Button’s back in action

Jenson Button’s ‘one-off’ returns to racing will continue when the McLaren-Honda Formula 1 reserve driver makes his Super GT debut in the Suzuka 1,000km race.

The former F1 world champion will debut in the series in August, racing for Team Mugen in the GT500 car. Button will partner Hideki Mutoh and Daisuke Nakajima in the race, which takes places on August 27.

Standing in for Fernando Alonso, Button returned to F1 in the Monaco GP last month. After qualifying an impressive ninth, Button was then hit by a series of engine-related penalties and crashed out of the race after tangling with Sauber’s Pascal Wehrlein.

The 2009 F1 champion had been linked to a drive in the race with Honda since last year. He will test a Team Mugen NSX-GT at the Japanese Grand Prix venue on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of a tyre test, then make his debut in the final running of the Super GT touring car series.

“After driving an NSX Concept-GT at the Honda Racing Thanks Day last December, I became interested in racing in Super GT,” said Button. “I spoke with Honda and they have given me the chance to race at the Suzuka 1,000km. As an F1 driver and a member of Team Mugen, I will push to win.

“I am very much looking forward to racing in front of my Japanese fans again.”

Last year Button’s fellow McLaren reserve Oliver Turvey took part in Super GT for Honda, and claimed pole position for the Suzuka 1,000km in a rare recent high in the series for the manufacturer.

Honda has struggled in Super GT compared to rivals Nissan and Lexus (Toyota), and has not won a race since September 2015.

Lexus drivers have won all three races so far in 2017, with Honda’s best result of second at the last round at Autopolis its first podium of the year.

This season, Mutoh and Nakajima have scored points once - a ninth in the season opener at Aida - and lie 17th in the championship.

“Jenson is an extremely talented and experienced driver, and we hope he will have a great race,” said Team Mugen director Nagataka Tezuka.

“Hideki Mutoh, Daisuke Nakajima, and Jenson Button is an exciting and formidable driver line-up and we are confident Team Mugen will be able to show its best performance at the final ever Suzuka 1,000km.”