25/01/2021
NEWS STORY
Days after being announced as Williams "Senior Advisor", 2009 world champion, Jenson Button takes on another role as he joins Extreme E as a team owner and driver.
Button's entry to Extreme E signifies his latest venture in the world of motorsport. Over the past three years, the Briton has successfully tried his hand at many other disciplines and championships including the FIA World Endurance Championship, the Le Mans 24 Hours, British GT and Super GT, which he won with Team Kunimitsu in 2018.
While much of his racing career has been spent on the smooth asphalt of the race track, Button has always had a passion for off-road racing. His late father, John Button, was a leading rallycross driver in the 1970s and ‘80s, claiming the runner-up spot in both the British Rallycross Championship and Lydden Hill Rallycross Championship in 1976.
Always a driver looking to explore different racing challenges, Button first experienced off-road racing himself in 2019 while contesting the Baja 1000, one of the most gruelling races of all time, where competitors take on the Baja California Peninsula and its tough terrain and extreme heat.
Button's move to Extreme E as a team owner sees him follow fellow F1 world champions, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, indeed, the series can boast no less than ten world champions, with three World Rallycross Champions (Johan Kristoffersson, Timmy Hansen and Mattias Ekstrom), two World Rally Champions (Sebastien Loeb and Carlos Sainz), a Women's Trial World Champion (Laia Sanz) and a Pro-4 World Champion (Kyle LeDuc) - they collectively hold over 40 World Championship titles.
JBXE is the tenth team in Extreme E, joining Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti United (USA), ABT CUPRA XE and Rosberg Xtreme Racing (Germany), Team TECHEETAH (Indonesia), Hispano Suiza Xite Energy Team and ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team (Spain), and fellow British teams Veloce Racing, and X44 (UK).
Extreme E's first Season kicks-off in Saudi Arabia from April 3-4, 2021.
"I'm thrilled to welcome another major name in the world of motorsport in Jenson Button," said Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E. "He is one of the most popular drivers in the business and Extreme E will give him the opportunity to live out one of his long-held passions, to compete at the highest level in off-road racing.
"Jenson, alongside his peers, will give further weight to our mission to raise awareness of the global climate crisis, while doing what we love – racing. It's going to be fantastic to see the biggest names in motorsport on the starting line in Saudi Arabia in April – it is set to be an incredible form of entertainment, but with a strong and purposeful message around our planet."
"JBXE has been a long time coming," added Button, "and I'm both delighted and proud to announce its formation and entry into the inaugural Extreme E Championship. 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 and what Alejandro Agag, Ali Russell and the team have managed to create is nothing short of incredible, and thanks to them and our partners Apater Capital and Pipt we get to be a part of it.
"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. Whilst we will of course compete to win on track, as a collective we will also work to maximise awareness whilst racing in places that have been damaged or affected by climate change over the years. Alongside the awareness piece, Extreme E themselves are committing legacy initiatives at each destination which help protect already damaged ecosystems impacted by 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."