For #38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Hypercar driver Jenson Button, the transition to sportscar racing has been a journey towards the supportive team environment that is difficult to find in other branches of motorsport. The ethos of: ‘the first person you need to beat is your teammate’ was one that the 2009 Formula One World Champion was happy to be a part of for his 17-year career at the pinnacle of single-seater racing. The 45-year-old LA-based father of two is now happily part of JOTA, one of the most successful modern-day sportscar racing teams, and looking forward to competing in his 4th 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2025.
EnduranceandGT editor Andy Lloyd spoke with Jenson Button in the build-up to the world’s greatest endurance race and started by asking how the transition from a privateer Porsche team to a fully factory-backed Cadillac might have changed the Tunbridge Wells-based team, now a powerhouse of advanced engineering and composite technologies.
“I felt when this team was a private team that it felt very much like factory team anyway and I think that was why Cadillac and GM were interested in working with them,” he said. “When you look at the staff they have here and the skills sets they have, it’s far beyond the norm of a privateer team but there’s obviously a bit of a shift because you’re working closer with GM and you have a lot of GM personnel that you can talk to about the small details.
“There’s a lot that we can change in terms of driver aids in the car. We can talk to GM and they can adjust things on the fly whereas last year, as a privateer, we were given options which were limited compared to now. As long as the other GM Cadillac teams agree, we can move forward with something very quickly so there’s a big difference in that regard.
“In terms of the atmosphere within the team, it still feels like JOTA which is what you want. You want a family team and I think that’s what’s going to keep this sport alive.”
(Photo: Roger Jenkins)
In 2024, Button was partnered with Oliver Rasmussen and Phil Hanson, two young drivers at the start of the endurance racing career, in the #12 Hertz Team JOTA Porsche 963 which they drove to a top ten finish at Le Mans on their way to 19th-place finish in the Hypercar Drivers standings. For 2025, Jenson is driving alongside Earl Bamber and Sébastien Bourdais, two of the most experienced prototype drivers on the Le Mans grid this year. How did the change of teammates change the way that Button approached the 2025 season?
“When you’re working with young drivers, they tend not to be quite as outspoken when it comes to the development of the car,” said Jenson. “Seb and Earl, who have raced for Cadillac for the last couple of years and who have raced in endurance for decades, come with a lot of useful information. There are a lot more opinions on the team which is a lot for the engineers to take on board but very good in the long term for this project.
“There are moments which are kind of heated but in a positive way and it all helps for the future of the project. The amount that these guys understand about this car and what works and what doesn’t really does benefit the team.”
(Photo: Roger Jenkins)
Jenson Button now lives in LA with his wife Brittny, who runs a highly successful residential design business, and his two children. Button is a keen racer of historic machinery and regularly competes at the Goodwood Revival meeting with his Jaguar E-Type and C-Type. He also runs a number of successful businesses alongside his media commitments. How does he see his endurance racing future progressing with so many demands on his time?
“I love the competition and the camaraderie and it’s in my blood,” he said. “A race like Le Mans is something I’ve dreamed about for many years and hopefully that dream of getting to the front at Le Mans is going to come true. But I think that this year is most likely to be my last full season of racing.
“I’ve got a lot going on in my life. We have two children and I feel that I’m away too much and I don’t want to miss too much with the family.
“I’ll still race but it just won’t be a full season of racing. I look forward to the future as much as I look forward to now but at the moment, I’m not thinking about that too much. It’s more…living in the moment.”
Track action for the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans grid gets underway on Wednesday June 11with FP1 at 2.00pm local time. Qualifying begins at 6.45pm later that day with the lights going for the start of the Great Race at 4.00pm on Saturday June 14.
