Paul Jeffrey
Premium
On the eve of his Super GT Suzuka 1000km debut, Former World Champion Jenson Button has admitted a full time racing return next season looks to be on the cards.
Having stepped away from his McLaren Formula One drive at the end of 2016, Jenson Button has flirted with several different forms of motorsport in recent months, sampling a Rallycross car and Japanese Super GT machine amongst others as he looks to fill his time now driving commitments for McLaren have come to an end.
Following what the British driver described as several "exciting" tests of the works Honda Super GT NSX this year Button, 37, will be taking to the track for the first time at the Suzuka 1000km race in Japan this weekend, marking the first time the British driver has entered a competitive motor race outside of Formula One since making his debut for Williams all the way back in 2000.
With retirement seemingly not sitting well with the winner of 15 Grand Prix (despite remaining contractually bound to McLaren as official reserve driver), Button has confirmed that talks are already underway for a full time return to competition next season, potentially in America or more likely in the growing Japanese Super GT series for Honda.
"I will be definitely doing something next year for a full season," said Button. "Whether it's here or in America or somewhere else, I don't know yet.
"But the discussions are underway. We'll see how this weekend goes. If it goes well and if I enjoy the weekend, which I think I will, then maybe I could be racing here next year."
"JB" has always been popular with the Japanese public during his Formula One stint and often refers to the Land of the Rising Sun with warm affection. Considering the Briton still has very strong ties with Honda thanks to his McLaren commitments, a move to the high downforce NSX GT machine for 2018 seems the most likely destination for 2018."But the discussions are underway. We'll see how this weekend goes. If it goes well and if I enjoy the weekend, which I think I will, then maybe I could be racing here next year."
"The cars are great to drive. They are fast, here's a lot of downforce and you can carry a lot of speed through the corners," he said.
"Through the corners, it feels like a Formula 1 car, which is pretty spectacular. And also you have the GT300 cars to overtake. It's another added challenge for me, something that's new to me".
"Through the corners, it feels like a Formula 1 car, which is pretty spectacular. And also you have the GT300 cars to overtake. It's another added challenge for me, something that's new to me".
The renowned smooth driving style and consistency of Button should work in the British drivers favour should he make the switch to Super GT next year, adding another layer of intrigue to one of the best forms of closed top GT racing in modern motorsports.
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