Jenson Button: "WEC is an amazing place!"

Button, talking to media in the build-up to the Qatar Airways Qatar 1812kms opener on Saturday, will share one of the popular gold Porsche 963 Hybrid Hypercars with Oliver Rasmussen and Phil Hanson over a full campaign.

“When I watched probably 10 years ago, I think everyone was saying it's in such a good place, we've got Porsche, we've got Audi, Toyota and LMP1 and it was good, as you had six, seven cars fighting for victory,” said the 2009 F1 world champion.

“But I think the Hypercar era, it's been very impressive to see how it's grown over the last couple of years, lots of manufacturers getting involved, the possibility to have private teams that can be as competitive as the manufacturers.

“It's really big, this is such a special category, to travel around the world and race with, with so many great drivers, so many great manufacturers, and teams, it's very special.”

Button enjoyed a positive Prologue test earlier in the week and is relishing the prospect of continuing Hertz Team JOTA’s momentum that they began after they debuted their programme at Spa last May.

Team co-owner Sam Hignett, who brought Button and fellow new drivers Calum IIott and Norman Nato in to the squad over the winter believes that

“I think we're in a great place,” said Hignett, who co-founded the team back in 1999.

“Because this time last year, we hadn't yet received the Porsche. We had staff at Weissach (Porsche factory) building the Porsche and we were trying to run two LMP two cars at Sebring, which was hard work with half the crew in Germany. 

Hignett confirmed that the team was in a much better operational state than last season, saying that a decision to base itself in the Middle East for the last three months has paid dividends.

“We're probably better prepared this season than we've ever been for an LMP season just because the project got up and running sooner than we've ever had it running before,” he added.

“Time is your best friend in motorsport. Having the time to prepare and get everything sorted is great.

“What has been a huge advantage to us is we stayed out here between Bahrain and Qatar, so we based ourselves in an industrial unit up the road here, the cars equipment have stayed here and we've been testing here and in Bahrain.”