Jenson Button is doing it all right now, besides his old job of driving an F1 car. In addition to consulting for Williams F1, Jenson will be getting behind the wheel in Extreme E… for a team that he owns. Yes, he’s joining the ranks of owner-drivers along with Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren and more.
Jenson Button launches Extreme E team
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Of course, Extreme E is a far cry from 1960s Formula 1. It’s a one-make all-terrain EV race series which already has an all-star line-up of teams, with JB joining fellow F1 World Champions Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg as team owners. The difference of course is that Jenson will be helming the car as well as the team itself. He’ll be up against some serious off-road talent, including World Rally Champions Sébastien Loeb and Carlos Sainz Sr. as well as World Rallycross Champions Johan Kristoffersson, Timmy Hansen and Mattias Ekström.
JBXE is the name Jenson’s team and in case you were wondering about the strength of Jenson’s off-road calling, fear not. His dad, John Button, was a British Rallycross front-runner in the 1970s and 1980s. On top of that, he’s also already tried his hand at the Baja 1000 in 2019.
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"JBXE has been a long time coming and I'm both delighted and proud to announce its formation and entry into the inaugural Extreme E Championship,” said Jenson Button, Founder of JBXE.
“I caught the off-road bug a few years back which led to me entering my own team in a few races including the Mint 400 and even the Baja 1000 and I absolutely loved it! It was around the same time I first heard about the plans for Extreme E which I've followed with great interest. In Extreme E they've created a product that will offer first class racing and entertainment to the fans, but also serves to highlight the impact of climate change.
“On track I’m delighted to say there are some world class opponents to go wheel-to-wheel with and Extreme E is a world-first which sees true equality with male and female drivers both as teammates and as opponents out on track.
“On that note I still have the exciting task of appointing and announcing my co-driver which will take place in the coming weeks and then all focus will turn to the opening race in Saudi Arabia."
The opening face-off in Saudi Arabia is scheduled to take place on 3rd-4th April 3-4 2021, with rounds in Senegal, Greenland, Brazil and Argentina coming over the following eight months.
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