Jenson Button says he simply “needs to win a race” in 2025 as he prepares to start out his second season racing within the World Endurance Championship (WEC) this weekend.
The 2009 Method One world champion begins the long-distance championship’s eight-race marketing campaign on the Qatar 1812km on Friday.
He’s once more racing for British outfit Hertz Workforce Jota within the prime hypercar class, the staff now affiliated with Cadillac for the primary time after working Porsche engines final season.
“Jota has received a race yearly it is competed in WEC, in order that’s fairly, fairly spectacular – I believe we have to proceed that development,” Button informed BBC Radio Somerset.
“Each driver will say they wish to win [the 24 Hours of] Le Mans and that is prime of the bucket record. I simply wish to win a race.
“Whenever you stand on the highest of that podium and you recognize the expertise that you have been up in opposition to by way of drivers, producers, groups, it is a very spectacular feat – in order that must be the intention and there isn’t any motive why we won’t.
“We’ve got no excuses. The automotive’s good. I believe the staff of individuals we’ve got are good.”
Button completed nineteenth within the 2024 drivers championship, together with his greatest consequence sixth on the Six Hours of Fuji race in September, whereas he was additionally .
Regardless of lacking one of many pre-season apply classes as a consequence of a bout of bronchitis, Button stated he has “bought to grips fairly shortly” with the brand new automotive.
There are additionally benefits to being in a producer’s staff which the 45-year-old believes will give Jota extra of an edge this 12 months.
“You’re feeling the distinction and I believe it is as a result of when you’ve a difficulty you possibly can work with the instruments much more as a result of it is clearly all open,” Button stated.
“Whereas final 12 months we have been restricted on what we will really do and sure issues we simply couldn’t change as a result of we weren’t allowed to.
“It is what [Porsche] Penske mainly selected and we went with it whereas right here it is much more open and there is much more adjustability and issues get achieved loads faster.
“I believe it is loads simpler to make progress and discover consolation within the automotive.”
Final 12 months was Button’s first full season of racing since 2019 when he competed in Japan’s Tremendous GT Championship. Whereas getting again into driving was not a difficulty, adjusting to the complicated programs within the automobiles was the largest studying curve.
“It is not [a case of] you set it up and you then simply drive it,” Button stated.
“It was understanding the instruments and so they could make an enormous distinction to how the automotive feels and you’ll actually profit for those who perceive these instruments.
“This 12 months it has been loads simpler. It is clearly completely different programs however loads of the stuff does the identical.”
