Formula 1“he points.
